Monday, September 30, 2019

Horse Colic

The term colic refers to pain in the abdomen of horses. It is not a single disease, but is the manifestation of a considerable number of diseases: all of which produce pain, and some of which are potentially deadly. Making a specific diagnosis to determine the actual cause of the colic can be extremely difficult for veterinarians at times. Because of the multitude of possible causes, it is of value to examine several excellent recent research reviews which looked closely at the classification of colics, and at the causative factors, incidence and mortality associated with these diseases. The majority of cases of colic occur due to unknown causes, but are primarily presumed to be associated with intestinal muscle spasm or the accumulation of abnormal amounts of gas in a portion of the intestine. In general, colic results due to the distension of the bowel by ingesta, fluid, gas, or due to a functional impairment of the normal intestinal motility. In more severe cases, abdominal pain may be the result of damage to the intestinal wall by reduced blood supply (ischaemia), inflammation, death of tissue (infarction) or oedema (swelling and increased fluid). The causes of colic can be classified by well recognised pathological categories, including obstruction, strangulation, enteritis/colitis, peritonitis, as well as by the site involved – stomach, small intestine, caecum, large colon, small colon, peritoneum, and other organs including liver, spleen and kidney Rather than simply listing the types of colic which can occur, it is now of value to look at what we do actually know about causes, prevalence and risk factors, as well as strategies to prevent colics. Nathaniel White, DVM, of the Marion Dupont Scott Equine Medical Center, Virginia, reviewed the risk factors in the USA in 2002, in his publication â€Å"Prevalence, demographics and Risk Factors for Colic, www. ivis. org, with the following comments and observations; Out of 100 horses in the general population, 4-10 cases of colic are expected in one year. About 10-15% of the colics are repeat cases, with some horses having 2-4 colic episodes yearly. Horses that have had a previous colic are three times as likely to have a second colic compared to a horse that has never had colic. Most colic signs were simple colic or ileus (no contractions of the gut) with no specific diagnosis entered in 80-85% of cases. In one study, 30% of horses with colic were identified by owners but never seen by vets because the colic was short lived or resolved by the owner. Studies of colic cases seen by vets reported a predominance of simple obstruction or spasmodic colic. Impaction colics made up about 10% of cases, and obstruction or strangulating diseases requiring surgery made up from 2-4% of cases. Universities report that simple colic and impaction colics are the most commonly reported. When a specific gut location can be identified by veterinarians, the large colon is the most commonly affected, followed by small intestine, caecum and small colon respectively. Diseases which cause strangulation (twisted bowel) have the highest fatality rate- with the large colon torsions being more common than small intestine torsions. Colic is responsible for more deaths in horses than any other disease except old age. In normal farm horse populations, horse mortality from all types of colic was 0. 7 deaths per 100 horse-years, with a colic case fatality rate of 6. 7%. Risk Factors For Colic In some colic cases the cause may be evident, such as in grain overload, but even in these cases, the exact mechanism which initiates the problem is often unknown. By looking at known risk factors we can begin to reduce the incidence by eliminating possible risk factors. There are internal and external risk factors for colic: Breed While no breed is immune to colic, several studies suggest that Arabian horses have more colic episodes, while some other studies suggest that Thoroughbreds have more. Standardbreds and Warmbloods tend to have more inguinal hernias due to the increased size of their inguinal ring. Age Young and older horses appear to be less at risk of simple colic, so middle aged horses are most at risk. Weanlings and yearlings are most likely to suffer ileocaecal intussusceptions. Diet Diet has long been blamed for colic. Course roughage with low digestibility or particularly coarse fibre is observed to cause impaction colic. Grain overload significantly increases the risk of colic and laminitis. Feeds such as lush clover and lush pasture have been implicated in causing bloat. Information on feeding here When investigated by controlled studies, increased amounts of grain, and changes in the type of hay and grain fed during the year both increased the odds of colic compared to horses without grain or changes in feed. One study also reported that daily feeding of concentrate from 2. to 5kg/day and >5kg/day to adult horses increased the risk of colic by 4. 8 and 6. 3 times respectively, compared to horses fed no concentrate. Interestingly, controlled studies confirm that pellet feeds and sweet feeds were associated with an increased risk of colic compared to no grain fed or single grain diets. Grain diets are also known to decrease the water content in the colon contents due to a decrease in fibre which binds to water in the colon. Grain diets are also known to travel through the stomach much more rapidly than fibrous diets. Grain in the diet increases gas production, and is much more likely to produce an environment needed for bloat and intestinal displacements. The horse stomach is relatively small, and is designed to take in small quantities of food often. Horses are herbivores, and naturally spend a large part of the day grazing, continually taking in small quantities of food. When more intensive management, including work and training programs, stabling, and feeding 2-3 times daily, occurs, the normal feeding habits of horses are disrupted to varying degrees. Intensive stabling and work often require higher energy levels in feedstuffs to allow the horse to cope with increased work requirements. The higher energy levels are provided by high grain and concentrate components in the ration, often at the risk of reducing roughage and fibre levels to inadequate volumes. The horse digestive system is designed to utilise roughage and fibre, and any deficiency of fibre will result in digestive disturbances, including colics. It is highly important to continue regular feeding habits of horses, maintaining regular feed volumes and feeding intervals. Do not work horses hard after a full feed. Never give large quantities of food to a horse not accustomed to it. Make feeding changes gradually. Do not allow an overheated horse to drink cold water until it has cooled off sufficiently, or the cold water will almost certainly predispose the horse to colic. Water horses before feeding. Allow access to water again immediately after feeding. Horses prefer clean, fresh water available at all times. A horse will drink anywhere from 22 to 68 litres of water daily, depending on weather conditions, diet and workload. Do not feed horses directly off the ground, especially in sandy or fine gravel regions, as the uptake of sand will predispose horses to sand colics and impactions. Avoid sudden feed changes. These will rapidly induce colic in most horses. Mouldy feeds, such as hay, are potentially deadly to horses, and regularly cause colic. Check hay thoroughly, especially any lush, moist hay which may have been baled while too wet. Never feed mouldy hay to horses. Environment & Management Housing and confinement on farms in the Virginia study were not risk factors for colic. It does however seem logical that changes in diet or feeding routine are associated with risk of colic. Certainly large horse properties report that the routine of feeding grain after being brought in from pasture to stables increases the colic risk – specifically for bloat and displacements. Altering this routine by keeping horses turned out after feeding grain decreases the rate of colic. Similarly, when hay is available to horses on lush pasture, the hay will be consumed as part of the diet and colic rate is decreased. Sand colic and impactions are seen where horses graze on pastures grown on sandy soils, or where horses are forced to eat off the ground with predominantly sand or fine gravel. Previous colic Horses with a history of colic are at higher risk for more colic episodes Parasites Internal parasites are related to increased colic risks in many studies. Gut obstructions due to ascarids in foals, tapeworm related colic and strongyle infections have all been reported as causing colics. Many reports confirm a decrease in colic after controlling small strongyle infections on properties with previously high colic incidences. Tapeworm infestations have been related to increased colic, specifically with colic associated with diseases of the ileum and caecum including increasing the rate of serious intussusception at the ileocaecal region. The general use of ivermectin over the last 20 years has seen a reduction in reports of colic associated with thrombosis of the cranial mesenteric artery due to Strongylus vulgaris larvae. Pregnancy Mares are reported to have a higher risk of colic by colon displacement during late pregnancy and lactation, particularly from 60 to 150 days after foaling. The actual reasons for this are not known, but calcium levels and alterations in diet including increases in energy due to the higher levels of concentrates in the diet to support lactation may be related to the increased risk. Exercise Racehorses, event horses and endurance horses all have an increased risk of gastric ulceration which can be linked to some colic episodes. These horses are often on high grain/low roughage diets which tend to produce gut acidosis and predispose to colics. Transport and Traveling Transport increases the risk of colic in several studies. Many vets commonly administer a laxative to horses prior to transport to prevent colic from impactions. These colics may be due to variations in feeding routine, fluid intake, dehydration, etc. Weather Many veterinarians frequently associate weather changes with increased frequency of colic, but many studies can find no confirmation of this. Prognosis and Strategies to Prevent Colic In a second paper, â€Å"Prognosis and Strategies to Prevent Colic†, Nathaniel White discussed the survival issues with colic cases, stating that predicting survival in horses with colic is often challenging. Any horse which does not respond to initial therapy may be regarded as having a much more serious prognosis. In an effort to assist veterinary practitioners and owners, White attempted to apply previous knowledge of outcomes for specific diseases. Case fatality for specific colic diseases varies from a few deaths in cases of simple colic to as much as 75% in some forms of strangulated intestine. Simple obstructions of the large colon such as displacements and impactions have low fatality rates (

Sunday, September 29, 2019

T: String Quartet in G Major, K. 80, III (Menuetto)

Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart (1756-1791) was one of the most influential composers of the classical era. He was already proficient on violin and piano by age 5, which is the same age in which he began composing. In 1770, when Mozart was 14 years old, he composed â€Å"String Quartet in G Major, K. 80†. The string quartet has 4 movements: â€Å"Adagio†, â€Å"Allegro†, â€Å"Menuetto†, and â€Å"Rondeao Allegro†. The third movement, â€Å"Menuetto†, begins in the key of G major, but modulates to D major on beat one of measure 12. It then modulates back to G major on beat one of measure 16. When listening to a recording of the movement, it is hard to hear the modulation because Mozart snuck in the C sharps so smoothly. Mozart uses non-harmonic tones in the first violin, second violin, viola, and cello parts. In measure three, the violin has a neighboring tone and an appoggiatura. The violin also has escape tones throughout the piece. -3 and 6-5 suspensions occur in measures 4 and 24 in the first violin and viola parts. Throughout the movement, there are passing tones and neighboring tones in the second violin, viola, and cello parts. There are also many 6/4 chords, including passing 6/4 chords in measures 3, 11, 12, and 14. This movement has two sections: A and B. However, A occurs again at the end of the movement. The first section, A, occurs in the measures 1 through 8, and has two parts: a and b. This section is a contrasting period, because there is a half cadence on measure 4, a perfect authentic cadence on measure 8, and the entire section repeats. The next section, B, occurs in measures 9-20, and has three parts: a, b, and c. There is a perfect authentic cadence at measure 16, and a half cad ence at measure 20. Section A occurs again from measures 21-28. There is a half cadence at measure 24 and a perfect authentic cadence at measure 28. The entire movement is in sectional rounded binary form.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Faith-Based Health Programs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Faith-Based Health Programs - Assignment Example For instance, if health based initiatives were to be intergrated into a church menu for the purposes of combating stroke and heart disease the church officials would simply start to introduce more healthy foods at church functions. In addition, research has proved that faith-based interventions even provide social support for members who desire to adopt healthy behaviors such as engaging in daily physical exercises. Church groups have even been known to form groups of people that regularly engage in physical exercise with the encouragement of community health officials (Lee, 2010). There are many ways through which health officials can reach members of religious communities through fiath based initiatives. For instance, Church bulletins and newsletters that detail the importance of avoiding fatty foods and habits like smoking can cause members to adopt healthier lifestyles.This is because such health messages will be more accepted when delivered by a pastor than by a community worker. Faith-based settings also increase the chances of members being recruited in healthy lifestyle programs. Such settings are also beneficial for launching education programs due to the ready availability of a meeting space,as well as cooking facilities. In particularly conservative communities, community health workers can even train the religious leaders to carry out health initiatives that will ensure that their members adopt and maintain healthy

Friday, September 27, 2019

Discuss the dual role of security sector in the arab world as both a Essay

Discuss the dual role of security sector in the arab world as both a source of political stability and instability - Essay Example As such, an analysis will have to be made concerning the role that the security sector has played, and continues to play, within the Arab world with reference to stability. The security forces of the various Arab countries have been involved in a diverse number of conflicts since they were formed, and as a result have been a cause of instability in the region. One will find that as long as the Lebanese conflict took place, security forces of the Arab countries that neighbor Lebanon contributed to its falling apart as each of them attempted to protect their own interests. It has been found that none of the countries that were involved in this conflict saw any reason for the peaceful solution of the Lebanese sectarian conflict, and instead they all supported their own sectarian factions within the country. For example, Syria gave its full support to Hezbollah and Alawite militia groups, while Libya and Egypt supported the various Sunni militias. All of the security forces of the Arab s tates involved in this conflict, wanted the sectarian factions that they supported to take over Lebanon so that it could be used as a base for attacking Israel in a war, which many of them believed, was inevitable (Haddad, 589). The loss of life among the native Lebanese population was massive, but this did not end the conflict as one would have expected, since the various security forces involved in the conflict were determined to make themselves dominant within Lebanon. Instead, this conflict became even worse, with each of the sectarian factions even more determined to establish its dominance all over the country. The security sector of the Arab world, therefore, had a direct hand in the causing of the Lebanese crisis since each of the countries involved attempted to use Lebanon to achieve its own ends. Among the reasons which have led to the influence of the security sector in the Arab world is the wealth that has been brought about by the oil boom in some of the countries in th e region. The huge finances that have been gotten from the sale of oil have gone a long way in ensuring that the security forces of the oil rich countries are well equipped and paid so that they can easily deal with dissent from the population. The security forces as well as the oil wealth that backs their operations have enabled the rulers of most Arab countries to be less accountable to their people since they do not rely on them for the purpose of funding governmental activities, as they do not rely on taxes. The oil wealth, which some of these governments within the Arab world have control over, has tended to act as a means of their maintaining power because they have the funding needed not only to buy out the opposition, but also to maintain the loyalty of the security forces (Ghalioun, 129). In some cases, such as that in Bahrain, where the monarchy was almost overthrown, these repressive regimes have had the support of the security forces of their more powerful allies in main taining their grip on power (Dalacoura, 75). In Bahrain, the demonstrations and government assaults that took place at the height of the Arab Spring

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Quality Improvement Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quality Improvement Plan - Term Paper Example Quality improvement of a clinician should be present at every stage of his performance. Quality improvement strategy would contribute much to responsibility development among clinicians and their confidence. Goals/Objectives Quality improvement is very popular in America. It has been often claimed that professional improvement of clinicians and nurses is beneficial for the clients and hospital’s performance. Leadership, individual’s responsibility, activities engagement and many other facts are supported in American hospitals. Working in the direction of quality is a common strategy for American clinicians. Payers demand from hospitals improvements on internal and external levels and starting from 2003, when the voluntary Hospital Quality Initiative (HQI) was launched, hospitals inform their clients and stakeholders online about quality improvements. The main goals of quality improvement in American hospitals concern improvement of facilities reputation, excellent servi ce delivery of nurses and physicians and many other aspects. Scope/Description/QI Activities In order to report about quality improvements in hospitals, American hospitals discuss the results of educational programs involvement with their stake holders, clients. Florida Hospital located in Orlando, FL share its quality improvement activities and developments with the public in order to assess and measure reached goals. The improvement of quality patient care is one of crucial concerns for the American hospitals. Basing on mandatory and secondary data collection, the results of quality improvement processes can be considered by the public. In such a way, clients can self-manage their healthcare treatment, identify and indicate gaps in quality improvement process. Moreover, performance measure indicates quality improvements and specific data and criteria may be reached. This type of data is useful for further quality improvement process in any hospital. Another important indicator of quality is stakeholders’ feedback. It is helpful for current patient service improvement and future emergence of new services. Data Collection Tools Currently, a scope of data about quality improvements is presented online for the convenience of clients and stakeholders. There are secondary and mandatory data presented by hospitals. Stakeholders’ feedback is usually presented in a form of alternative suggestions concerning hospital activities improvement. A public response is also important for current and future improvement of client’s healthcare service. Written responses, comments, letters from clients can reflect a real situation concerning the necessity of quality improvement. It is more relevant to clients to express their opinion about changes they would like to introduce in the healthcare system. QI Processes and Methodology Currently, in accordance with quality management processes there are many options to perform quality improvement process. These are : control charts, lot sampling, process capability, and value analysis (Florida Hospital). Still, it is important to consider quality processes data collection in detail. Clients’ histories with medical information about them, details on their illnesses, family and personal background and other variety of data may indicate existent problems in the process of healthcare treatment. This approach shows quality improvem

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Department of Transportation in the U.S Research Paper

Department of Transportation in the U.S - Research Paper Example Department of Transportation in the U.S The US has a vast transport system that consists of modern transport infrastructures that include roads, railways, and ports. DOT offices are located in New Jersey Ave, SE Washington  District Of Columbia (DOT, 2012). This paper investigates the department of transportation on issues related to regulations and policy development. The paper also analyzes challenges and opportunities that define DOT operations. Purpose of the Agency The agency seeks to promote safety, efficiency, and convenience in transportation, in order to meet the interests of the Americans. Moreover, the agency promotes implementation of policies that concerns transport infrastructures and safety. The agency’s establishment was based on an economic agenda that sought to revitalize the US economy. According to Pucher, & Lewis (2000), the agency is an instrumental force in restructuring other economic factors such as land planning, energy conservation, utilization of scarce resources and urban planning. The agency also maintains equality in distribution of national resources, which characterize a free economy. In addition, DOT helps to create equal opportunity for all Americans through efficient transport system. The safety aspect enlisted in the agencies agenda also promotes economic prosperity. This is because the agency’s core agenda is to eliminate inconveniences associated with transport that often leads to losses (Bookman, 2010). According to Bookman (2010), the agency is consumer oriented. This is because the agency sought to promote the interests of ordinary Americans by promoting free flow of consumer goods. Evidently, the agency also has key interest energy and environmental conservation. The aim of the agency was to promote economic development through the creation of efficient transport infrastructures. These agendas are bound to misuse by businesses and individuals who are concerned with profits and gains. This created the need for regulations, which is the basis o f the agency’s operations. Indeed, the private sector views the agency as arm of the government established to oversees or promote transport regulations. DOT has various regulation options that were established to impose sanity in the transport sector. Regulation options promoted by the agency include driver regulations, vehicle regulations, company regulations, and alcohol and drug regulations (Bookman, 2010). Driver’s regulations ensure that drivers and the staff driving on American roads meet technical requirements. The regulations concerns licensing of drivers based on their qualification. The regulations also stipulate conditions under which a driver’s license may be revoked. On the other hand, vehicles regulatory options stipulates standard of vehicles used on American roads. Moreover, the regulations coincide with environmental conservation policies stipulated in DOT’s agenda. The alcohol and drug regulation outlines substance that should not be us ed by drivers. Alcohol and drug regulations promote compliance to drugs and substance regulations among drivers. The choice of these regulations is subject to review and amendment by the senate. DOT reviews the regulations to ensure that they meet the economic and social needs of the country. DOT’s executive board seems to have selected the most efficient regulations. This is because the regulations target road users and vehicles used American roads. Such regulations avoid redundancy and ensure accountability among road users. The regulations also utilize available resources in the sense that they consider drivers and vehicles as the basis for regulations policies. Although these regulations have been

