Social media and Business Communication and Advertising Essay

Social media and Business Communication and Advertising - Essay Example This paper illustrates that social media has become a major part of business promotion strategy. The trend in marketing and advertising is moving towards social media. Business marketing and promotion are moving from the traditional media such as television and print media. The social media offers businesses, big and small, a range of advantages that can be useful for the purposes of ensuring that the business benefits the most from its investment is marketing and promotion investments. Social media offers the business a range of services that are useful in business and brand promotion. To begin with, it can be useful as a way to give the customers a personalized communication platform. Businesses can respond to customers’ requests, queries, and communication on a one-on-one basis and this can be very useful in creating customer satisfaction. In this regard, social media offers a way for the business to be able to communicate on a personal level with the customers. However, be ing able to take advantage of the social media platform is not an easy fit for the businesses. Only those businesses that are able to come up with a well-laid social media strategy are able to benefit the most from the social media platform. In this case, businesses must be able to know how to take advantage of the social media to be able to take home the benefits. In fact, businesses that are unable or that refuse to take advantage of the social media end up suffering.

Marketing environment Essay Example for Free

Marketing environment Essay Product Offerings Kellogg’s is in the breakfast cereal market. It principal products are related to ready-to-eat cereals. In addition to this the company also manufactures and sells many convenience foods such as crackers, cereal bars, veggie foods, frozen waffles, toaster pastries, fruit snacks cookies etc. As of 2009, the manufacturing of these products took place in 19 countries across the world and were sold in over 180 countries. The company’s brands include Kellogg’s, Keebler, Cheez-It, Murray, Austin and Famous Amos. The company also has several brand names attached to its products such as: Apple Jacks, Mueslix, Pops, Corn Pops, Cruncheroos, Bran Buds, Cocoa Krispies, special K, Smacks etc in US; Suchrilos and related products and Zucharita and related products in Latin America; Vive and Vector in Canada; Optima, Choco Pops, Muslix, Honey Loops, Country Store, Ricicles etc in Europe; Cerola, Sultana Bran, BeBig, Chex, Frosties etc. in Asia and Australia (Kellogg’s Investor Information). Following is the market share for the different cereal brands over the past 14 years. Fig – 12 Most Popular Cereal Brands (Topher, 2008) Target markets Customers Kellogg’s has separated its business into two segments: North America and International. The company generates two thirds of its revenues in North America which consists of United States and Canada. These are shown in the figure below. Fig – 13 Kellogg’s market sales by region, in millions (wikinvest, 2009) In United States, the biggest retail consumer of Kellogg’s are the Wal-Mart Stores that accounts for about 20% of its net sale. In fact no other consumer accounts for more than 10% of its net sales. Kellogg’s revenue in North America is further divided into different sections based on product types such as cereals, snacks and frozen and specialty categories. This is shown in the figure below. Fig – 14 Kellogg’s sales by Product Category (wikinvest, 2009) Competition The company faces competition for sales of all of its principal products in its major markets, both domestically and internationally. The Companys products compete with advertised and branded products of a similar nature as well as unadvertised and private label products, which are distributed at lower prices, and also with other food products with different characteristics. Principal factors for competition include new product introductions, product quality, composition, and nutritional value, price, advertising and promotion (Kellogg). The primary competitors of Kellogg’s are General Mills and Kraft which sells breakfast cereal under the Pos brand. Among this the revenues of Kraft are triple as compared to the other two brands with its leading segment being snacks. However, both Kellogg’s and General Mills receive more of their revenues from the cereal segment. The table below shows the company comparison. Company Net Revenues (in millions) International Revenues as % of sales Gross Margin % Kellogg’s $ 10,906 32. 6% 44. 2% General Mills $ 12,442 17% 36% Kraft $ 34,356 32. 4 36. 1% Table – 15 Company Comparison (wikinvest, 2009) Supply chain As mentioned, Wal-Mart accounts for about 20% of the company’s product sales in United States. The company uses both its sales force as well as business arrangements with brokers and distributors to sell its products. The products are eventually resold to consumers in retail stores, restaurants and other food service establishments (Kellogg’s Investor Information). The figure below gives the different types of distribution channels of the company. Fig – 16 Kellogg’s distribution Channels (http://www. docstoc. com/docs/3584505/Kellogg%EF%BF%BDs-Marketing-Strategy-and-Marketing-Plans ) Market position Product Sales Regardless of the bad moments it has faced over the year, especially thorough the 1990s, Kellogg’s still the market leader in the US cereal market. Despite increasing competition Kellogg’s has slowly increased its share in the market and control about 1/3rd of the market. This is followed by General Mills and Quaker and Post. In addition to this, Kellogg’s controls as much as 50% of the market for new cereals in the United States with the introduction of more new cereals than either of its competitors. The figure below shows the 2008 US cereal market. Fig – 17 US Cereal Market Share (wikinvest, 2009) The figure below shows the market share trends for the top cereal producers over the past 10 years. Fig – 18 Market share trends for the past 10 years (Topher, 2008) Employment Financial statistics The company employs about 32400 employees worldwide which its latest figures as of 2009. It has generated about 12. 8 billion in net worldwide sales of which its earning were $ 1. 1 billion. The company keeps low sales targets for its internal net sales since it is a mature market. The figures are between 1-3 %. The company exceeded this target with a net sales growth of 9% in the year 2008 and a growth rate of 5. 4. The targets for internal operating margins are between 4-6% which the company achieved by reaching a figure of 4. 5%. The net earnings per share target for the company is between 7-9%. The company achieved a diluted earning per share grew by 8% which the currency neutral EPS grew by 10% which was more than its target. The figure below shows the financial highlights of the company for the past 3 years. Fig – 19 Kellogg’s 2008 financial highlights (Kellogg’s Investor Information) Since one of the major draws of the company is the innovation of its products,, the company sets aside a considerable budget for RD. The expenditure figures for this head were $181 million in 2008. The corresponding budget was $ 171 million in 2007 and $191 million in 2006. Marketing Advertising The company has an excellent marketing team which has used varied channels for sales and promotion of its products. These include: Mass Advertising – popular characters like Tony the TigerTM and Snap! Crackle! Pop! TM, on TV; Direct Promotions: Coupons; Trade Promotions: In-store displays, Samples; Personal Selling: Prime-account reps, Area reps; Penetration Chain stores, Independent wholesalers; Sales Channel Brand equity; Logistics Finished goods warehouse centers or independent warehouses (Kellogg’s Company – Products).

Code Of Practice In Teaching And Learning

Code Of Practice In Teaching And Learning This assignment covers issues relating to current legislation and codes of practice in teaching and learning, as well as on the stages of the teaching/training cycle with emphasis on boundaries on some of the highlighted stages. The importance of record keeping in teaching and learning was also discussed in this assignment. I am currently working as an IT professional with the view of progressing onto more rewarding and better fulfilling profession as Mathematics cum ICT teacher/trainer in a lifelong learning sector. I decided to enrol for the Preparing to Teaching in Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) programme at the North Hertfordshire College in preparing myself for the fulfilment of my career aspiration. LEGISLATION AND CODE OF PRACTICE IN TEACHING LEARNING The legislation and code of practice in teaching and learning are in place to act as guidelines and to protect the employees and learners in a typical lifelong learning sector. As a Tutor in the lifelong learning sector, it is my responsibility to be aware and adhere to the current legislative requirements and codes of practice as expected on my job role. Two examples of the current legislation relevant to teaching and learning are: Equality Act 2010 The key features of this act are, but not limited to the following: Aim at protecting disabled employees/learners and prevent disability discrimination as it provides legal rights for them in the area of employment, education, access to public facilities/services within a reputable lifelong learning institution. It provides rights to people (Carer or parent of a disabled person) not to be directly discriminated against or harassed because they have association with disabled people. It is unlawful for any education provider in the lifelong learning sector to treat a disabled employee/learner as less favourably for a reason related to their disability or fail to make reasonable adjustments to prevent them being placed at a substantial advantage. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 The learning institution must make it mandatory for the teachers/trainers and learners to understand and comply with the Health and safety at work Act 1974. This act ensures that they put the safety and health of employees and learners first. As Trainer, I must minimize the risks associated with repetitive strain injury (RSI) amongst my learners. For example, highly repetitive movements such as typing on the keyboard consistently can lead to RSI; continuous usage of the VDU (visual display unit) can also lead to eye strain. Hence, I must ensure that learners go on short intermittent breaks. Other current legislations that are relevant to lifelong learning sector are: The Sex Discrimination Act (SDA) 1984 Special Education Needs and Disability Act (2001) The Health and Safety at work Act 1974 Freedom of Information and Data Protection Act 2005 Employment Equality (Religious or Belief )Regulations 2003 Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 Human Rights Act 1998 Apart from the aforementioned current legislative requirements, there are also codes of practice that I have to adhere to as a teacher/trainer in a lifelong learning sector. Codes of practice, (CoP) are lower level documents that provide guidance. For example, the institute for learning (IFL) introduced a code of practice for teachers in the lifelong learning sector in 2008. The Code was developed by the profession for the profession and it outlines the behaviour expected of members for the benefit of learners, employers, the profession and the wider community. An example of the Code of practice that relates to teaching in a lifelong learning sector is the disclosure of criminal offence; as it is expected that any member to notify the institute as soon as practicable after cautioning or conviction for a criminal offence. STAGES OF TEACHING/TRAINING CYCLES The teaching/training cycle (as depicted below) can be described as a cyclic learning process that can continue indefinitely to facilitate successful learning experience. The teaching/training cycle can be joined at any point but needs to be followed through to be effective. The teaching/training cycle involves the following stages: Identifying needs Planning Delivering Assessing Evaluating The roles and responsibilities as well as the boundaries for each of the five stages of the teaching cycle in a lifelong learning sector are as highlighted below: IDENTIFYING NEEDS This stage is about finding out the needs of the institution as well as that of the learners. Roles Responsibilities To accommodate the specific needs of the learners e.g. provision of specialised equipment when needed, adequate provision for the disabled learners should in case of any accident/fire alarm, permitting learners to observe their religious obligation. The need to understand their leaning styles as well as providing the right tools, textbooks and any other materials needed to enhance their learning experience. Boundary To need to gain the qualification that are requisite for the course that one intended to teach PLANNING This phase involves preparing the suitable delivery resources that can facilitate conducive learning environment. Roles Responsibilities To identify the learning outcomes and thereby ensuring the provision of value-added learning services Ensuring that the outcomes of each session must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound (SMART). To ensure that the specifications that were outlined in the schemes of work are addressed in the lesson plans this can be achieved by preparing the appropriate learning resources and also by including a variety of teaching and learning activities, dynamics and assessment methods. Boundary Physical contact with distressed pupil should appear normal and natural. Adhering to the ethos of the profession by maintaining high quality training, thereby guarantying that development and progression of the learner is being achieved. DELIVERING Roles Responsibilities To conduct the learning effectively by valuing and caring for the learner This is can be achieved by delivering the sessions based on the session plan that has already puts into consideration the various learning styles. To create a positive environment that fosters learning and keep the learners motivated Achieved by showing by demonstration, using teaching aids, giving out clear instructions and checking understanding among the learners regularly. Boundary Appropriateness of the teacher/learner relationship by ensuring that the learners do not know all about you and your life despite the fact of the need to be open, friendly and supportive. Knowing where to refer learners to such as assessment support for diagnosis of Dyslexia and other learning difficulties, Learning services for support with finance as well as knowing the procedures and where/who to escalate disruptive behaviour. Physical contact while demonstrating to the learner should not be misinterpreted. ASSESSING Roles Responsibilities To assess the learners during and at the end of the session in order to ensure they have gained the skills and knowledge needed to achieve their qualification Achieved by using any of the different types of assessment such as the Initial, Formative (quizzes and group discussion) or Summative (an examination that counts towards a qualification) assessments. To give constructive feedback and ensuring that Internal and External Verification (IV/EV) are carried out. Boundary No favouritism for any of the learners during assessment. EVALUATING This stage deals with getting feedback from the learner in order to reflect on ones teaching style and delivery. Roles and Responsibilities To obtain feedback from the learners in form of the course evaluation questionnaires in order to improve on ones teaching pedagogy and assist in future professional development. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Why keep records? Records are mainly kept for the following reasons: To let awarding bodies, employers and other stakeholders know This in terms of quality assurance is related to Internal/External verification as well as Internal/External moderation. Monitoring of progress and performance Helps tutors plan, monitor and review learners progress allows the trainer to monitor the effectiveness of his/her teaching and learners progress in relation to targets. To provide written feedback and guidance to learners. It is also the duty of the trainer to keep attendance records of the learners for health and safety reasons (evacuation in case of fire) and also for punctuality. To make the teaching/training work much easier. The reasons enumerated above are basically for legal reasons and also to support the teaching/training cycle. The stakeholders of these records are, but not limited to the following: Teachers/Trainers Awarding Bodies Employers Students Supervisors Ofsted Parents/Guardians/Sponsors Internal/External Verifiers Paper based and Computer records Paper based records Pros Less likely to be accessed by unauthorized user. Information update does not require any special skills. Cons Prone to lots of human errors due to differing terminologies, illegibility and misspelling. Disaster issue: can easily be lost or destroyed during fire or flood incident. Computer records Pros eliminate handwriting errors and offer spell checking ability. are cost efficient, because they eliminate expenses associated with stationeries, printing, other office supplies. Faster access to information and less space is required with regard to physical storage. Cons Privacy concerns: Personal information can be dispersed into the wrong hands. Data access problem: loss of power or technical glitches. This assignment has covered the various stages of the teaching/training cycles as well as the current legislation and the ethos of the profession in the teaching and learning sector. The needs for keeping records were also highlighted. WORD COUNT: 1585 words