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Discussing Julianne Moore's and Dennis Haysbert role in the movie Far Research Paper

Discussing Julianne Moore's and Dennis Haysbert role in the movie Far from heaven. Which Frame of Reference is most applicable t - Research Paper Example This is, then, a positive model. Were not certain facts about black existence in America so true and persistent, this model should help all resolve all consciousness of the responsibility of African Americans as citizens of the United States. But African Americans still remain at the bottom poll receiving American resources. Under the current economic crisis, black employment remains among the highest, and black education scores are still the lowest in the nation. Such evidence demonstrates that either something is not working or things are being done. One other solution, that nothing can be done, will be developed in the conclusion. The other three frames are not so hopeful. To an extent at least they are realistic, accepting the reality if there has been any advance in racial relations in the United States, it has indeed been very slow. They accept the view that elementary sticklers of racism remain. There is no advance for the black poor and there is continual racism for those who have obtained middle-class. The Colonial Model reflects the views of such as Frantz Fanon by seeing African Americans as forming an internal colony inside America that is ruled by 'colonialist' Americans (Hansen).This view is plausible since it reflects the ideal that the basic position of African Americans has not changed. It has only changed to the extent that Fanon's solution, that of revolution, is no longer tenable (Quellel). Blacks have integrated too much in the American social and economic system to support any kind of revolution. However this brings up another factor that is not acknowledged in any of the frames and which should be there. This is that the black cultural experience in American has become necessary for the heart of the country. And it stands and continues to be one of the major percolators of that heart, just as the cultural styles of black Americans have always been replicated in some form or other worldwide. The Pluralist Melting Pot frame offers the best positive thrust of this factor, and oddly the other frames may allow it but only in a negative way. The Dominant-Subordinate Group Model stands on the principle that black inferiority has been capsulated to always exist and never be removed (Doane Jr.). Hence African Americans will always be in power struggle with the dominant position of whites. This frame helps bring realism to the fact that we have never solved the problem of black poverty nor of low black education results. The model accepts the position that there will always be conflict. But what contradicts this model, or what it stands forth to look at is the immediate future. The fact is that the United States is becoming more diversified and that other ethnic groups will also obtain positions of power. Individuals may become experts in certain fields and secondarily they are members of ethnic groups. The belief to hold is that the experts will, instead of being appreciated as members of 'ethnic groups', will become appreci ated as expert members of a diversified America. The Colonial and Dominant-Subordinate Group Models then are based on conflict and upholding racial differences. Harris's Alternative Formulation also has this kind of racial or ethnic conflict tied in. To the extent that

Monday, September 23, 2019

INFECTION CONTROL IN THE IMAGING DEPARTMENT Essay

INFECTION CONTROL IN THE IMAGING DEPARTMENT - Essay Example d either due to issues related with administrative failures of the institution involved or due to lack of appropriate legislation that will offer the basis for the protection of the public. On the other hand, the application of specific precaution measures has been proved to be helpful towards the effective management of an infection risk that can possible occur within a medical services institution. In current paper, the main issue under examination is the importance of control of infection in Hospitals to the extension that such an environment can be a source of infection with severe consequences to the public. More specifically, the department of radiology is examined as a particular area of hospital where the risk of infection can be high. The application of a series of measures, mainly of hand wash, is then examined in order to be identified if it is effective under real terms towards the control of infection specifically within a hospital. The above issues are examined and eval uated using a variety of sources both from the field of literature and the empirical research. More specifically, the views stated in a theoretical context have been combined with the findings of relevant research in order to formulate a valid assumption regarding the level of risk for infection that a patient has to face when entering a hospital. At the same time, a series of measures, particularly hand wash, are being tested as of their effectiveness towards the limitation of the above risk in modern healthcare services institutes. Although the development of technology in all scientific areas has been impressive, medical services sector continues to face severe turbulences due mostly to the appearance and spread of many diseases globally even if the medicines available should have minimized such a phenomenon. Generally, it should be stated that the ‘public health action to control infectious diseases in the 20th century is based on the 19th century discovery of microorganisms as

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Donations from alumni (past students) are an increasingly important Essay

Donations from alumni (past students) are an increasingly important source of income for universities - Essay Example that in light of the present scenario, fundraising ability has become one of the important aspects of the job description of college presidents and deans at nearly all institutions. In order to meet these strategic requirements, the institutions are presently competing to attract top students as well research and other educational grants. However, a major constraint in this regard is ability of the institutions to access fund from donors. This is because donors usually tend to fund successful programs without considering the fact that even to create a successful program, a particular institution would require fund (NASBO, 2013). Significant dependence on alumni donation for facilitating growth and sustainability draws a distinguishing line between the higher education sector and other industries. Every dime that is invested by alumni is of critical importance for the universities and colleges because it is used to finance various initiatives undertaken and define the margin of success attained (Long and Riley, 2007, Leslie and Ramey1988). Alumni donations are distinct in nature compared other sources of revenue in respect of the higher educational institutions because unlike general revenue sources that are influenced by the administrative choices and characteristics of student bodies, alumni donations are regulated by individuals’ perception and choices. Scholarly interest regarding alumni funding to the universities and other higher educational institutions has increased significantly in recent years. Increasing demand for fund in the health, security, transportation and administrative sectors has allowed a very little share of government expenditure to be allotted to the higher education sector. In addition, the same has been declining consistently over the years (NASBO, 2013). According to Walters (2006), healthcare is the most common reason that is cited by the government bodies for investing and allocating lower amounts in higher education. The

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Things They Carried Essay Example for Free

The Things They Carried Essay Some things in life become part of you. People, places, feelings; you can become so close that you are one. But sometimes, these things can consume you; swallow you whole. In Tim OBriens novel, The Things They Carried, many characters become one with the land of Vietnam. Vietnam consumes characters in different ways, but it always results in a characters unity with the land. Unity is defined as â€Å"the state of being one; oneness†. Kiowa physically becomes part of the land in â€Å"Speaking of Courage†, when he sinks into the shit field, where Jimmy Cross ordered his troops to camp out. In this case, Kiowa is literally swallowed by the land. Mary Anne becomes part of the land differently in â€Å"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong†. She becomes psychologically attached to the land; it consumes her mind and her life. Vietnam is dangerous and hungry. It will eat you alive. During Norman Bowkers flashback in â€Å"Speaking of Courage†, its learned that Jimmy Cross orders his platoon to camp out in â€Å"a big swampy field beside the river There was a ville nearby fifty meters downstream and right away a dozen old mama-sans ran out and started yelling bout how the field was bad news not a good spot for GIs. † (144, 145). Cross decides to set up camp, regardless, and â€Å"the rain kept getting worse by midnight the field turned into soup. † (145). A soldier soon realizes that â€Å"it was a shit field the village toilet. † (145). The Viet Cong troops attack the platoon, and hell breaks loose. â€Å" he heard somebody screaming It was Kiowa Kiowas wide open eyes settling down into the scum Kiowa was almost completely under There were bubbles where Kiowas should have been Kiowa was gone. † (148, 149). Kiowa gets sucked into the shit, and physically becomes part of Vietnam. Tim OBriens writing emphasizes Vietnam, the land itself, as a character. Vietnam does as it pleases; takes what it wants. It selfishly takes Kiowa away, so that both of them can be in unity until the end of time. However, unlike Kiowa, Mary Anne becomes psychologically one with Vietnam in â€Å"Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong†. Rat Kiley tells a remarkable tale about an American war medic, Mark Fossie, who ships his girlfriend, Mary Anne, over to Vietnam to be with him. â€Å".. the guy sends her the money. Flies her over. This cute blonde just barely out of high school Comes right out to the boonies. † (90). The troops stationed at the medical base take a liking to Mary Anne; she reminds them of the girls back home. Time passes, and Mary Anne begins to evolve. Shes curious about everything, especially Vietnam; the people, the land and the war. â€Å"She was curious about things she liked to roam around asking questions She had a good quick mind The war intrigued her. The land, too, and the mystery. † (95, 96). Soon, Mary Anne hangs around with the elite Green Berets stationed at the medical base. She goes on ambush and patrols the wilderness with them. Mary Anne enters Vietnam as a naive child, but the land changes her into a brutal she-warrior. Vietnam infatuates her; it fills her body and soul with the desire to be free within its mysterious realm. â€Å" everything around it, the entire war, the mountains villages the trails and trees rivers and deep misted-over valleys Sometimes I want to eat this place. Vietnam. I want to swallow the whole country I just want to eat it and have it there inside me you cant feel like that anywhere else. † (111). Mary Anne loses herself to Vietnam. It consumes her, and she embraces it. She is bound to the land in perfect unity, until her dying day. â€Å"She had crossed to the other side. She was part of the land She was dangerous. She was ready for the kill. † (116). Vietnam is ravenous and can never satisfy its vicious hunger. It feeds on the minds, bodies, and souls of its prey by eating them alive. To be consumed by the land is to become one with it; joined in complete unity, both perfect and terrifying. Vietnam is shrouded in mystery and danger. If youre not careful, it may suck you in and never let you go.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Strategies for Terrorism Investigation

Strategies for Terrorism Investigation Terrorism and its investigation Counter terrorism could be characterized as the strategies and procedures that a legislature, military or insights org actualize to anticipate or counter terrorism (Legitimate). Strategy alternatives incorporate tact, engagement of the foe, financial approvals, undercover activity, security improvement and military energy. the investigator of Terrorism must have a high capacity to bear long stakeouts and observation. The accomplishment of such investigations depends generally on brainpower and investigation Interrogation The interrogation process, however, demonstrating a few advances, appears to have been generally uninfluenced by significant changes in policing, the wrongdoing issue and innovative advances made in the previous thirty years. In the primary, it is our view that advancement in police criminal interrogation exertions remains to a great extent disengaged from more extensive police deliberations to react all the more viably, all the more proficiently, and all the more fearlessly to the wrongdoing issue when all is said in done. surveying the wrongdoer from social and mental angles, the assessing suspected wrongdoers significant belonging, and counselling with law requirement authorities about a few methods when questioning guilty parties. The procedure of building a profile of an obscure guilty party commonly incorporates three stages (Snook et al., 2007). Firstly, gathering wrongdoing scene information by investigators is required and afterward the information will be sent in a profile; furthermore, the profiler begins to break down the information which comes from the wrongdoing scene; and the last step is the expectations about the identity, practices, and demographic qualities of the feasible criminal Trends It must be adaptable at all periods of the interrogation, offer data for the entire accomplice Orgs and have numerous alternate arrangements for any conceivable situation that may unfold amid the commission of any wrongdoing. Also, this is a long way from simple there are not very many interrogations where the wrongdoing has been focused on any script we have acquired at any phase of the interrogation. Offenders, including terrorists, no more work in one word they much of the time cross fringes with the expectation of abusing our shortcomings. One of those distinguished shortcomings is that police are compelled by jurisdictional limits. Furthermore, this is just sensible we would prefer not to be forcing our frameworks on a neighbouring nation any more than we would need them to force theirs on us. Australians would not endure an alternate nation letting us know how we legitimate framework ought to manage culprits, what punishments we ought to force on those that repudiate our laws. Functions While constitutions and national power block us from working past our locale, they dont block us from coordinating past our residential outskirts. On this point, the AFP goes no place without welcome and does not work singularly whatever other nation Question 2 Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act Bioterrorism represents a one of a kind test to the restorative consideration and open wellbeing frameworks. Not at all like a blast or concoction assault, has which brought about prompt and noticeable setbacks, the general society wellbeing effect of a natural assault can unfold progressively about the weather. Until a sufficient number of individuals touch base at crisis rooms and investigators business locales griping of comparative ailments, there may be no sign that an assault has occurred. The pace and exactness with which investigators and labs reach the right analyses and report their discoveries to open wellbeing powers has an immediate effect on the quantity of individuals who get to be sick and the number that pass on. The countrys capacity to react to a bioterrorist assault, accordingly, depends critically on the state of readiness of its restorative forethought frameworks and open wellbeing foundation. Open health, society have for a considerable length of time whined ab out the disintegration of the open wellbeing framework through disregard and absence of subsidizing. They caution that the country is badly prepared and inadequately arranged to react to a bioterrorist assault. For a sample, they call attention to that there is an excessively fewer therapeutic staff prepared to spot natural assets, a lack of modern research facilities to recognize the executors, and deficient supplies of medications and immunizations to neutralize the danger. They additionally battle that deficient arrangements exist for setting up isolates and crisis offices to handle the wiped out and irresistible exploited people. Enhancing open wellbeing readiness and reaction limit offers assurance from bioterrorist assaults, as well as from characteristically happening open wellbeing crises. Open wellbeing authorities are progressively worried about our introduction and defencelessness to irresistible ailment also sustenance borne ailment due to worldwide travel, pervasive nou rishment imports, and the advancement of anti-infection safe pathogens. The U.S. Patriot Act (HR 3162). Its objectives are to reinforce local security and grow the forces of law-authorization orgs as to recognizing and ceasing terrorists. The passing and replenishment of the Loyalist Demonstration have been greatly disputable. Supporters assert that its been instrumental in various interrogations and captures of terrorists, while faultfinders counter the demonstration gives the administration an excessive amount of force, debilitates common freedoms and undermines the very vote based system it looks to secure. We should investigate what the Nationalist Demonstration is the backing and feedback behind it and if the Loyalist Demonstration is truly meeting expectations. Question 3 Terrorism investigations: in both proactive and reactive circumstances. Global support and participation are crucial for improving ability to proactively explore terrorism, supporters of terrorism and the financing of terrorism and to relieve the possibility of assault. This involves an aggregate readiness amongst us to impart vital and strategic knowledge; and show an eagerness to help the assault on terrorism, paying little mind to where last results seizures captures are made. Preparing and working together are additionally vital add-ins, empowering us to better see one another, to be better at examining and following wrongdoing and to structure an imparted vision, though with distinctive underscoring structures Our prosperity cant be basically measured by the avoidance of one assault, or the capture of one terrorist. Our prosperity is a long way from being acknowledged and will just genuinely be attained in annihilating radical philosophies and imprisoning those purposes on difficult the security of our locale. In this respect, collaboration and coordinated effort with our local partners will be the discriminating segment of long haul achievement for all territorial law requirement methods from protection activity in responsive reaction. Measuring our prosperity fuses exploring our capability to enhance our connections, our organizations and our university approaches and our capacity adjust to the provincial and criminal situations that manage our future. The transnational and quickly advancing terrorism environment requires a key and worldwide thinking by every one of us governments, offices, orgs, partnerships and people. Question 4 The recommended techniques for interrogating a terrorist suspect. Law enforcement systems have a high potential for the lapse in light of the fact that lawbreakers are inspired to give false data to the police. A powerful, preparing project can help to diminish the potential for the lapse by showing investigators how to direct interrogation methods appropriately, and by helping investigators select the most fitting strategies to use with a given subject. Determination of an ideal system extraordinarily enhances the possibilities of taking in valuable data from a subject, and lessens slip rates. Normally utilized systems incorporate great investigator/terrible investigator, pride and personality down and the Reid strategy. It is paramount to have the capacity to choose the ideal method and actualize it effectively to decrease blunders. A number of strategies are powerful for picking up data from a subject amid interrogation, however a few methods work better with specific sorts of subjects than others. Great investigator/awful investigator functions admirably with youthful or unpractised subjects who are effectively scared and as of now looking for the approbation of power figures. Pride and self image down could be powerful in circumstances where a subject is liable to be glad for his criminal acts; by assaulting his conscience, he might be invited to boast about unlawful acts to vindicate himself. The Reid method is to a degree dubious, as it could be mistaken inclined. The real segment of the method is to lead a subject into an admission by giving the subject an arrangement of decisions, where the less ethically questionable decision heads to an admission. Investigators must be taught to figure out what method is proper for a given circumstance and to execute it appropriately. The choice of the right session method diminishes the likelihood of slip extraordinarily. It is likewise paramount that investigators be given considerable open door for practice with a specific end goal to flawless their methods. Anxiety positions or strategies that compel a prisoner to stay in an uncomfortable position for delayed timing of time (Ruga, 2007). These may incorporate not having the capacity to stand, needing to hold a posture, or even body suspension. In some cases shackles were joined to keep up these postures. The Focal Insights Office was approved to utilize the strategy of short shackling in 2002 at Guantà ¡namo. Short shackling is when prisoners were made to remain for forty hours in binds amid a meeting. Beatings were incorporated into interrogations to strike dread (Ruga, 2007). This was carried out through vitalize or soulless physical energy going from slaps to substantial blows. In 2002 the Focal Sagacity Office was approved to convey tummy slaps. Stomach slaps were made to be bothered and just demagogically tormenting. Temperature control is the place a prisoner is presented to amazing hotness or call for delayed timing of time. (Riga, 2007) If taken to compiling, this can include stripping the prisoner stripped or more than once splashing them in icy water. In 2003, a Bureau of Defense Memorandum approved the utilization of ecological control. This was famous in cross interrogations in Iraq and was affirmed helpful through reasons for depletion, both physically and rationally. Dangers of mischief to a prisoners companion or family were utilized (Ruga, 2007). This remaining parts a viable panic strategy to amass needed information. The military authorities would undermine to cause physical damage to the prisoner or their family and make the risk feel greatly true. Lack of sleep is utilized to make compelling weakness, bewilderment, and fleeting mental disability (Ruga, 2007). This system was approved in 2002 for utilization in Guantà ¡namo amid twenty hour cross interrogations. The military made lack of sleep by putting prisoners in anxiety positions, tactile over-burden, and consistently awakening physically. Tactile siege by the commotion and light has been utilized amid interrogations various times getting to be exceptionally prominent by The Military And Central Intelligence Agency. Strobe lights and noisy ceaseless music demonstrated to be extremely successful at the present time breaking down a prisoner. Question 5 It is basic to archive legitimately and procedure confirms appropriately so the case could be reviewed years after the fact and effectively take after the legal methodology. investigators must know how to process fatalities appropriately to save their evidentiary quality. Disappointment to take part in legitimate practices can bargain investigative conclusions and the acceptability of confirmation at trial. This article covers the essential steps terrorist-related agents and terrorist-related first responders must know to appropriately save and gather proof connected with terrorist-related victimized people. The investigator ought to be available at the investigation to counsel with the medicinal analyst, answer inquiries, aid in understandings, and gather any proof that may be found. Extra points of interest in going to such methodology are that you can quickly take any extra confirmation into authority that may be recovered, and you wont need to hold up to get the authority report to learn of the aftereffects of the post-mortem investigation. The terrorist-related investigator can exhort the therapeutic inspector on terrorist-related impacts and terrorist-related conditions so the medicinal analyst can better translate the remaining parts. Question 6 Urban Disorder The urban disorder is increasing towards progressing danger that often times require the occupation of teams and helpful investigative game plans. Albeit nearby parks are by and large inside the locale of state and city law implementation, the intersection of outskirts and particular sorts of criminal action may go under the purview of various government offices. Terrorists and posse parts do a wide scope of physical ambushes and assaults as a method for imparting alarm, including coercion and warnings to the individuals who are frank against the exercises of packs. Notwithstanding bombings, some different sorts of strikes incorporate death, grabbing, and arbitrary disorder One fundamental driver of urban savagery was white bigotry and proposed that white America bore a significant part of the obligation regarding dark revolting and resistance. It called to make new occupations, develop new lodging, and put a stop to accept isolation with a specific end goal to wipe out the damaging natures turf.. In request to do in this way, the report prescribed for government projects to give required administrations, to contract more different and touchy police drives and, most outstandingly, to put billions in lodging projects went for separating private isolation. urban disorders tend to concentrate on the part of the police and the militarization of policing strategies with respect to Dark neighbourhoods (Gilroy, 2002). Also, race and racial discrimination are seen as key information elements, as the unemployment status and social deprivation of those included are seen as interpretations of the more extensive structural subordination Federal Authority of investigation assembled and assessed data from the neighbourhood and state law requirement organizations and authorities, and directed its own particular field investigation in choosing urban References Abrahms, Max (2008). What Terrorists Really Want: Terrorist Motives and Counterterrorism Strategy . International Security (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press) 32 (4): 86–89. Day, D. (2009). Exploiting Terrorist Vulnerabilities: A Law Enforcement Approach to Fighting Terrorist Organizations. Kansas: Fort Leavenworth. Dempsey, J. Forst, L. (2009). An Introduction to Policing. Kansas City, MO: Cengage Learning. Paul Chevigny,(2008). Politics and Law in the Control of Local Surveillance, Cornell Law Review