augustus :: essays research papers

Augustus   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The history of the Roman Empire is one filled with warfare and deception. After the defeat of Carthage and the Gaul the Roman generals began to vie for power. Even after the murder of Cesar was avenged the fighting would not end. It was only after Anthony and Cleopatra were defeated at the Battle of Actium that a certain peace settled over the Roman provinces. The man responsible for this peace is Octavian, later known as Augustus. To commemorate his many achievements a statue of him was made after his death. Using the contraposto pose, the all around relief, various symbolic shapes Plykleitos, the artist of this statue, creates an inspiring image of the great general.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Romans took a lot of their art styles from their Greek neighbors. One of the most common ways to depict someone was to put them in a contraposto pose. In this method the figure is shown in movement rather then in a stiff Egyptian style portrait. In this artwork Augustus leans forward and raises his right arm as if to address his troops. Many of the Roman political leaders had to constantly give speeches and the art of the oration was one that every royal member had to learn. Exactly what Augustus is preaching here is still a matter of controversy but most scholars agree that it has a relation to a military matter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another characteristic of this artwork that is Greek-like is relief and the proportion. The Greeks had set rules for the size of the body parts and the Romans simply copied them. Many politicians favored showing perfect images of them selves to impress the general public. This artwork is also in full relief. It was meant to be seen all around and not just from the front.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Augustus is also shown with shapes in his chest armor and cupid beside his leg. The little God is meant to symbolize the connection between the Julii family and the goddess Aphrodite. Octavian is often cited to have traced his lineage to this goddess.

Philosophy of Mind Essay

Since centuries, our philosophers have been trying to unravel mysteries of our memory, thought processes, different emotions, will power and imaginations culminating into what is known as different intellectual and conscious part of our personality.   Our mind, as our great literary figures have posited, is a stream of our consciousness and is a part of our brain’s inherent processes. Our mind is a place where our reasoning power gets the shape and takes the practical form. As also said in Indian Vedic philosophy, He who knows the receptacle (Ayatana) verily becomes the receptacle of his people. Mind is verily the receptacle (of all our knowledge).† – (Chhandogya Upanishad, V-i-5.) Different studies by our philosophers have been compounded into various theories each delving into the depth of various aspects of our mind processes. Its earliest studies have been found in the works of Zarathushtra, Mahatma Budha, Plato, Aristotle, Adi Shankara and many more ancient Greek and Indian Philosophers.   Many of the pre scientific philosophers based their theories on relationship between the mind and the soul, supernatural elements of faith, having a feeling of closeness with divinity or god, but on the other hand modern theorists based their theories on their research and scientific studies of the brain. These theories rely heavily on the fact that the mind is a phenomenon of the brain and is a tantamount of consciousness. The study of the relationship between the body and mind is the most central aspect to the philosophy of mind, despite of the fact that there are number of issues related to the nature of the mind which does not take into consideration its relationship to the physical body. The most crucial and complex differences of thoughts are arising among different theorists regarding the exact and most appropriate theory of mind. Though various theorists have developed their own different versions to make us understand our own functioning of mind yet as more and more theories are coming up, more and more it is getting difficult to come out with the best theory of all. As all theories are able to capture the intensity of readers to make us understand the core of our mind and thoughts, yet it is very challenging to understand â€Å"Which is the best?† Here I am trying to unravel the mystery to understand which theory-Dualism, mind-brain identity or functionalism is a correct theory to understand all about mind. Dualism is a most important school of thought that has tried to solve the most paradoxical and most important relationship of mind and body problems. It has tried to make several attempts to sure that mind and body in some way or the other detach from each other. Roots of Dualism dates far back to Plato, Aristotle and the Sankhya and Yoga schools of Hindu philosophy but in a most precise way it was understood by Rene Descartes only in the 17th century. His philosophical disposition is based on the fact that the mind is independent in itself and constitutes two different kinds of substances like â€Å"res extensa meaning extended things, physical things† and â€Å"res cogitans means thinking things†, (Descartes, Online Edition ). The thinking things are beyond the dimensions of time and space and are thus separate in itself whereas Property dualists thinks that there are several independent properties known to us. It is quite clear from his disposition that he is trying to explain the importance and concept of soul, giving religious discourse. But in this all, he has tried to explain that there is an interaction of mind in pineal gland, from where there is a control on bodily actions and receive sensory perceptions. But this approach of Dualism is not without criticism as its properties are more of dubious in nature. Their theory is based on religion and their ardent faith but no element of scientific fact is found in this. If we visualize and understands that if there is a soul in our physical body and the soul can have drastic effect then it is quite natural that it should be able to generate new energy to bring the bodies into moment.    It is argued that if the soul exists and it can affect the body then it must be able to create new energy to move the body, but this is sheer violation of the theory of the conservation principle.   Owen Flanagan, in his The Science of the Mind says,†If the mind according to Descartes is not a physical system therefore it also could not have any energy to prove herself but in-order to increase this physical energy, the need of the hour is to get it transferred from other physical system but it is not possibl†e. (Owen Flanagan, pp. 21, Mind creators.com). To overcome the limitations of the Dualism, several philosophers and psychologists began to ignore the very concept and existence of mind itself and by doing so their expectations to touch the cord of mind began to flow towards the realistic parts of our lives. Therefore in the beginning the new generation of philosophers came up with what is known as Type Identity Theory.  Ã‚   They posters the view that though the structure of every person’s brain is similar yet in the brain of every person there are certain differences therefore it is not possible to find oneself in a position of same neurological state. Therefore this theory soon took the shape of Token Taken theory implying that if there are two people having different neuropsychological states, then what is it that brings them into the same mental state? And to this they answered that it is due to the function of those two states only that had created them same. This leads to functionalism theory, which says that, â€Å"Two different brain-state tokens would be tokens of the same type of mental state if the two brain states had the same causal relations to the input stimulus that the organism receives, to its various other â€Å"mental† states, and to its output behavior†. (Functionalism, online edition). In simple words, he said that there were supposed to be two thoughts, which are same, and all of the inputs, internal and external, lead to the same output. With this statement, psychologists tried to bring all the conditions of the mind set in equilibrium. This leads to the functionalism theory. Though there are several problems to this approach too yet we can very say that if this theory of functionalism is adopted, it will take us into next major breakthrough, but all is not well with Functionalism too as it failed to explain in clear terms the fact that even if there are conditions of different physical states which gives different material phenomenon, then there is no possibility of different physical structures to regain equality.  Ã‚   . While there is a great controversy to come at the concrete conclusion about which one is correct â€Å"theory of mind,†, but it is a matter of fact that functionalism is the most popular theory among scientists as well as philosophers of today. According to this theory, all the aspects of mental state like beliefs, pains, hopes, fears, etc. depends and are divided on the bases of their activity and are characterized by the jobs they do, or in other words according to the functions that they perform. Just like computers understands the main idea behind our thoughts process in the same way our brains captures our thought processes from our mind and induces us to act accordingly. WORKS CITED Anderson, David. â€Å"Introduction to Functionalism† Consortium on Mind/Brain Science Instruction. Internet. (2006) Available: http://www.mind.ilstu.edu/curriculum/functionalism_intro/functionalism_intro.php?modGUI=44&compGUI=1403&itemGUI=2447, March 5, 2008   Cofer, David. â€Å"Dualism† MindCreators.Com Internet. (2002) Available:   http://www.mindcreators.com/Dualism.htm, March 5, 2008 Cofer, David. â€Å"Functionalism† MindCreators.Com Internet. (2002) Available: http://www.mindcreators.com/Functionalism.htm, March 5, 2008 McAdoo, Oliver. â€Å"Critically discuss the idea that mental states are identical to physical states† arrod.co.uk Internet. Available: http://www.arrod.co.uk/essays/mind-brain-identity.php, March 5, 2008 Chance, Tom. â€Å"Mind-brain identity theory† Internet. Available: http://tom.acrewoods.net/research/philosophy/mind/identitytheory, March 5, 2008 Swamy   Sivananda, â€Å"Mind – Its Mysteries & Control†, The Divine Life Trust Society, 1994, World Wide Web Edition, 1998, A Divine Life Society Publication, Internet Available, http://www.dlshq.org/download/mind.htm Flanagan, Owen (1991). The Science of the Mind, 2nd edition. MIT Press. pp. 21.