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman as Social Commentary :: Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman as Social Commentary Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman portrays the Loman's and all the family conflicts they faced.   It's also apparent on a bigger scale that this play is a social commentary.   It touches all the problems brought on by wealth and success in our culture.   Death of a Salesman is more effective as a reflection of society and the problems it faces than as a depiction of family conflicts.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The play showed how Willy Loman's longing to be successful controlled his life and ruined his family.   Willy also represents a large piece of society.   He portrays the people in our culture that base their lives on acquiring money.   Greed for success has eaten up large numbers of people in this country.   It's evident in the way Willy acts that his want of money consumes him.   This constantly happens in our society; people will do anything to crawl up the ladder of success, often knocking down anyone in their way.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Death of a Salesman also reflected how families treat people once they are older.   Willy raised Biff and Happy when they were completely dependent on him, but the boys aren't willing to help Willy out when he needs them.   This is more effective when looked at as if Willy represents all the older people in our society.   It shows how the elderly are looked down upon, are thought to be crazy, and have their jobs taken away for no reason other than age.   At times you feel sorry for Willy because these things are happening to him and he is powerless against them.   This makes the reader stop to examine our own culture and the ways we discriminate against people who should be our equals and treated with respect.   Ã‚  Ã‚   This play also represents how Willy's actions affected his entire family.   He always pushed the boys to have to be the greatest at everything they did.   This made the children grow up to always feel like they could never do enough to please their father.   They ended up doing things against what they truly wanted.   Biff never found a sufficient occupation and was forced to do things like steal.   Happy ended up lying to make things always seem better than they were.   But it's how this represents society that makes it so effective.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The biggest issue this play imitates is peer pressure.   Willy's pressure

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Computational Linguistics :: Essays Papers

Computational Linguistics Computational linguistics is a discipline between linguistics and computer science which is concerned with the computational aspects of the human language. This area of computer science overlaps with the field of Artificial Intelligence. Basically, computational linguistics is a series of programs that interprets human speech into words and actions. There are a couple of different areas of computational linguistics and those areas are theoretical computational linguistics and applied computational linguistics. Each one of those areas are divided up into more areas. Theoretical computational linguistics is composed of theoretical linguistics and cognitive science. This particular area deals with formal theories about the linguistic knowledge that a human needs for generating and understanding language. This area has advanced so much, and has become so complex that it can only be managed by using computers. With these computers computational linguists develop formal models simulating aspects of the human language and then incorporates that into programs. These programs that they write constitute the basis for the evaluation and further development of their theories. Along with these theories there is another part that plays a big role in theoretical computational linguistics and that part is cognitive sciences. What I mean by that is that part of these programs interprets what is being said and then it matches it up to what is in its programming. The other part of computational linguistics is called applied computational linguistics which focuses on the practical outcome of modeling human language use. The methods, techniques, tools, and applications in this area are often subsumed under the term language engineering or (human language technology. The current computational linguistic systems are far from achieving human ability of communicating they have numerous applications. The goal for this is to eventually have a computer program that will have the same communication skills as a human being. Once this is achieved it will open doors never thought possible in computing. After all the major problem today with computing is communication with the computer. Today’s computers don’t really understand our language and it is very difficult to learn computer language, plus computer language doesn’t correspond to the structure of human thought.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Parents of Pre-term Infants Essay -- social workers, parental stress,

Article Review One The first article, Parents of Pre-term Infants Two Months after Discharge from the Hospital: Are They Still at (Parental) Risk? (Olshtain-Mann, O. & Auslander, G. K , 2008), describes a study in Israel that was designed to gain further understanding of † the emotional state and functioning of parents of pre-term infants, after an initial period of adjustment following the infants’ discharge from a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)†. Specifically, this study compared the stress levels of parents and self-perceptions of competence as parents among mothers and fathers, two months after discharge of their babies from the hospital. The study compared parents of pre-term babies with parents of full-term babies. A target group of 80 pairs of parents of pre-term babies and a non-matched comparison group of 80 pairs of parents of full-term babies were interviewed for the study. Respondents were selected as follows: All couples (both mothers and fathers) in both groups were Hebrew speaking. The target group had pre-term infants who were hospitalized in the NICU of any of three hospitals in Jerusalem during 2001-2002. These premature babies weighed less than 3.85 pounds and were born in the 36th week or earlier. All were treated in the NICU for one week or more. According to the article, exclusions included parents of children who were not expected to survive or those who had congenital abnormalities. Parents of the full-term babies had infants who were born in the same time period, and in the same hospitals, as the target group. All babies in both groups were singletons. The interviews were conducted by social workers and followed a specific protocol. A further questionnaire was completed by both mothers and fa... ...e employed to develop programs that will offer support to the new parents of higher risk children. Works Cited Olshtain-Mann, O. & Auslander, G. K. (2008). Parents of pre-term infants two months after discharge from the hospital: Are they still at (parental) risk? Health & Social Work, 33(4), 299-308. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/210554738?accountid=8289 Pierrehumbert, B., Nicole, A., Muller-Nix, C., Forcada-Guex, M., Ansermet, F. Parental post- traumatic reactions after premature birth: implications for sleeping and eating problems in the infant. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2003;88:5 F400-F404 doi:10.1136/fn.88.5.F400 Dacey, J., Travers, J. & Fiore, L. (2009) Human Development Across the Lifespan. (7th ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Cogburn, N., Cogburn, N. personal communications, April 5, 2014.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Loyalty Program Essay

So the first question is: What is Cabo San Viejo’s long term vision? Was the company directing its activities in overall achievement of this vision? The vision of the company was to help people live healthier lives. Initially there was a gap between the operational objectives of making people lose weight by way of low calorie diet and the vision of getting people to live healthier lives by inculcating sustainable lifestyle ways. However, this gap had been bridged but the positioning gap remained. Who were Cabo San Viejo’s targeted customers? Was there any gap between targeted and actual customers? If we go by the vision statement, anybody wanting to live a better and healthier life was Cabo San Viejo’s targeted customers. These could include smokers, obese men and women, even obese children, stressed couples or singles, workaholic professionals, over worked top executives and managers etc. However, Cabo San Viejo was attracting mostly females (70%-80% of the guests) with an increasing average age over the years, the last average being 57 in the year 2004. Thus, mostly older females were visiting the resort who wanted to indulge themselves and feel better about their body and themselves. Also, their household income was high. Comparing this with the summer guests, the latter group had less income and was also comparatively younger in population. Thus, we can link the age, income level and affordability. Usually younger people are less wealthy and thus find such vacations expensive. Not only this, the perception of Cabo San Viejo first as a fat camp and then as a boot camp was discouraging people to come there. Also, 67% of guests came through word of mouth indicating that the above line marketing was performing poorly. Campaigns targeting specific groups of people showing indulgence in activities of their interest like hiking for young crowd, spa treatment for women, consultation for couples etc would be likely to bring out the varied health solutions offered by Cabo San Viejo. What were the needs of the guests at Cabo San Viejo? Was there any gap in meeting the needs or their expectations? The individual needs of the customers varied quite a lot. To understand and cater to the needs of the customers, the company had efficiently trained its reservation staff who helped customers choose the appropriate package as according to their goals and objectives. The very fact that 95% of the customers rated their experience as either very good or outstanding shows that Cabo San Viejo was operating efficiently. However, if Cabo San Viejo was to target a more demanding and younger customer base in future, it would have to exceed is current delivery promise. The needs have been met but the expectations of repeat customers have not been satisfied some of whom have expressed their resentment for not being rewarded for their continued patronization. Therefore we have recognized: Perception of Cabo San Viejo as a boot camp needed to be changed. †¢Young customers needed to be attracted. As they had higher expectations and smaller pockets, loyalty program needed to focus on value proposition by means of discounts etc. †¢Older customers were mostly wealthier and would not be looking for a value deal like the younger customers.   We need to firs consider the present loyalty situation in order to determine where Cabo San Viejo stands and how it may gain by implement a loyalty program. What was the loyalty situation? Cabo San Viejo had around 5000 repeat customers each year which a healthy figure is making up about 60% of the total arrival figure. Around 3500 new guests arrive each year of which 32% revisited within 5-6 years and 62% of repeat visitors returned again within 5-6 years. The primary reason for not returning was the high costs. Here we reiterate that to attract more repeat customers, value must be offered. In order to measure the impact, we first need to understand the reasons for implementing a loyalty program. Why does Cabo San Viejo need a customer loyalty program? †¢Retention: One of the primary reasons for most loyalty programs is o retain the loyal customers by appreciating them and the business they generate for the company by making them feel special and good about their association with the company. †¢Offer enhanced value proposition: A loyalty program which offers a value deal to its customers who need it will get Cabo San Viejo more patronization. However, it is to be understood that not all customers need or expect value deals. Enhanced Satisfaction: Recognition by way of loyalty program makes a customer feel good and thus enhances satisfaction which in turn leads to more positive word of mouth. †¢Positive Word of Mouth: Around 60% of Cabo San Viejo’s customers called in for inquiry based on word of mouth. †¢Enhance image as a responsive company: Cabo San Viejo explicitly encourages customers to complain if unsatisfied. It is through such feedbacks that Cabo San Viejo has got to know that customers expect such a program implementation. Whenever a company asks for and receives complaints, it is best to respond or may lead to customer resentment. Counter Competition: If not rewarded for loyalty, customers may switch to other competitors. How much is the desired/expected impact? Having analyzed this, we now estimate the impact. The impact of a loyalty program is usually incremental and observed over a period of time. The expected increase in retention is say, 10%1 over a period of say, 5 years2. Also, people coming from reference is expected to increase over the years enabling the company to cut marketing costs elsewhere. 1The expected retention percentage is found either based on internal company data or industry expert advice. Here, in the absence of both, we make a rough estimate. 25 years has been estimated as the minimum period to measure impact since most customers make repeat visits within a span of 4-5 years from their last visit.   Since our customer segment mainly consists of: †¢Highly affluent older people (mostly women) with focus on being appreciated by made to feel special as a treat for loyalty †¢Not so affluent younger people with focus on reducing per visit costs as a treat for loyalty, we would be having different approach to meet the different expectations of the customers. For this, we propose a tiered reward structure. Before we propose the design, the few things we kept in mind were Quality Offerings (the offering is kept in line with quality perception of services at Cabo San Viejo), Cash Value( to be determined as a percentage of what customer spends on earning the reward), relevance(the reward must be relevant for the customer segment in question), redemption choice, convenience( ability to easily redeem the points) and communication( all participants must be kept well informed) THE PROGRAM A loyalty club card is to be issued to all customers including new customers. The club cards are to be of three variety depending on the cash amount spent by the card holder. Minimum Cash SpentRewards offeredExplanation $3588(4 Night stay) if loyalty card was sought at Palm Springs or $500(services) if loyalty card sought at Day Spas(since these would represent the profitable customers for a loyalty program)A silver club card is to be issued. In Palm Springs, for every $100 spent on room charges, customer earns 1 point and for every $50 spent on other services (massage, physiotherapy etc. ), the customer gets 4 points. This card will also earn points at Cabo Day Spas where each $50 spent will earn 4 points. No other frisbies would be offered. Self redeemable only. †¢$50 chosen as minimum money to be spent as all services of Cabo is higher than $50. †¢More points earned on usage of other services meant to encourage guests to use varied services. †¢Cabo Day Spas and Palm Springs program integrated for convenience and for more frequent touch points with the company $5,832(7 Night Stay) if loyalty card was sought at Palm Springs or $1000(services) if loyalty card sought at Day Spas(since these would represent the profitable customers for a loyalty program)A gold club card is to be issued. In Palm Springs, for every $100 spent on room charges, customer earns 1 point and for every $50 spent on other services (massage, physiotherapy etc. ), the customer gets 5 points. This card will also earn points at Cabo Day Spas where each $50 spent will earn 5 points. Cocktail/Mock tail to be offered as complementary drink on arrival to Palm Springs or A complimentary pedicure/manicure (or such other low cost service) offered redeemable within 3 months at Day Spa only if total spent amount in the last month was $1000 or above. Redeemable by listed family members. It is to be understood that the gold card segment is more profitable than the silver card segment. So it is offered better deal. †¢Also, the complimentary treatment at Day Spa redeemable under 3 months will ensure a repeat visit. $7788(7 Night Stay) if loyalty card was sought at Palm Springs or $1500(services) if loyalty card sought at Day Spas(since these would represent the profitable customers for a loyalty program) A platinum club card is to be issued. In Palm Springs, for every $100 spent on room charges, customer earns 1 point and for every $50 spent on other services (massage, physiotherapy etc. , the customer gets 5 points. This card will also earn points at Cabo Day Spas where each $50 spent will earn 5 points. Cocktail/Mock tail and flowers to be offered as complementary drink on arrival to Palm Springs or A complimentary service in the range of $80 offered redeemable within 3 months at Day Spa only if total spent amount in the last month was $1000 or above. Redeemable by listed family members. Besides, a formal program, it is very important that a high degree of personalization is involved in case of platinum and gold card holders which are the most valuable segment.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Legal Memorandum of the case of Griswold v. Connecticut

The appellants in this case are Griswold, the Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood League of Connecticut, and Buxton, the Medical Director of the Planned Parenthood League in New Haven.   They were charged of violating a Connecticut statute for giving information, instruction, and medical advice to married couple as means of preventing conception. Sec 53-32 of the Connecticut Statute states that : â€Å"Any person who uses any drug, medicinal article or instrument for the purpose of preventing conception shall be fined not less than fifty dollars or imprisoned not less than sixty days nor more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned.†Ã‚   Section 54-196 provides that â€Å"Any person who assists, abets, counsels, causes, hires or commands another to commit any offense may be prosecuted and punished as if he were the principal offender.† The appellants were found guilty as accessories for violating the said statute and fined $100 each.   They filed their appeal and argued that the said statute violated the Fourteenth Amendment.   The Appellate Division of the Circuit Court affirmed the judgment of the lower court. Issue: Whether the Connecticut statute forbidding use of contraceptives violates the right of privacy which is protected by the Bill of Rights Decision: The Supreme Court ruled that the subject Connecticut statute forbidding the use of contraceptive violates the right to marital privacy.   It is unconstitutional. Analysis: This is not the first time the Connecticut statute has been the subject of a controversy.   In the earlier case of Tileston v. Ullman 318 U.S. 44 (1943) the Supreme Court did not have the opportunity to rule the constitutionality of the said statute.   In this case, a doctor challenged the statute on the grounds that a ban on contraception may in certain situations threaten the lives and well-being of her patients. He argued that the statute would prevent his giving professional advice concerning the use of contraceptives to three patients whose condition of health was such that their lives may be endangered by child-bearing.   The Supreme Court declined to rule on this issue but dismissed the case on the ground that the plaintiff lacked the standing to litigate the constitutional question This is the first time that the Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of the statute.   According to the Supreme Court, though the US Constitution and the Bill of rights does not explicitly mention some rights, such as right of the people to meet and associate, or the right of the parent to educate a child in a school of their choice, or the right to study any particular subject or foreign language, the First Amendment has been construed to provide protection to these rights. Among these cases are: the Pierce v. Society of Sisters which affirmed the right of the parents to send their children to any school of their choice under the First and Fourteenth Amendment; the Meyer v. Nebraska case which affirmed the right of the students to study German language in a private school; the NAACP v. Alabama which protected the freedom to associate and affirmed a person’s privacy in one’s own association. These cases strongly indicate that the Bill of Rights have penumbras which emanate from the specific provisions of the US Constitution and its amendments.   These extended guarantees give flesh and blood to the various protections under the US Constitution without which the guarantees under it will merely be a useless formality.   Indeed, the various guarantees create zones of privacy. The relationship between spouses and their choice to procreate lie within the zone of privacy protected by the Fourteenth Amendment.   The statute should therefore be struck down as unconstitutional. It is a well-settled principle that though the state may control or prevent activities that are subject to its regulation, it cannot exercise its power so broadly as to invade the areas protected by the constitution. The objective of the statute is laudable but means for its accomplishment seriously violates the right to privacy of the married individuals.   The objective of the statute could be accomplished by other means such as regulating of the manufacture, sale of the contraceptives. If the Supreme Court were to uphold the constitutionality of this statute, it is as if we are tolerating the law enforcement officers to search the sacred precincts of the marital bedrooms simply for the purpose of finding out if they are indeed using contraceptives.. Conclusion: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the trial court and the appellate court.   It also invalidated a Connecticut statute for invading the privacy of married couples.   Although the constitution does not explicitly mention the right to privacy of the citizens, this right is found in the penumbras of the other constitutional protections. This case is considered as a landmark decision in the sense that it established a basic sphere of personal privacy to which all people are entitled.   (Decision: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965))   It confirmed that marriage couples do have the right to privacy.   With this decision, our country took a giant leap forward finally recognizing the right of individuals to make their most private decision on planning their families, deciding the number and spacing of children.   (Elizabeth Borg, 2005) Further, this decision paved the way for another land mark decision which is the case of Roe v. Wade. (John W. Johnson, 2005) Bibliographies Borg, Elizabeth.  Ã‚   (2005) The Fight that Won Us the Right to Birth Control.   Star Tribune.   8 June 2005. Retrieved 11 September 2007 Decision: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) About.com.   Retrieved 11 September 2007 from:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://atheism.about.com/library/decisions/privacy/bldec_GriswoldConn.htm Johnson, John W.   (2005) Birth Control and the Constitutional Right to Privacy.   Retrieved 11 September 2007 from: http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/johgri.html Tileston v. Ullman 318 U.S. 44 (1943)      