Kapital Essays - Marxian Economics, Human Sexuality, Commodities

Kapital Essays - Marxian Economics, Human Sexuality, Commodities Kapital American Gov. Kapital When one gets down to the roots of capitalism you find that it is a form of government that allows the rich to get richer, the poor, poorer and the middle class to stay the same. Karl Marx wrote a book, Kapital about the what capitalism does to the people in a society, how it takes the humainty out of being and replaces it with x. Not only does it do that but it creates a chain of commodities, fetishisis, and alienation within a society. Commodities are at the top of this chain. A commodity is anything that is produced for exchange. They have two parts to them, the use of the commodity and its value. With women, and men the use of the human body is humanity, doing whatever it is that pleases you, whether it be riding your bike, reading, dancing, whatever, it comes down to your humanity. Their humanity is turned into a value when women have to sell their use to obtain different forms of commodities, to then exchange those commodities for more commodities. In capitalism women are defined by their bodies, and judged by what their bodies can do, and look like. Women have to sell their humanity because in capitalism thats the only thing people have to sell. In capitalism it doesnt matter who or what you are, as long as youre producing something that will make money. Women sell their humanity in different ways, there seems to be a same scale in place with womens jobs, modeling (which is at the far right), stripping (somewh ere in between), and prostitution (which is at the far left). Most wouldnt connect these three with having any basic ground (maybe stripping & prostitution), but their basic ground is that women are all selling there use for some form of a commodity, which most of the time is money. The outcome that that has is profound. Not only does it effect women, and girls, it effects boys and men. Their images of women become so distorted that they begin to believe them. Women become fetishes for both men and women. With any commodity it will become a fetish. Society divides its labor between a multitude of private producers who relate to each other by exchanging their products, (Marxs Kapital For Beginners, page 60) when that happens it gives the use value this imaginary power, which is an fetish. Fetisizing women limits what a woman is, could be, or wants to be, because the fetish with women is sex. A large part of society that puts that and more standards on women are men. Men fetishsize women as sex objects, by supporting prostitution, and strippers, and putting standards on what is beautiful (models). Women become nothing more than sex, and bodies. For men and woman. Not only do they view themselves as sex objects (models, strippers, etc.), but as mothers, and housewives, and anything else society imposes on them. Right now the world is much more open to women being in the work place than it was 50 years ago. Its not so much the housewife anymore, but the images of women you see on television, in movies, magazines, on the street. The problems that woman are having now being alienated from their bodies is something that was just slowly beginning years ago. The real value of what a woman is is lost somewhere in between her use and exchange. Alienation is what use value, and fetishism, all lead to. Men become alienated from who, and what a woman really is. They begin to believe in their fetishes, that women are supposed to be tall, super thin, long legs, large breasts, long hair, and what have you, so that when they are faced with what really is there they wont accept it. Not accepting the reality of it, men become alienated from the real thing. They dont know what a woman really is, just what society tells them a women is. The effects of alienation are much greater on women themselves. Women begin to see themselves in unhealthy ways if they feel theyre not living up to that standard of beauty. Not seeing themselves for themselves begins a whole unhealthy chain

Animal Farm by George Orwell (Eric Blair) Research Paper Example

Animal Farm by George Orwell (Eric Blair) Research Paper Example Animal Farm by George Orwell (Eric Blair) Paper Animal Farm by George Orwell (Eric Blair) Paper Essay Topic: Animal Farm George orwell Literature Animal Farm, by George Orwell (Eric Blair), was published in 1945 and is a political satire on Soviet Russia. The author wanted people to think about brutality, injustice and the way to bring about true socialism. The theme of this novel is frustration of human ideals and challenges. The story may be read at various levels; as an attack on Russian dictatorship, interpreted as a warning against the corrupting force of power or as a childrens story. Orwell also points to the errors of valuing intelligence above character. The satire in this novel takes the form of an animal fable. Orwell used allegory, when he tells us that the pigs slowly gathered all kinds of rights, he really means that the Communist Party leaders developed into a superior and advantaged sort. The book is full of symbolism. Orwell associates certain real characters with characters of the book. For example, Snowball was very similar to Napoleon in early stages: both Snowball and Napoleon wanted leadership in the new economic and political system. As time goes on both eventually realise that one of them will have to step down. They were always arguing. When differences become bigger Napoleon decides to eliminate Snowball. Napoleon tells all the animals on the farm that Snowball ruined their windmill, on which they had worked for ages. Snowball is exiled from the farm. Snowball represents Trotsky, the archrival of Stalin (Napoleon in Orwells novel). Trotsky was also exiled from Russia to Mexico where he was murdered by the NKVD (the Russian internal police. ) Another important character in Animal Farm is Boxer. Boxers name is cleverly used by Orwell as a metaphor on the Boxer Rebellion which started communism in Red China in the 20th century, and was much like Stalins distorted view of socialism. Boxer is used to represent the unskilled labour class in Russian society. This class was naturally drawn to Napoleon because it seemed as though they would benefit most from the new system, as they were not accustomed to the Good Life and so couldnt compare Napoleons government to their previous life and the rules of Jones (the Czars). As Boxer had great difficulty thinking for himself, once he accepted the pigs as his teacher he did as he was told. Later on Boxer becomes ill. When the pigs know that he is of no more use they let a glue truck come and take him away. In the novel there are many quotes, below I have listed two of my favourites with explanations. 1) At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass studded collars came bounding. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws. These words describe Snowballs violent removal from Animal Farm, which parallels the split between Stalin and Trotsky. Napoleon, who is clearly losing contests for hearts and minds of lower animals to Snowball, turns to his private police force of dogs to enforce his supremacy. ) If you have your lower animals to contend with, he said, we have our lower classes! This, said by farmer Pilkington to Napoleon and his cabinet during a well catered retreat in the farmhouse, makes clear the process of corruption of ideas that has taken place throughout the novel. Pigs and farmers share a need to keep down their labouring Classes. This quote serves to stress the significance of Animal Farm as a social commentary, cementing the abstract link between the downtrodden animals and the working classes of the world. My conclusion is that Animal Farm clearly is a remarkable story. I think the pigs behaviour was totally out of order. The pigs knew they had an advantage over the other animals because they could read and the other animals couldnt, so, whenever they changed the rules on the end barn wall, none of the others realised because they were too ignorant. The pigs killed and starved animals and deprived them of their rights but they kept telling them it was for their own good and the animals didnt argue. In my opinion the book appeals to a more mature audience but still it was nice to read such a well written novel.

Devils in Disguise essays

Devils in Disguise essays Under idealism nothing exists except the mind. Whoever controls the mind controls everything. Therein lies the secret of absolute power (Rapoport 1989) Has this method been used by most of the well known bloodiest dictators in history? The answer is most definitely yes! Every man is a maker of history; in fact, some man not only left a mark on those they knew through life, but they left a lasting impression on the entire world. These men claimed to want only stability; furthermore, they claimed to view revolution with horror, yet they were themselves in a sense, the most ruthless revolutionaries the world had ever seen. From the perspective of the future, the differences among all forms of violent political extremists will always blur. Of the many influential leaders whose dictatorship soaked in blood no only their countries but the world it self, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini share such ruthlessness and hideous crimes in the annals of history. There are many reasons why Napoleon Bonaparte was indeed a ruthless warlord (dictator). To begin, after most of his battles, many cities were totally destroyed whether it was by him or by his enemies. Most cities in Russia were destroyed by the Russian themselves as to avoid leaving any goods for Napoleon. Russians intended to leave nothing for the enemy, so they raid through the country destroying all the villages and all source of resources; to illustrate, Kovno, Vilna, Vitebsk, Smolensk, Viasna, Gzatsk, Borodino and Moscow were among the cities brought down to ruins. Second, Napoleon was an unmerciful militant commander. Many of his soldiers died due to his orders to continue through such cold temperatures. While fighting with the Russians, many French soldiers died due to starvation and the freezing temperatures, for none of the French were issued any gear for the winter. Tired men dropped in their tracks and pushed to the side of the road...

Competing Visions Paper 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Competing Visions Paper 2 - Essay Example If Keene and O’Donnell’s argument are to be used in running the state, the state becomes an agent of oppression that perpetuate the interest of those who have over those who do not have. The state no longer becomes an instrument of justice but rather an institution of oppression that rules with tyranny. Such is not the function of the government. Government is supposed to rule everybody and everybody should have a stake and say in the government and not only those who have properties. Keene and O’Donnell’s argument are also impractical. Suppose for the sake of argument that we will only let those who bear the burden of the state to have a say in it. What are going to do with those who do not have property? Are we just going to ignore them? Marginalize them? They happen to consist a very significant portion of society. We all know today that if we marginalize a certain sector of society that they will eventually resent it. Thus, an unjust society as proposed by Keene and O’Donnell will just create a social volcano and make the society combustible as it breeds dissent among those who do not have a say. Eventually, a revolution or uprising will happen just like in any other society in history where the people eventually revolted against an oppressive state and the powers that be, including those who are privileged, are either deposed or harmed. Such policy also further the gaps between those who are propertied and those who are not. In the long run, society will no longer be sustainable because it does not seek to empower others to become propertied also that they may be able to share the burden of the state. In this kind of society that Keene and O’Donnell proposes, people’s station are static. Meaning, if you are poor, you will be poor all your life without any chance of improving your lot. So your kind multiplies while those who are propertied become greatly outnumbered. Until it becomes a point that those who

Applying Servant Leadership in Practice 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Applying Servant Leadership in Practice 2 - Essay Example This gives the person the urge to continue performing better in the assigned duties every day (Sansone & Harackiewicz, 2000). The motivation might also involve organizing forums where people engage with others from other areas for exchange programs. The exposure given to a person reveals a challenge since he or she learns something unique from the peers. Motivating an extrinsically motivated individual would be through having prize tags for successful completion of tasks. This is because people will work hard in order to achieve the prize offered by the other. The motivation might also entail promotion or evaluation of people in which they strive to achieve the top spot (Sansone & Harackiewicz, 2000). A performance-driven team is inspired by the desire to satisfy others rather than attain external rewards. This group dedicates time and personal commitment in order to achieve their objectives without any target of gaining external returns (Mook, 2006). However, in some cases, like sports, a performance-driven team aims towards being the best in the game by claiming victories in all their matches. It is also prudent that a performance-driven team depends on a good leader who motivates members to get better every day and produce high quality services (Mook,

Low in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Low in business - Essay Example In the UK, â€Å"Product liability law defines a defective product as existing when the safety of the product is below that which consumers are entitled to expect†¦The standard of proof required by the court is such that the person claiming compensation must be able to show†¦that the defect in the product caused the injury or damage† (â€Å"UK Product Liability Law,† 2009). In one case of product liability, â€Å"[an individual] helped his mother attach [a] product to his younger brothers pushchair. One of the elastic straps slipped and lashed back. The buckle attached to the elastic strap hit him in the eye causing serious, permanent damage. The claimant sued Mothercare, the supplier of the product, claiming damages in negligence and also under the Consumer Protection Act† (â€Å"Abouzaid v. Mothercare (UK) Ltd.,† 2009). Brian is a budding semi-professional roller skater, and ha been practising for a national roller skating competition in which he was the favourite to win a 5000-pound prize. Albert asked James (Phillip’s younger brother and sales associate at Cretins Ltd.) whether the store had any skates suitable for semi-professional skating. Not only did Brian fall, but he brought his father down with him. Brain sustained a broken ankle, which would prevent him from skating for a year—while Albert sustained a broken arm in the accident. This is an incidence of where product liability would come into play. â€Å"Products liability refers to the liability of any or all parties along the chain of manufacture of any product for damage caused by that product. This includes the manufacturer of component parts (at the top of the chain), an assembling manufacturer, the wholesaler, and the retail store owner† (â€Å"Product Liability—US,† 2009). There are multiple possibilities. â€Å"Products liability law consists of a mixture of tort law and contract law†¦Aspects that relate to

The Disease Process of Cardiomyopathy Term Paper

The Disease Process of Cardiomyopathy - Term Paper Example It is included in the list of diseases that has the highest morbidity rate in the world’s aging population. The degree and the time course of the disease vary and do not coincide with the linear expression of symptoms. People suffering from such disease normally have asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction or both. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the state of the disease that is expressed when the balance between malfunction and compensation is disordered such that cardiac output can no longer be maintained at normal left ventricular filling pressures. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 16) Types of Cardiomyopathy There are three types of cardiomyopathy; dilated, hypertrophic and unclassified cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common among the three types. In this type, the heart’s main pumping chamber – the left ventricle, coming from the term ‘dilated’, grows bigger than its normal size. Th e ability to pump blood throughout the body becomes less forceful, making the blood flow uneasily. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 24) Although as mentioned above, Cardiomyopathy 3 cardiomyopathy can occur to people of any ages; this is most commonly seen in middle-aged people and is more often to occur in men. Some people who have this type of cardiomyopathy acquire the disease hereditary. The second type of cardiomyopathy is hypertrophic. This type of the disease entails the abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, affecting the main pumping chamber of the heart – the left ventricle. As the thickening occurs, it affects the blood circulation in the body due to the stiffening and the shrinking of the heart’s pumping chamber, which affects the ability of the heart to deliver blood to the entire body. Just like any other types of this disease, this may develop in any ages but it becomes more visible during childhood. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 33) Normally, people who acquire th is disease have a family history and more often than not, linked to some genetic mutations. Affected patients of this type of cardiomyopathy may be asymptomatic or may have signs of hindlimb paralysis or acute dyspnea. Examinations demonstrate abnormal heart sounds; from soft to prominent systolic cardiac murmurs and gallop heart sounds. The last type of cardiomyopathy is unclassified or better known as restrictive cardiomyopathy. The heart muscles of people who develop this type of disease become rigid and less elastic, which tends the heart to not expand properly to be able to contain blood between heartbeats. This is common in older people although it can develop in any ages just like the other types. This type is the least common among the three and can occur without known reason – idiopathic. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 41) This can also be caused by other diseases that affect the heart. This type includes patients with visible abnormalities in the myocardium on echocardiog raphy that do not fit into the other two types. This type of disease is also seen in cats. As mentioned above, Cardiomyopathy 4 restrictive cardiomyopathy have unknown causes. Nursing Intervention The disease is defined as ventricular dilation, systolic contractible dysfunction, low cardiac output and other congestive heart failure symptoms (crackles, edema, etc.) The decrease in the blood supply comes hand in hand with the decrease of amount of oxygen supply in the body. This can lead to kidney

Global Economy and Transnational Corporations Essay

Global Economy and Transnational Corporations - Essay Example If Reich’s theory is valid, then the role of the government is creating competitiveness for the nation is by being the custodians of the economy as opposed to being just regulators. In this case, the government must seek to develop the national capital through promoting education and through policies. Peter Dicken (2010) however seems to disagree with Reich’s look of the global economy and argues that the global economy can be measured by the way the multinational or transnational firms are operating. He argues that TNC (Transnational Corporations) are the barometers for a global economy. The dilemmas with this theory are that it does not take into attention some factors such as these multinationals do not necessarily pledge their economic allegiance to the nations where they are, but only consider where their best interest is safeguarded. However, it is important in that the presence of a multinational in a country may be an indication of an economy that is doing well. A good example can be seen in China and India which are doing very well economically after so many western multinationals moved their business to these nations. If this theory is valid, then it means that the role of the government is regulatory as opposed to being the custodians of the economy. Alfred Chandler (1977) seems to be in congruence with Peter Dicken. This is because he argues that the world economy is affected by the hierarchy of management in private businesses. This is also contrary to what Robert Reich postured with regard to the wealth of nations, or work of nations. According to Alfred Chandler, the middle management has converted Adam Smith’s invisible hand into a visible hand and now the wealth of nations is not created from the invisible hands that amount from everyone in the economy working together, but that the middle management in firms is the ones who drive the wealth of nations. The advantage of this theory is that it may not explain some situations such as in developing nations where the economy and industries are not as structured as in the developed nations.  Ã‚  

Challenging customers in the marketplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Challenging customers in the marketplace - Essay Example Such customers also take more time of the shopkeepers as compared to other customers. Companies need to satisfy challenging customers in order to achieve success. Customer satisfaction results in improving the business (Fornell, Mithas, Morgeson, & Krishnan, 2006). Customers can be challenging for different reasons. Some of the most common reasons include language difference, aggressive mindset, lack of proper communication skills, inability to make quick decisions, and impatient and hostile nature. Past experiences, stresses, and different perceptions are those factors, which make most of the customers challenging. Every customer has a different set of experiences, which he/she uses while deciding to buy any specific product. Some customers have some concerns, which they communicate to the shopkeepers or customer service representatives while buying the products. Such customers are challenging customers and shopkeepers find it difficult to deal with such customers. Shopkeepers can deal with challenging customers by listening to them properly, asking questions, showing concerns towards the needs of the customers. Harris (2003) states, â€Å"Although challenging customers may be difficult to interact with, the reality is that they are still ou r customers and our goal is to provide them with excellent customer service† (p.

The Disease Process of Cardiomyopathy Term Paper

The Disease Process of Cardiomyopathy - Term Paper Example It is included in the list of diseases that has the highest morbidity rate in the world’s aging population. The degree and the time course of the disease vary and do not coincide with the linear expression of symptoms. People suffering from such disease normally have asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction or both. Congestive heart failure (CHF) is the state of the disease that is expressed when the balance between malfunction and compensation is disordered such that cardiac output can no longer be maintained at normal left ventricular filling pressures. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 16) Types of Cardiomyopathy There are three types of cardiomyopathy; dilated, hypertrophic and unclassified cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common among the three types. In this type, the heart’s main pumping chamber – the left ventricle, coming from the term ‘dilated’, grows bigger than its normal size. Th e ability to pump blood throughout the body becomes less forceful, making the blood flow uneasily. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 24) Although as mentioned above, Cardiomyopathy 3 cardiomyopathy can occur to people of any ages; this is most commonly seen in middle-aged people and is more often to occur in men. Some people who have this type of cardiomyopathy acquire the disease hereditary. The second type of cardiomyopathy is hypertrophic. This type of the disease entails the abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, affecting the main pumping chamber of the heart – the left ventricle. As the thickening occurs, it affects the blood circulation in the body due to the stiffening and the shrinking of the heart’s pumping chamber, which affects the ability of the heart to deliver blood to the entire body. Just like any other types of this disease, this may develop in any ages but it becomes more visible during childhood. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 33) Normally, people who acquire th is disease have a family history and more often than not, linked to some genetic mutations. Affected patients of this type of cardiomyopathy may be asymptomatic or may have signs of hindlimb paralysis or acute dyspnea. Examinations demonstrate abnormal heart sounds; from soft to prominent systolic cardiac murmurs and gallop heart sounds. The last type of cardiomyopathy is unclassified or better known as restrictive cardiomyopathy. The heart muscles of people who develop this type of disease become rigid and less elastic, which tends the heart to not expand properly to be able to contain blood between heartbeats. This is common in older people although it can develop in any ages just like the other types. This type is the least common among the three and can occur without known reason – idiopathic. (Giles & Sander, 1988, p 41) This can also be caused by other diseases that affect the heart. This type includes patients with visible abnormalities in the myocardium on echocardiog raphy that do not fit into the other two types. This type of disease is also seen in cats. As mentioned above, Cardiomyopathy 4 restrictive cardiomyopathy have unknown causes. Nursing Intervention The disease is defined as ventricular dilation, systolic contractible dysfunction, low cardiac output and other congestive heart failure symptoms (crackles, edema, etc.) The decrease in the blood supply comes hand in hand with the decrease of amount of oxygen supply in the body. This can lead to kidney

Challenging customers in the marketplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Challenging customers in the marketplace - Essay Example Such customers also take more time of the shopkeepers as compared to other customers. Companies need to satisfy challenging customers in order to achieve success. Customer satisfaction results in improving the business (Fornell, Mithas, Morgeson, & Krishnan, 2006). Customers can be challenging for different reasons. Some of the most common reasons include language difference, aggressive mindset, lack of proper communication skills, inability to make quick decisions, and impatient and hostile nature. Past experiences, stresses, and different perceptions are those factors, which make most of the customers challenging. Every customer has a different set of experiences, which he/she uses while deciding to buy any specific product. Some customers have some concerns, which they communicate to the shopkeepers or customer service representatives while buying the products. Such customers are challenging customers and shopkeepers find it difficult to deal with such customers. Shopkeepers can deal with challenging customers by listening to them properly, asking questions, showing concerns towards the needs of the customers. Harris (2003) states, â€Å"Although challenging customers may be difficult to interact with, the reality is that they are still ou r customers and our goal is to provide them with excellent customer service† (p.