Accountancy 2258

Written Macro Assignment Solutions True/False Questions. Read each statement carefully, and neatly write the word TRUE on the line next to the statement if you believe the statement is true, or neatly write the word FALSE on the line next to the statement if you believe the statement is false. FALSE1. Do†¦Loops are used in macros to repeat lines of code a specified number of times. TRUE2. The area where macro code is displayed in Visual Basic is called the Code Window. TRUE3. A macro name is not required when creating a private macro. TRUE4. When declaring a variable, Dim stands for â€Å"define in memory†. FALSE5.Objects, Variables, and Actions are used to write macro code. TRUE6. One way to create a new macro is to use Record New Macro. TRUE7. The If†¦Then†¦Else†¦End If code allows code to be conditionally executed depending on whether a specified logical condition has been met. FALSE8. The last line of code for a private macro should be End Private Sub. FALSE9. The formula for a user-defined function must be entered in quotation marks. TRUE10. A public macro/procedure is activated by the user pressing the shortcut keys or clicking on a button. Problems. Read each problem carefully and follow the instructions given. 1.Open up Excel. Go to Cell E9 and use the Name Box to name this cell â€Å"Winter†. Then go to the Developer tab on the Ribbon, and click on the Record Macro button in the Code group. Name your macro â€Å"Referencing† and give it a shortcut key of â€Å"R†. After clicking OK to close the Record Macro dialog box, do the following: †¢ Select Cell C7 using absolute referencing (do not select the Use Relative Reference button). †¢ Using the drop-down arrow to the right of the Name Box, select â€Å"Winter†. †¢ Click on the Use Relative Reference button in the Code group on the Developer tab to use relative referencing, and then select Cell A4. Click on Stop Recording button in the Code group on the Developer tab. After you have performed these steps, view your code in Visual Basic Editor, and answer the following questions: a. What code was written when you selected Cell C7 using absolute referencing? Range(â€Å"C7†). Select b. What code was written when you selected the cell named â€Å"Winter† using the Name Box drop-down menu? Application. Goto Reference:=†Winter† c. What code was written when you selected Cell A4 using relative referencing? ActiveCell. Offset(-5, -4). Range(â€Å"A1†). Select Remember that ActiveCell.Select is the basic format used when writing macro code using relative referencing. Also, please note that when writing out the VBA code to move from one cell to another using relative referencing (as we did above) the Range(â€Å"A1†) portion of the code is not necessary. It shows up automatically (as displayed above) when we are recording a macro and moving from one cell to the next using relative r eferencing, but if you are just writing out the macro code, you do not need to include that portion of the code. 2. Assume Cell B3 is the current cell you are in on your Excel spreadsheet.Write the appropriate VBA code to perform the following: a. Move from Cell B3 to Cell E8 using relative referencing ActiveCell. Offset(5,3). Select Note that I did not include Range(â€Å"A1†) before . Select, as this is not necessary (see my note above). b. Move from Cell B3 to Cell A1 using relative referencing ActiveCell. Offset(-2,-1). Select c. =Move from Cell B3 to Cell J10 using absolute referencing Range(â€Å"J10†). Select 3. Write the necessary code to define a variable in Visual Basic named Age to store whole numbers with no decimal places.Dim Age As Integer 4. Write the necessary code to define a variable in Visual Basic named Expenses to store dollar values. Dim Expenses As Currency 5. Write the necessary code to define a variable in Visual Basic named City to store text values. Dim City As String 6. Write the appropriate code to create a dialog box asking the user to enter their employee ID number. Give the dialog box the title ID. Your code should place the user’s response in Cell A5 on your worksheet. Then create a loop around your code that will loop while Cell A5 is blank.Do Range(â€Å"A5†). Value = InputBox(â€Å"Please enter your employee ID number†, â€Å"ID†) Loop While Range(â€Å"A5†). Value = â€Å"† 7. Assume the employee ID number entered in the above dialog box is expected to be greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 99999. Rewrite your loop so it requires the user to enter a number that is equal to or between 1 and 99999. Do Range(â€Å"A5†). Value = InputBox(â€Å"Please enter your employee ID number†, â€Å"ID†) Loop Until Range(â€Å"A5†). Value >= 1 and Range(â€Å"A5†). Value 9999 and ActiveCell. Value

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Philip Morris Ethical Issues Essay