The notion of death seems to be the definite consequence Essay Example for Free

The notion of death seems to be the definite consequence Essay William Shakespeares Hamlet is an anecdote of love, tragedy and the demise of man. Inevitably, a story with so much conflict and turmoil will involve death to some degree, and Shakespeares expression of death is unimpeachable. The altercation of the characters is the driving force behind the ultimate tragedy that befalls the characters. This conflict is a succession of events which leads to the climax, their downfall. What is the conflict that causes their destruction? It is the kings death which eventually causes Hamlets own destruction. Hamlet, as the protagonist, is the leading factor that affects the other characters notably Claudius and Gertrude. Claudius as Hamlets opposite, his opponent and the antagonist of the play would noticeably be influenced by Hamlets actions. The other characters, especially Ophelia whose demise is intertwined with Hamlets actions. His refusal of her love, his deception of her, all condemn her to madness and finally her death. This leads to a certain intuition that death seems to be the definitive result to their problems. In other words, death inevitably seems to stem from and is the consequence of conflict, both internal and external, for the characters of Hamlet. However, how does this conflict lead to their collapse? The conflict of emotion is one of the principal aspects of the play and is shared by many of the characters but Hamlet, Ophelia and Laertes are the foremost in that order. These characters share a similar cause for their emotion and of their conflict, the loss of a loved one. For Hamlet it is the premature death of his father, for Ophelia, her loss of Hamlet and of her father while Laertes, it is also the loss of his father. However, Ophelia seems to be the hardest hit as Hamlets deception of her turns her to madness. During the dialogue between Ophelia and Hamlet, we can see Hamlets true intentions. Hamlet tells Ophelia, I did love you once, Ophelia responds, Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so, and Hamlets response is, You should not have believed me (III, i, ll. 115 117). Ophelia, as a woman, is portrayed as a lower character. She is a nai ve, little girl who falls in love and when is deceived, goes insane. Ophelia is a perfect example of this conflict. She experiences and struggles with internal and external conflict. She is torn between obligation to Hamlet and her father. Her relationship with Hamlet is an interesting one. It shows how fragile their relationship is and how love can slowly transcend to madness. This can also express Hamlets obligation, his obligation to provide her with love. However, this obligation is the surface of the water, so to speak. Hamlets intentions lie deeper within and this is Ophelias demise. Her conflict with Hamlets intentions and her intentions do not bode well with her. Indisputably, the demise of most of the characters results from the conflicts of intention and emotion. We can observe this when Ophelia speaks to Claudius about how, he promised her wed. The role of Ophelia is the personification of the general role of women. Once again, the domination of Hamlets objectives clouds her judgment and leads her to conflict. Hamlets domination and the general dominion of men in this play elucidate the struggles of women, especially Ophelia. Finally, it matters that Ophelias struggle with Hamlet and with loss of her father drives her to suicide. With her suicide, she is free from her obligation to men, notably Hamlet and uninhibited by the conflict she struggles with. As indicated before, Hamlet, Laertes and Ophelia have a lot in common. They struggle with the loss of their father, and with the exception of Ophelia, they are motivated by the yearning for revenge. The conflict between Laertes and Hamlet is clearly described, as it was Hamlet that slew Polonius, and Laertes seeks revenge for his slain father. It is this open conflict that would inevitably lead to their death. This is articulated in the final battle between Laertes and Hamlet. All the discord between them is expressed in this final battle. In the end, the fracas brings about both their downfall. This is the best example of the results of conflict in Hamlet. Even Laertes states, I am justly killed by my own treachery (II, ii, l. 298). The implication of this statement illustrates that in the process of conflict, the result will inexorably be death. The issue of external conflict clearly showed its correlation with death. However, external conflict always stems from internal conflict. The kings death triggers a desire for revenge in Hamlet and this, in turn, affects others. The death of Hamlet, Laertes and Ophelia ultimately, was the result of Hamlets own internal conflict. However, the best example of death through internal conflict would be Claudius. Claudius, as the antagonist, would be adversely affected by Hamlets actions but more importantly, the conflict within him regarding the murder of the king is a greater hazard. We have an indication of this guilt during The Mousetrap. Throughout the play, we can see Hamlet observing Claudius for any sign of weakness or discomfort. He is not disappointed as he clearly observes Claudius getting very uncomfortable and arrives at his conclusion. Henceforth, Hamlets objective has been ascertained. From this point forth, we can see the conflict between Hamlet and Claudius heat up. The epitome of their conflict is expressed in the final battle. The inner conflict within Claudius inevitably led to an open conflict with Hamlet and finally, to his death. Gertrude is in a similar condition as Claudius. Her incestuous marriage to Claudius was the catalyst for the conflict to begin. Again, the internal conflict within Gertrude evolves into open conflict with Hamlet and undoubtedly leads to her death. These two characters are appropriate examples for the chain of events that led to the downfall of many of the characters in Hamlet. They portray inner struggle translating to external conflict and finally the definite consequence; death. The characters in Hamlet are apposite expressions of the dangers of conflict. The seed of conflict is sown in any individual, in this case, Hamlet, and it grows and eventually affects others. Throughout the play, this is evident. It all started with the murder of Hamlets father. His desire for revenge progressed into open conflict as he slowly went mad. His relationships with the other characters notably Ophelia, deteriorated. Finally, it was his desire for revenge that killed him and others. It just goes to say, revenge is sweet but the consequences are bitter.

Standardization of Polyherbal Formulations for Drug Analysis

Standardization of Polyherbal Formulations for Drug Analysis Standardization of polyherbal formulations is essential in order to assess the quality of drugs, based on the concentration of their active principles (markers or standards). As Mentat tablet (MT), a herbal formulation consist of natural multi-ingredient formula with active constituents responsible for treatment of neurological disorder and improvement of mental health, therefore it is worthwhile to take it as a model for standardization of polyherbal formulation. In this work, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of 28 major bioactive constituents. Multiple-reaction monitoring scanning was employed for quantification in positive and negative mode. The analysis was accomplished on Waters AQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column with linear gradient elution of acetonitrile 0.1% formic acid with water 0.1% formic acid solutions at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The comparative a nalysis of samples was carried out by hierarchical cluster analysis and principle component analysis. The proposed method was applied to analyze 4 different batches of marketed formulation with acceptable linearity (r2, 0.9984-0.9999), precision, stability and recovery (RSD ≠¤ 3.74 %), evaluated under optimum conditions. The developed method is capable of controlling quality of polyherbal formulations having similar markers and herbs. Herbal medicines (HMs) refer to one herb or complex mixtures, which usually contains hundreds of chemically different components. Their curative effects are principally based on the synergic effect of their multi-targeting and multi-ingredient preparations [1, 2]. Consequently, quality control becomes a troublesome issue for crude drugs and their medical preparations. Therefore, the method that employs pharmacologically active components to evaluate the quality and authenticity of the complex preparations is confronted with severe challenges and better analytical strategies to assure their efficacy, safety, and consistency are in great demand [3]. Moreover, the chemical compounds in the poly herbs in HMs products may vary depending on harvest seasons, plant origins, drying processes and other factors. Thus, it seems to be necessary to determine most of the phytochemical constituents of herbal products in order to ensure the reliability and repeatability of pharmacological and clinical research, to perceive their bioactivities and eventual side effects of active compounds and to enhance product quality control [4, 5]. Currently, selection of a single or a few specific components from a certain herbal medicine as markers for quality assessment is a widely applied strategy. However, it cannot afford sufficient quantitative information for the other medicinal compositions and cannot accurately reflect the quality of HMs products. All the HMs compositions play important roles in the therapeutic effects. Therefore, selecting multiple constituents from different medicinal herbs as evaluation markers has been gradually applied for the quality control of HMs [6, 7]. Mentat tablets (MT, commercial product) is a polyherbal medication with each tablet composed of extracts (136 mg of Bacopa monnieri, 70 mg of Centella asiatica, 52 mg of Withania somnifera, 52 mg of Evolvulus alsinoides, 52 mg of Nardostachys jatamansi, 50 mg of Valeriana wallichii, 50 mg of Embelica ribes, 50 mg of Prunus amygdalus, 42 mg of Acorus calamus, 36 mg of Tinospora cordifolia, 36 mg of Terminalia chebula, 36 mg of Emblica officinalis, 32 mg of Oroxylum indicum, 32 mg of Celastrus paniculatus) and powders (80 mg of Bacopa monnieri, 18 mg of Withania somnifera, 18 mg of Mucuna pruriens, 18 mg of Elettaria cardamomum, 18 mg of Terminalia arjuna, 18 mg of Anethum sowa, 18 mg of Ipomoea digitata, 14 mg of Zingiber officinale, 14 mg of Terminalia belerica, 14 mg of Myristica fragrans, 10 mg of Syzygium aromaticum). MT is a unique all-natural multi-ingredient formula that promotes brain health. It improves the mental quotient, memory span, concentration ability, stress threshold and exhibit significant anti-parkinsonian activity. MT also offers protection against convulsions, which is beneficial in insomnia with its sedative and tranquilizing effects [8-10]. There are various pharmaceutical manufacturers that produce herbal formulations with similar herbs combinations to treat various neurological disorders. Chemically, bacosides the saponin mixture of Bacopa monnieri and triterpenoid glycosides in Centella asiatica have been considered as the key active components. [11-14]. Phytochemical investigations show important classes of bioactive constituents in selected plants as in combination of MT that are responsible for the bioactivity [15-20]. Literature survey reveals that, analytical methods including thin layer chromatography (TLC) [21], high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) [22, 23], liquid chromatography (LC) [6, 24, 25], liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) [26-29], nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) [30] have been developed for the quantitative analysis of the bioactive constituents in HMs to assess the quality of the complex preparations. Natural alteration in preparation processes and climate affects the safety and batch-to-batch uniformity of HMs products. Highly sensitive analytical methods are thus required to identify ingredients and evaluate lot-to-lot consistence. To the best of our knowledge, there is no method have been reported for the simultaneous estimation of selected 28 multi-markers in herbals by UPLC-ESI-MS/MSand no such formulation approach has been explored on this important drug combination for quality consistency evaluation of this herbal preparation. Compared to conventional TLC, HPTLC, HPLC–UV method which will take a longer analysis time, UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), tandem MS scan mode offers detection effectively with more powerful approach, to rapidly quantify multi-ingredients in complex sample matrices due to its rapid separation power, low detection limit, high sensitivity, selectivity and specificity. The methods used or reported in literature only contained one or two compounds, without consideration of other active ingredients. This paper describes for the first time a simple, accurate and reliable UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of 28 bioactive multiple components from different polyherbs including: bacoside A (mixture of bacoside A3, bacopaside II, bacopaside X and bacopasaponin C), withanolide-A, withaferin-A, asiaticoside, madecassoside, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, magnoflorine, curcumin, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, ellagic acid, rosamarinic acid, ursolic acid, catechin, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, corilagin, chrysin and chlorogenic acid with single runtime of 10 min. The results indicated that the developed method is fast, sensitive and convenient to show the real quality of the polyherbal preparations. Therefore, this proposed method could be reliable and feasible for quality assessment of MT and all other herbal formulations manufactured by various pharmaceutical manufacturers with similar herbs combinations containing either these 28 markers or less. The method was also applied to analyze the multiple components in MT different batches from same manufacturer. Our results will facilitate the comprehensive quality control of MT and other similar related preparations. The quantitative results were further analyzed by multivariate statistical analysis i.e., hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principle component analysis (PCA) to provide more information about the chemical differences and batch-to-batch uniformity.

The Effects of Smoking on the Developing Fetus Essay -- Health Medical

The Effects of Smoking on the Developing Fetus The exposure of the fetus to nicotine during development has several effects. The most well known result of smoking is low birth weight of the infant. There are also some studies that reveal nicotine as a drug that can affect the brain of the developing fetus. Nicotine also has direct effects on the neurotransmitter systems in the CNS and may cause a decrease in cell growth which could result in mental impairment. The correlation between maternal smoking and low birth weight has been strongly established. Nicotine affects the placental function by inducing the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine into the maternal blood, which causes decreased blood flow to the placenta (1). The decreased blood flow causes a decrease in delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. This may have an effect on cell growth and development. High levels of carboxyhemoglobin are present in the blood of the mother and the fetus. This may decrease the capacity of the blood to transport oxygen and fetal hypoxia is the result (2). Fetal hypoxia and ischemia are major contributors to developmental defects, but nicotine has been implicated, in various studies, to have a direct affect on fetal development (3). Several studies suggest that nicotine interferes with cell acquisition and development in various brain regions. The developing nervous system seems to be more vulnerable to nicotine exposure than the rest of the body (4). This is important since nicotine readily crosses the placental barrier and fetal blood concentrations are equal to or above that of the mother (1). DNA can be used as a index for measuring cell acquisition. An experiment on rats by Lichtensteiger et. al. reported that DN... ...r. (1988) Prenatal adverse effects of nicotine on the developing brain. Progress in Brain Research. 73:137-157. 2. Moore, K. L. The Developing Human: Clinically oriented embryology, 4th edition. Philadelphia PA: W.B. Saunders Co., 1988, p.146. 3.Navarro, H. A., F. J. Seidler, J. P. Eylers, F. E. Baker, S. S. Dobbins, S. E. Lappi, T. A. Slotkin. (1989) Effects of Prenatal Nicotine Exposure on Development of Central and Peripheral Cholinergic Neurotransmitter Systems. Evidence for Cholinergic Trophic Influences in Developing Brain. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 251(3):894-900. 4. Navarro, H. A., F. J. Seidler, R. D. Schwartz, F. E. Baker, S. S. Dobbins, T. A. Slotkin. (1989) Prenatal Exposure to Nicotine Impairs Nervous System Development at a Dose Which Does Not Affect Viability or Growth. Brain Research Bulletin. 23:187-192.

Control in Crewss Body and Cheevers Five-Forty-Eight Essay -- Crews

Control in Crews's Body and Cheever's Five-Forty-Eight Harry Crews's Body and John Cheever's "Five-Forty-Eight" offer characters whose lives lack control. Although Crews's Bateman is a perfecting, attractive, and popular body builder, his life does not satisfy him. However, from the outside Bateman appears happy and content. On the other hand, Cheever's Ms. Dent is skinny, shy, emotional, and disheveld. Her description reflects the unsteadiness and the insecurity in her life. Although Bateman's personality contrast with Ms. Dent's, they have a similar need for control. Bateman and Ms. Dent search for control in the form of love objects. Bateman finds Earline Turnipseed an obese, virginal, simple and complacent "redneck." Ms. Dent finds Blake an unpopular, self-centered, abusive, and chauvinistic womanizer. Both character finds control; however, only Bateman does so through his love object. Bill Bateman and Ms. Dent feel a lack of control and completion evident in their illnesses. Bateman suffers form bulimia: "[he] could not hold to the rigid diet of a champion, never had been able to, but he was a secret and accomplished puker"(105). His rigid diet does not contribute to his bulimia; rather, his intense obsession with control leads to his sickness. Displaying his own neurosis, Bateman uncontrollably fears failure. By punishing his body through weight lifting, bingeing, and purging he artificially feels successful and in control. Although Ms. Dent does not directly define his illness, she too suffers from a neurosis, plus clinical depression. Struggling with her illness, Ms. Dent "had been in the hospital for eight months"(81). While her obsession with Blake, her paranoia, her stalking, her uncontrollable emot... ...on in Earline's far from perfect body. Perhaps now that his life satisfies, he will not feel so out of control, thus eliminating his need to binge and purge. Blake does in fact help Ms. Dent take control of her life, just not as she intended. Instead of gaining control through his life, she achieves control by tearing his life down. Ms. Dent tells Blake, "Oh, I'm better than you, I'm better than you, and I shouldn't waste my time or spoil my life like this. Put your face in the dirt"(89)! She finally realizes her own self-worth, and by literally lowering Blake beneath her in the dirt she cures herself. She realizes she may not have friends, family, love, and money, but she has dreams ;therefore, a reason to live. Through their love objects, whether a correct match or not, Bateman and Ms. Dent overcome the obstacles that are impeding their happiness.

Impact of It on Process Improvement

VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http://www. cisjournal. org Impact of IT on Process Improvement 1 1 Lotfollah najjar, 2 Ziaul huq, 3 Seyed-mahmoud aghazadeh, 4 Saeedreza hafeznezamiCollege of Information Science & Technology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA, Fax: 402-554-3284, 2 College of Business Administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA, Fax: 402-554-268, 3 Department of Business Administration, School of Business, State University of New York at Fredonia, Fredonia, Ny 14063, USA, Fax: 716-673-3332, 4 Civil and Environmental Engineering UCLA, 5731 Boelter Hall, box 951593 Los Angeles, CA 90095-1593 1 [email  protected] unomaha. edu, [email  protected], [email  protected] edu, [email  protected] com. ABSTRACTThere has been a lack of empirical research related to the role of IT in process improvement in a multidimensional way. The purpos e of this paper is to investigate the extent that IT could be used (from low tech to high tech and constraint to proactive), type of process reengineering projects employed (compromise to radical) and their effect on firm performance. The firm performance was defined as market share, customer relationships Management, IT impact, and efficiency (as multifaceted such as lowering the cost, lowering the process variability, and lead time).Data from 108 small-to-medium sized organizations both in service and in manufacturing were collected for this study. Both Factor Analysis and MANOVA Analysis were employed to analyze these relationships and to find out the optimum points (interaction among the types of IT and types of BPR) and their effect on firm performance. ). The result showed that organizations that adapt high technology alone or BPR alone cannot achieve the same result and business performance as the organization that benefits from interdependency between IT and BPR.Keywords: BP R, IT, Organizational Performance, Process Improvement, CRM, Efficiency, Factor Analysis, MANOVA. 1. INTRODUCTION The modern business organization is a complex collection of business processes, which cross multiple business units and handle everything from the mundane daily operations to core business processes. Many of these business processes have changed very little since their original implementation, thus failing to take advantage of new best practices or technological advancements.Over time, businesses realized that their current processes were no longer providing a competitive advantage, and that changes to processes were necessary in order to improve performance. In order to change the processes or to build completely new ones, process redesign or improvement must take place. Whether the method is Total Quality Management (TQM), Six Sigma, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), or one of the many others, the core concepts are the same: streamline the process, reduce costs, an d remove waste.Process improvements can be incremental and continuous, or they can be giant leaps that fundamentally change the way organizations do business. One thing in common with all process improvement initiatives is that information technology is a major component, regardless of the method. Hammer and Champy (1993) state IT is an enabler of BPR, and while this is still true information technology has become more than just an enabler. Just as throwing money at a problem will not make it go away, a business problem can’t be reengineered simply by hrowing new information systems at it (Hammer & Champy, 1993). 1. 1 Business Process Improvement The drive for process improvement is not new. Process improvement methodologies have been developed and used for over 30 years. Six Sigma was developed in the mid 1980s as a way to improve manufacturing processes (Drake, Sutterfield, & Ngassam, 2008). Business process reengineering pushed to the forefront of process improvement in th e early 1990s when some felt larger leaps in process performance were needed.Both of these methods are still among the most widely used today, and have been adjusted to meet modern business needs. There are three main types of process improvement: continuous, benchmarking, and reengineering. Continuous is more â€Å"systematic† than simply solving problems as they occur, and can be easily integrated into an organization. Improvements to processes using this methodology are typically small, but if they are ongoing will add up to larger gains in improvement over time (Tenner & DeToro, 1997).Continuous improvement is a plan-do-study-act method that uses the following six step model: understand the customer, assess efficiency, analyze the process, improve the process, implement changes, and standardize and monitor. Before an organization can accomplish higher levels of process improvement, it must first successfully 67 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emergin g Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http://www. cisjournal. org implement continuous improvement (Tenner & DeToro, 1997).Six Sigma, a continuous improvement methodology, was originally created by Motorola to help reduce manufacturing defects, with a five year goal of no more than 3. 4 defects per million. Analyzing the variation in defects was the key to Six Sigma, which required very accurate data (Drake et al, 2008). This method was designed as a quality improvement initiative, but its later implementation in other industries and services allowed for broader application. Bringing an organization in line with the best practices of their industry makes use of the benchmarking methodology.Benchmarking creates greater single improvements than the continuous method, but is more resource intensive and occurs less often (Tenner & DeToro, 1997). Benchmarking is essentially reverse engineering of a process: by taking apart a compet itor’s processes (or products) if can be seen how they work and what makes them good. Proper benchmarking requires a four phase, tenstep model. The planning phase includes identifying the benchmark subject, indentifying benchmark partners, and collecting data (Tenner & DeToro, 1997).The analysis phase includes determining the performance gap and projecting future performance. The integration phase includes communicating results and establishing goals. The action phase includes developing action plans, implementing the plans and monitoring results, and finally recalibrating the benchmarks (Tenner & DeToro, 1997). Reengineering is the highest level of process improvement. Reengineering creates radical improvements to processes, often resulting in high performance gains. Reengineering requires a highly skilled organization willing to accept high levels of risk (Tenner & DeToro, 1997).Like the continuous and benchmarking improvement methods, a step-by-step model is needed. The si x step model for reengineering includes the following: organizing the reengineering project, launching the reengineering project, inventing a new process, integrating, acting, and evaluating (Tenner & DeToro, 1997). The origins of business process reengineering began in the late 1980s, but truly started with an article in the Harvard Business Review which called for the total redesign of business processes.Michael Hammer (1990) felt it was not enough to simply renovate existing processes, but instead the processes should be removed altogether and replaced with new and improved processes started from a clean slate (El Sawy, 2001). Unlike other methodologies such as Six Sigma, information technology was seen as from the beginning to be a necessity when trying to achieve BPR (Hammer & Champy, 1993). 1. 2 Information Technology’s role in Business Process Reengineering For many BPR authors (Hammer & Champy, 1993; Davenport & Short, 1990; Irani, Hlupic, & Giaglis, 2002), informatio n technology is a crucial component of BPR.It is becoming clearer that investments only in new IT or BPR projects cannot stand by themselves (Kohli & Hoadley, 2006). Increasing market pressure, as well as an organization’s need to innovate, will lead to new IT adoption (Lee, Chu, & Tseng, 2009), but simply implementing new IT will not make BPR work. Hammer and Champy (1993) say it best: â€Å"A company that cannot change the way it thinks about information technology cannot reengineer. A company that equates technology with automation cannot reengineer. A company that looks for problems first and then seeks technology solutions for them cannot reengineer† (p. 3). How an organization uses IT will largely determine how well and to what degree they will be able to implement BPR. IT was originally considered simply as an enabler for BPR (Hammer & Champy, 1993), and while it is still true that IT can enable BPR initiatives, IT’s role in process improvement has become much greater and more varied. IT can be the initiator that drives process improvement, or the tool which makes process improvement possible. Eardley, Shah, and Radman (2008) define six roles that IT can play in BPR.These roles are: constraint, catalyst, neutral, driver, enabler, and proactive. These roles vary in impact from being constraining at the negative end to being proactive at the positive end. Legacy IT systems are the most common source of IT constraints. They are considered a constraint because process improvement is held back by old, inflexible IT systems (Eardley, Shah & Radman, 2008). Organizations have switched to client-server systems over time because of cost, but legacy mainframe systems still exist and the benefits of replacing them are debatable (Akhavan, Jafari & Ali-Ahmadi, 2006).The next step towards a positive IT role is that of catalyst. When new information technology is brought into a business and causes changes to business processes, IT becomes a catalys t. While the role of catalyst can be positive, if new information technology is not right for the organization the impact will likely be negative (Eardley et al, 2008). 68 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http://www. cisjournal. orgSometimes, IT is nothing more than a support tool rather than a key component for process improvement. In these cases, IT is considered neutral. It will typically be seen in various software tools for process design and implementation (Eardley et al, 2008). Moving further toward a positive impact role is that of driver. Information technology’s role as driver is the result of a technology push from forced implementation of new information systems that then require process improvement to take advantage of the new capabilities (Eardley et al, 2008).Purely IT driven BPR without defined business needs are not desirable and could ne gatively impact business strategy (Eardley et al, 2008). The role of enabler is generally the most common role associated with BPR and process improvement. Enabler is also a business â€Å"pull† role as opposed to a technology â€Å"push†, meaning that IT and the business units are aligned from a strategic standpoint, thus leaving no technology gap (Eardley et al, 2008).The enabler role may be broken down into specific impacts as defined by Thomas Davenport (1993): automational (removing human interaction), informational, sequential (reorganizing process sequence), tracking, analytical, geographical (processes from different locations are coordinated), integrative (tasks and processes are coordinated), intellectual (intellectual assets are distributed) and disintermediating (process intermediaries are removed). Each of these impacts affects the BPR process differently and to different degrees.The final role for IT in BPR is proactive. Eardley et al. (2008) state that a proactive role is â€Å"the ‘ideal’ role of IT in BPR† (p. 639). This IT role ideally helps create major change as well as supporting BPR. When the organization standardizes BPR within the business and ties it closely with IT and the impact can be tremendous by allowing the ability to transform processes faster and on the fly (Eardley et al, 2008). The impact each of these roles has is dependent on the type of BPR projects that each role is coupled with. The types defined by Eardley et al. 2008) are: failure, compromise, one-step, evolutionary, and radical. A â€Å"failure† project type can theoretically be matched with the more desirable â€Å"proactive† IT role, but advanced IT would be hindered by a poor business plan. Conversely, a â€Å"radical† project type matched with a â€Å"constraint† IT role would result in a progressive business plan being wasted by old technology or simply a poor IT infrastructure (Eardley et al, 2008). The ideal coupling of IT roles and BPR types is for â€Å"evolutionary† and â€Å"radical† BPR projects to be joined with â€Å"proactive† and â€Å"enabler† IT oles to achieve the greatest positive impact on the BPR effort and on the business as a whole (Eardley et al, 2008). 1. 3 Performance and value impact on organizations The primary goal of any process improvement project, regardless of method, is to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and ultimately reduce costs. Information technology plays a key role in reaching process improvement goals, but it does not guarantee success. More than 70 percent of early BPR projects have ended in failure (Ramirez, Melville & Lawler, 2010).Choosing the proper method of process improvement or reengineering with a complementing information technology system will determine the impact on combined effectiveness. A study done by Ramirez et al. (2010) discusses the impact of IT on business process reengineering with a focus on cost rationalization BPR (doing more with less) and work restructure BPR (implementing new business processes). Ramirez et al (2010) found in their study that generally, the relationship of IT and BPR had a positive relationship on not only the production efficiency of a company, but also the market value.It was found that production output was increased by roughly one percent among surveyed businesses resulting from IT and BPR interaction, thus having a positive association towards operational efficiency (Ramirez et al, 2010). This result holds true for both cost rationalization and work restructure. However, for an organization’s BPR investment to get positive returns, the BPR project must be â€Å"IT centric† (Ramirez et al, 2010). This means that BPR projects that are not focused entirely around IT will see much lower returns, if any, from the project.While increased performance of production processes and value they add to an organization is simpler to documen t, performance improvements that affect an organization’s market value are more difficult to discern. To find the impact of IT and BPR on the organization’s market value, one must look at all BPR efforts which an organization has attempted, and their cumulative effect on that individual organization (Ramirez et al, 2010). Unlike the impact on production performance, cost rationalization BPR and work restructure BPR interactions with IT are not positively associated in the long term.There is evidence that over an extended period of time that the impact of either type of BPR can be negative in market value. This may be due to the number of BPR failures, especially earlier BPR efforts, in an organization (Ramirez et al, 2010). The one factor that may determine the degree of positive BPR impact on an 69 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http://www. cisj ournal. org organization is the appropriate selection of information technology to complement the selection of the right BPR method (Ramirez el al, 2010).While IT and process improvement methodologies such as BPR can stand alone, their impact on each other is significant in improving performance. Research done by Albadvi, Keramati, and Razmi (2007) shows that BPR has a mediating effect on the impact of information technology on an organization’s performance. For IT to positively impact the performance of an organization and thus create a return on IT investment, BPR is needed for IT to reach its full potential (Albadvi et al, 2007). The risks involved with an organization’s decisions must always be accounted for.The impacts of IT and BPR are no different and must be considered along with performance goals. BPR itself requires an organization to measured take risks (Misra, Kumar & Kumar, 2008). Information technology can impact an organization’s risk due to BPR i n two ways. IT can help mitigate risk by aiding risk management with high quality risk models and process simulation. However IT can also be a source of risk, as BPR will inherently implement new IT systems and IT processes (Misra et al, 2008). Thus organizations must account for all risks involved with IT and BPR implementations.When all aspects, including risk, are considered it is clear that IT and BPR are necessary partners for improving organizational performance and productivity. These improvements will have an impact on a company’s overall market value but they can only be maintained long term with careful selection of projects (Ramirez et al, 2010). Beyond their partnership, IT and BPR must also complement each other to reach performance increase goals of an organization. The impacts that IT and BPR have on each other reinforce their recursive relationship. 2.PURPOSE This paper focuses on investigating the role and impact that information technology has had on process improvement. The combination of information technology with process improvement and how this combination impacts performance and sometimes the value of the business, as well as examples of IT, will also be discussed. This paper investigates the extent that IT could be used (from low tech to high tech and constrained to proactive), type of process reengineering projects employed (compromise to radical) and their effect on firm performance.The firm performance has been defined as market share, customer relationships Management, IT impact, and efficiency (as multifaceted such as lowering the cost, lowering the process variability, and lead time). 2. 1 The Roles of IT in BPR To determine the role of IT in BPR, existing work in the area (Chan, 2000; Gunasekaran and Nath, 1997; AlMashari and Zairi, 20006, Eardley, 2008) was also examined to determine whether parallels could be established for small-to-medium sized organizations both in service and in manufacturing.Their research found th at IT could have six possible roles: a constraint, a driver, a neutral, a catalyst, an enabler, or be proactive. The six different roles of IT in BPR are shown in Table 1based on Eardley’s model (Eardley, et al, 2008). Table 1: Characteristics of the role of IT in BPR Role of IT Characteristics of the Role Legacy IT systems dominate main business processes. In ? exible IT infrastructures. Lack of skill and/or investment in new IT. Business processes embedded in existing IT systems. Lack of potential for investment in IT due to budgetary factors. Lack of perception of the potential of IT by management.Strategic alignment is low. New IT has been acquired. Changes in the business have been made that favor the use of IT. New management that sees the potential of IT in business change. New relationship developed with IT vendor, consultant, or service provider. Strategic alignment at crucial stage. Constraint Catalyst 70 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emergin g Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http://www. cisjournal. org Neutral Lack of IS applications and IT infrastructure in the organization. No IS or IT strategy in place.Business change targets are not well de? ned. The business is in an industry with low information intensity or little competition through IT. Strategies and infrastructures are in alignment. The business has technological capability and seeks to exploit it through business opportunities. Possibly a new business or a technological innovation. Sufficient investment is available and IT development is not a limiting factor. Strategic alignment process is proceeding rapidly. IT is a key performance factor and a â€Å"competitive arena† in the industry. Management has a clear business vision and a future change plan.Business change targets are well de? ned. Sufficient investment is available and IT development not a limiting factor. Strategic alignment in pr ocess. Management has a clear business vision and future change plan. The IS and IT infrastructure is well developed. There are few constraints on IT development. Management sees the potential of IT. Strategies and infrastructure are in alignment. Driver Enabler Proactive Alan Eardley et al, 2008 described the roles of IT as visualized above, as being on a continuum with the constraining role at the â€Å"negative† extreme and the proactive role at the â€Å"positive† extreme, as shown in Figure 1.Roles of IT in BPR More ‘negative’ roles More ‘positive’ roles Constraint Catalyst Neutral Driver Enabler Proactive Figure 1: A continuum of the possible roles of IT in BPR 2. 2 Types of BPR project in the organizations The literature search identi ? ed a number of â€Å"types† of BPR projects in the organizations that were examined, which may be placed on a continuum from â€Å"failure† to â€Å"radical† in terms of their effect iveness in achieving the objectives of major business change (Figure 2). A brief summary of the characteristics of each type of BPR project is given below. Alan Eardley et al, 2008): †¢ Failure – IT does not have a planned role in the BPR project, or the project has to be abandoned, or it is completed but fails to provide the expected business improvements. †¢ †¢ Compromise – The existing IT infrastructure cannot be changed within the given time scale. The BPR project has to take this into account and although it may be a success, will be limited or unambitious in terms of its reach and range. Such BPR projects typically produce â€Å"islands of automation† as they are applied to limited business processes or functions.One-step – The reach and range (and therefore the scope and scale) of a â€Å"one-step† BPR project are greater than for Compromise, but the lack of IT support limits the potential of newly designed processes for achie ving â€Å"higher level† transformations. In this case IT is not seen by an organization as being truly strategic. 71 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http://www. cisjournal. org †¢ Evolutionary – The rate of business change will be incremental through targeted process redesign.The infrastructure will be sufficiently ? exible to cope with progressive change, and the IT strategy will be capable of maintaining alignment with the business strategy over time, although periodic adjustments will be required. †¢ Radical – This type of BPR project achieves major business change with a high degree of reach and range within an acceptably short time scale. The IT infrastructure is very? exible and copes well with the major â€Å"step change† and the IT and business strategies are completely interdependent, being continuously in alignme nt. Types of BPR project Less effective types More effective types FailureCompromise One-step Evolutionary Radical Figure 2. A continuum of the possible types of BPR project The proposed framework by Alan Eardley et al, represents the roles of IT in BPR, the types of BPR projects, and includes the concepts of â€Å"business pull† and â€Å"technology push† (Figure 3) by superimposing upon the diagram four quadrants (Q1-Q4), which are interpreted as follows (Alan Eardley et al, 2008): Q1. Low â€Å"technology push† and low â€Å"business pull† – the â€Å"lower† roles of IT when applied to the â€Å"lower† types of BPR (i. e. to the left of the continuum) are associated with a generally low profile of IT in the organization.Similarly the commitment to radical change within the organization may be poor. These factors will interfere with the organization’s ability to implement BPR successfully. For instance, IT is likely to be a à ¢â‚¬Å"constraint† in an organization that is aiming to achieve at best a â€Å"compromise† approach to organizational change in a forthcoming BPR program. Q2. Low â€Å"technology push† and high â€Å"business pull – the â€Å"lower† roles of IT when applied to the â€Å"higher† types of BPR are associated with an organization that has poor strategic alignment (Avison et al. , 2004).It may possess corporate ambition in planning a radical BPR program, but its IT strategy is weak (indeed, the whole IT function may be under-represented organizationally) and its IT infrastructure lacks flexibility and â€Å"openness. † IT therefore has a constraining role in an organization that occupies this quadrant (e. g. typical symptoms include â€Å"legacy systems† and â€Å"islands of automation†) and prevents the effective implementation of programs of business change. This occurs irrespective of the organization’s ambition or competence in carrying out evolutionary or radical BPR. Q3.High â€Å"technology push† and low â€Å"business pull† – the organization that occupies this quadrant has a keen awareness of technological trends and standards, but a relatively poor business model. Its IT infrastructure is probably very advanced, and technology has a high profile although the business model or strategy may be relatively weak or undefined. Such an organization exhibits poor strategic alignment (Avison et al. , 2004) (in common with the example in the previous quadrant), and may not progress beyond a â€Å"compromise† or â€Å"one step† type of BPR, irrespective of its technical competence or resources.The potential of IT to be proactive or enabling in support of business change in this type of organization is wasted. The literature contains many examples (Davenport, 1995) of high technology companies that failed to change as a result of poor business processes and plans . Q4. High â€Å"technology push† and high â€Å"business pull† – an organization in this quadrant combines a high profile for IT (e. g. well integrated â€Å"IT governance† and a flexible and open IT infrastructure) with a well-developed business plan and well-designed processes.It is able to achieve a high degree of success in carrying out evolutionary or radical BPR, fully enabled by a proactive IT strategy. However, success is not likely to come about by being competent in isolated functions of IT and business. In order to occupy this quadrant, an organization needs to achieve a high level of strategic alignment (Avison et al. , 2004). Note: Description of Q1-Q4 is from â€Å"Alan Eardley et al, 2008)† 72 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. ttp://www. cisjournal. org Figure 3: A Proposed framework for evaluating the role of IT in BPR projects. 3. METHODOLOGY A total of 150 small-to-medium sized companies in both manufacturing and service sectors were contacted through the Midwest, and 108 valid questionnaires were returned with an effective rate of 72%. The returned valid questionnaires were adequate regarding the sample size and statistical assumptions to conduct MANOVA. The survey questionnaire was based on four constructs or dimensions and each construct had multiple items or questions for consistency of the measurement.The respondents were required to respond to four questions for each of the four constructs. For each of the questions the respondents had to indicate their agreement Q1: HH, high technology push with high business pull. or disagreement on a 11-point Likert-type scale with the end points being 0 for â€Å"less likely† and 10 for â€Å"more likely†. The four constructs determined the four dependent variables for conducting t MANOV . The four response variables were: market share, customer relationship management, IT impact on organization, and efficiency (multifaceted, such as lowering cost, lowering process variability, and lead time).Four quadrants of figure 3(Q1Q4) were chosen as four levels of treatment of one factor, which is the quadrant (One way MANOVA) as follows: Q1: LL, low technology push with low business pull. Q2: LH, low technology push with high business pull. Q3: HL, high technology push with low business pull. 73 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http://www. cisjournal. org The following MANOVA linear model was used to see which quadrant was the optimum point for business performance.The pairwise comparison test was conducted to compare all four quadrants regarding the four dependent variables as representative of business performance. Y1,Y2,Y3,Y4 = B0 + B1X1 + B2 X2 + B3 X3 + B4 X4 + e Before conducting MANOVA, th e factor analysis was performed. Table 2 shows the result of factor analysis and factor loading. SPSS was used to analyze the data. Table 2: Scale Reliability: Cumulative variance explained and Cronbach’s alpha for four factors 16 questions Questions Impact of IT on Organization 0. 988 0. 750 0. 690 0. 790 0. 789 0. 789 0. 689 0. 87 0. 897 0. 745 0. 897 0. 798 0. 698 0. 987 0. 687 0. 786 100. 00 0. 754 Market Share CRM Efficiency Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10 Question 11 Question 12 Question 13 Question 14 Question 15 Question 16 Cumulative variance Cronbach’s alpha 28. 588 0. 788 56. 595 0. 881 70. 413 0. 974 The following tables shows the distribution of 108 organizations on 4 different quadrants. Table 3: Organization distribution on 4 quadrants Q1 LL 23 Q2 LH 28 Q3 HL 32 Q4 HH 25 4. DISCUSSION AND RESULTSTable 4 shows the result of MANOVA that all respondents’ means are signific antly different for all four quadrants, and different combinations of technology push and business pull achieved different levels of strategic alignment. 74 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http://www. cisjournal. org Table 4. Tests of Between-Subjects Effects Dependent Source Quadrants nt IT. Impact M. Share CRM Efficency df 3 3 3 3 F 333. 960 236. 449 45. 051 79. 995 Sig. .000 . 000 . 000 . 00 The pairwise comparison shows the result of business performance for each quadrant as follows: Fig. 4: IT Impact 4. 1 Impact of IT on Organization This variable was the highest both for HH and LH respectively and again it proved that the organization with high technology alone cannot achieve the same result as the organization either with both high technology push and high business pull (BPR) or only high business pull (BPR). 75 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. ttp://www. cisjournal. org Fig. 5: Market Share 4. 2 Market Share This variable was the highest both for HH and LH respectively and again, it proved that the organization with high technology alone cannot achieve the same result as the organization either with both high technology push and high business pull (BPR) or only high business pull (BPR). Fig. 6: Customer Relationship Management 76 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal. All rights reserved. http://www. cisjournal. org 4. Customer Relationship Management This variable was the highest both for HH and LH respectively and again, it proved that the organization with high technology alone cannot achieve the same result as the organization either with both high technology push and high business pull (BPR) or only high busine ss pull (BPR). Fig. 7: Efficiency 4. 4 Efficiency: This variable was the highest both for HH and LH respectively and again it proved that the organization with high technology alone cannot achieve the same result as the organization either with both high technology push and high business pull (BPR) or only high business pull (BPR). ecurrent theme† (Markus and Robey, 1995, p. 592). The framework demonstrates that no serious BPR effort can afford to ignore the role of IT, and if it does so then the risk of failure is high. It appears that the role of IT in BPR is undervalued at present, especially in terms of its wider and more longterm implications. These implications are as follows. First, IT strategy and business strategy need to be aligned for maximum benefits to be realized. Second, IT strategy dictates the type of IT infrastructure within a company. Third, the IT strategy and infrastructure should both support the business strategy and even influence it.Most importantly, a s change is endemic to corporate life, the IT infrastructure also needs to be flexible in order to cope with changes in the environment and the business strategy (Alan Eardley et al, 2008). 5. IMPLICATIONS OF THE WORK The proposed framework is needed because some organizations attempt to undertake BPR or strategic alignment without giving due consideration to the role of IT in BPR. Indeed, it has been observed that the â€Å"exclusion and expulsion of IS specialists from BPR programs is a 77 VOL. 3, NO. 1, January 2012 ISSN 2079-8407 Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and Information Sciences  ©2009-2012 CIS Journal.All rights reserved. http://www. cisjournal. org A flexible IT infrastructure appears to be an increasingly desirable objective for companies in a rapidly changing environment (Avison et al. , 1997). By enabling an organization to exploit potential business opportunities quickly, such flexibility helps give an organization competitive advantage (Duncan, 1995). A key issue for an organization is the configuration of its IT platforms, network, and telecommunications, and this in turn raises questions concerning configuration, compatibility and integration rules, access standards, connectivity of systems, and excess apacity over the current requirements (Duncan, 1995, p. 42). These needs have led to a move towards distributed computing and standardization (or â€Å"open systems†) that give a high level of connectivity. One example of a company that has implemented such an infrastructure for purposes of improving BPR success is Sweden Post (Moreton and Chester, 1997). any process improvement, no matter whether IT is present or not. Therefore, future research should integrate some dimensions of organizational structure and leadership, mission, and vision as mediating factors. 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CONCLUSIONS This paper demonstrates the significance of IT in BPR and their interdependency that then impact business performance that is defined in four important dimensions: market share, customer relationship management, IT im pact, and efficiency (as multifaceted such as lowering the cost, lowering the process variability, and lead time). This study expanded and further explored the frame work developed by Alan Eardley et al,( 2008) by collecting data from 150 small-to-medium sized companies in both manufacturing and service sectors through the Midwest.They showed the different roles of IT in providing effective support for different types of BPR, and indicated that aiming for a type of BPR that is not compatible with the present role of an IT infrastructure will reduce the probability of success for a BPR project. If this is ignored, a BPR effort will either fail or will not produce the level of results that are often expected from BPR projects ( Alan Eardley et al, 2008). Organizations adapting high technology alone or BPR alone cannot achieve the same result and business performance as the organization that benefits from interdependency between IT and BPR.