The Philip Morris founded a cigarette company in 1847 London. They specialized in hand-rolled cigarettes and were very much a small, family ran business. In 1902 the company moved to New York City and had a new demographic in a new country. The company remained small and was actively only the sixth largest tobacco company in the United States. With the famous â€Å"Marlboro Man† advertising campaign the company gained popularity and in 1983 Philip Morris was the largest cigarette company in the United States. From there, the company began to expand into other businesses expanding on its international market. Philip Morris acquired Miller Brewing Company in 1970 and General Foods in 1985. The same year Philip Morris Companies was incorporated as a publicly traded company. Philip Morris continued their expansion with the takeover of Kraft in 1988 and the merger between South African Breweries with Miller Brewing in 2002. Philip Morris Companies changed its name to Altria Group Inc. in 2003 and spun off Kraft Foods in 2007. (4) They then gained the international business of Philip Morris as a separate company and acquired U. S. Smokeless Tobacco Company. The holding company owns Philip Morris USA, U. S.  Smokeless Tobacco Company, Philip Morris Capital Corp and Nu Mark, a new company that produces Nicotine Lozenges. Company Success and Campaigns Today Philip Morris is still top in the cigarette market. The company’s cigarette brands have about half of the cigarette market in the United States. The other Philip Morris brands include Parliament, Virginia Slims, Merit, Cambridge, and Basic. The majority of the company success comes from their genius advertising in the 1950’s. (4) Widely regarded as one of the most successful marketing campaigns of all time the â€Å"Marlboro Man† helped Philip Morris bring itself to the top of the industry. Marlboro used the image of a rugged cowboy enjoying a cigarette on horseback quickly adapt men into enjoying their brand. Released in 1955 the success of the advertisement was incredible. In 1954 Marlboro sales accounted for $154 million in cigarette sold. From there the campaign expanded into other professions including sports stars, racing drivers, and other â€Å"manly-men† to boost bran recognition. (6) The campaign continued through 1999 and is still widely recognized in today’s pop-culture. A lot of Philip Morris’s success can be attributed to the fact that their product is addictive. Having customers with a physical dependency to their product makes customer loyalty an easy thing especially when demand is high. Tobacco Regulation and its Effect on the Company While Philip Morris enjoyed uncontested financial success throughout the latter half of the 20th century it appears trouble is coming. Through the 60’s smoking was a lifestyle in the United States. It was associated with a life of glamor and practically had everyone smoking. By 1963 American adults were smoking an average of 12 cigarettes per day. In 1963 the Surgeon General released the linking of cigarette smoking and cancer. Since then the tobacco industry has only become more regulated. A year later the Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act was passed which required all cigarettes sold to carry the Surgeon General’s warning. As research into the negative effects of smoking grew stronger the regulations and bans began. In 1990 smoking was banned on buses and domestic flights the first movement in the prohibition of smoking and its dangers to others. With these regulations came lawsuits against the industry from individual smokers and various parties. The tobacco companies settled in 1998 to gain immunity from future lawsuits from government groups in return for $246 billion to be paid out over the course of 25 years. (4) While big tobacco was able to avoid these trials general concern for health caused sales to fall. At first Philip Morris and other tobacco companies publicly disclaimed any link between lung cancer and smoking but this was not enough. To combat these health claims cigarette companies released filtered cigarettes that claimed to limit the amount of dangerous particles in tobacco smoke. The filtered cigarettes were in fact just as harmful as regular cigarettes because consumers would take bigger drags to make up for the lack of smoke. In 2006 the District of Columbia District Court ruled the tobacco companies had made many offenses including lying about health risks and marketing to children. (8) As a result tobacco companies are now required to remove misleading statements about filtered cigarettes being safer and to provide more insight into company procedures. Increased regulation has had Philip Morris dealing with a constantly increasing tobacco tax. The government directly taxes cigarettes in all state owned property. These taxes have led to the drastic increase in cigarette prices. Philip Morris and other companies push the tax down towards their customers. The current state of the tobacco industry is not what it use to be but Philip Morris remains profitable with their large involvement in all markets. (4) Despite a clear public understanding of health risks millions of addicted smokers continue their habit. As Philip Morris continues to make money off a product that is addictive and damaging to its customer it is easy to question the moral roots of the company. An Ethical Look on a â€Å"Evil† Company With full speculation as corporations go Philip Morris is certainly on the list as a â€Å"Evil company. The fact is that the company sells a harmful addictive products that kill almost 20% of Americans each year. In addition the company has long known about the dangers of smoking despite repeatedly denying the medical claims. Although these accusations Philip Morris is taking steps to change their business outlook. The steps to gain a more favorable public opinion shows that the company is not acting unethically. When the reports about health issues came along with smoking Philip Morris made an unprecedented decision. Instead of targeting the health problems and looking to manufacture â€Å"safer† cigarettes Phillip Morris began marketing to the younger crowd. (6) While not necessary breaking the law by physically selling to minors it is clear that the company believes that targeting a younger more impressionable crowd is the solution. It’s hard to pinpoint the moral beliefs of Philip Morris. The company is still extremely successful and their success comes with the expense of the well being of their customers. Philip Morris and Positive Ethical Behavior Philip Morris a company speculated for its concerned about its stakeholders has also still had initiatives that benefit society. Unlike most of its smaller competitors Philip Morris has never manufactured flavored cigarettes. Other tobacco companies came under serious fire for flavored blends like Twista Lime, Mandarin Mint, Beach Breezer. These flavored cigarettes provided a way to appeal to a younger crowd. Philip Morris has never engaged in this kind of behavior and in some cases has made an effort to even deter minors from smoking. Since 1998 the company has spent a self reported $1 billion on youth smoking prevention including its â€Å"Think Don’t Smoke† campaign that was started in the 2000’s. (3) The Philip Morris website is packed with information on the dangers of smoking and the company even supported FDA regulation of tobacco which was eventually allowed by the Tobacco Control Act in 2009. Most recently Altria was listed on Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 most admired companies of 2011 for positive business behavior. In the Socially Responsible category they ranked fourth. The company donated $54 million to multiple nonprofit organizations including the Red Cross, the Smithsonian, and the United Negro College Fund. Looking at the company they engage in parts of an ethically sound corporation that values the impact it can have on society. However once the nature of the business that Philip Morris is engaged in is known only then will the company be hindered. Company Views and the Utilitarian Approach There is no doubt that Philip Morris’s public relation division are hard at work. Despite their social outreach its intention is misguided. The company’s social agenda is arguably just another operating cost to help improve the reputation of Philip Morris as the best of the worse. The company’s support of FDA tobacco regulation might have seemed like a moral move but FDA regulation of tobacco ends up helping Philip Morris. FDA regulation makes it much harder for smaller cigarette companies to survive. Only Philip Morris has the supply chain and brand recognition to remain profitable as cigarettes become more regulated. Additionally FDA regulation makes the industry unattractive heightening the barriers that Philip Morris’s has gaining a competitive advantage. (1) Applying the Utilitarian approach provides an interesting insight into the ethical breakdown of the company. The Utilitarian thinking is the ideal society that starts in an original position where everyone is equal. From there changes in equality should be open to everyone and the changes in equality are to everyone’s advantage. Essentially this approach with an unequally high proportion of wealth, assets, or abilities would have an affect on this type of company. With an equal chance to have an unequal proportion of wealth, assets, or abilities every individual would fight to make unequal distribution to benefit society. Looking at Philip Morris through the Utilitarian approach shows that the company is not acting fairly. Philip Morris engages in many business activities to help maintain their competitive advantage including supporting FDA regulation that would kill their competitors. On a more broad scale the inequality of wealth that Philip Morris has amassed over the years has not been to the advantage of society as a whole. In fact the success of the company has come at the expense of the health and well being of society. While it’s apparent that Philip Morris does not abide by this approach it is hard to blame the company. The Fact of the Matter for Philip Morris Because the negative effects of smoking are widely known and well supported the right to a healthy life falls on the individual to uphold in this situation because smoking is known to be detrimental to that right. That being said the addictive properties of nicotine make this argument known. Philip Morris for years repeatedly denied claims about the health issues of smoking and released filtered cigarettes that claimed them to be healthier. In many ways avoiding helping to deprive people of their right to live healthily would have been directly in opposition of their business. This makes Phillip Morris an interesting situation. Tobacco has been in western culture for around 500 years and for the majority of that time it was a large part of culture and was celebrated as a luxury. It helped bring the colonies money. Today tobacco is frowned upon and the companies that were once so wildly successful and respected in America are being asked to limit business. To ask Philip Morris to act completely ethically would be asking them to shut down operations completely. They sell a product that takes years off of lives and is responsible for 440,000 deaths each year. (4) While they can continue to pursue â€Å"healthier† forms of smoking and ingesting nicotine there is no way for the company to operate without harming someone. What makes tobacco an anomaly in the business ethics debate is the willingness for their customers to purchase products that will end up harming them. When we think of business ethics it is normally thought of as creating negative actions in the environment. In the case of Philip Morris the negative actions fall on the company’s customers who willingly accepts them. The solution to this problem does not lie in the hands of Philip Morris or any of the other tobacco companies. In Conclusion While in the past the company has made unethical business decisions like covering up health concerns or trying to convince the public that their cigarettes are safer the industry is at a point now where they are acting as ethically as possible.  They are simply providing a product that has strong demand. It is within our government’s duty to protect citizens when they are incapable of making smart decisions as individuals. From this report the real danger here is nicotine the addictive substance in cigarettes. This matter should be controlled by the FDA and needs to be limited. Until then tobacco and its and its suppliers will always be contested and Philip Morris will continue doing what they have been doing.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Journalism - Communication Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Journalism - Communication Skills - Essay Example To enable this relationship to flourish, a person has to communicate well with the partner and be able to understand each other properly, this will make the two partners to always know when there is an issue in the relationship between them and be able to solve the problem. The process of communication is a continuous process that never ends (Ferguson 56). There are three main components of communication that people use in their daily activities. People who work together usually have gotten remarkably different ideas and opinions about the work that they are doing, the values of the work that they do, the beliefs of the different cultures in the world differ from person to person, and the needs of the people change and vary with individuals. People have the ability to relate with each other and be able to exchange different ideas, they are able to understand each other despite the fact that we have different opinions about each other in life, people are able to understand the perspec tives of other people, they are able to sit down and solve issues among them successfully. They are able to use the processes that are outlined with the communication skills to be able do these things successfully without having hiccups. Getting to learn about the communication processes helps us to be able to have effective and efficient communications with other people. For example, in work places let us say a hospital, the doctors have to learn on how to use effective communication skills for them to communicate well and effectively with their patients. For students studying medicine, they have to learn a unit on communication skills that will enable them to be able to sharpen their communication skills and ensure that by the time they will be out to practice they will have grasped on the importance to communicate well with their patients. At the moment, students should learn on how to communicate among themselves as doctors to be. This is because when they will be practising, th ey will be required to communicate effectively and consult each other regarding a problem that a patient is facing. For them to be able to consult each other well without letting the patient know the problem the doctors have to learn how to communicate using the scientific terms that will help them to communicate better. For example, when discussing medication they will use terms like Etymology, and antispasmodics. They should be able to have mastery on the use of these scientific terms so that they are able to communicate amongst themselves without letting the patients know the truth on what they are talking about. The patients will be told the decisions of the doctors in a much simpler language (Ellis 45). The process of communication involves the Para verbal components, the nonverbal components, and the verbal components for a person to be able to pass messages better with other people. The Para verbal component of communication is the channel of communication that concentrates o n the use of the intonation, the volume that is used in communication, the cadence of the language that used in communication, and also the pace that a person is saying words. Non verbal communication is the use of body language, and the necessary paralinguistics to be able to communicate properly and effectively (Condrill, Bough 56). This type of communication has been a significant centre of interest for quite a lot of time in sectors such as doing

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Analysis of the Marketing Strategy of Apple Inc Dissertation

Analysis of the Marketing Strategy of Apple Inc - Dissertation Example The death of Jobs in 2011 has left Apple’s stakeholders, its many avid followers, and the business community in a state of uncertainty about the company’s future and its ability to sustain continuous innovation as it had under Jobs. The dissertation aimed to examine the marketing strategy and related systems that are responsible for the success of Apple, Inc. since 1997. The objectives included an assessment of the fundamental changes in Apple under Steve Jobs, the marketing systems and corporate strategy supporting its most successful products, the analysis of Apple’s competitive strategy compared with that of Microsoft, its longest running and most important competitor, and an analysis of the likely prospects of the firm moving forward. A review of academic literature was undertaken on market strategy and the related topics of strategic management and planning competitive strategy, innovation management and change management. Its purpose was to explore theoretical frameworks which may support an analysis of Apple’s case relating to these topics and market strategy in particular. The theories aided in the assessment of the secondary data gathered from reports and online sources dealing with Apple’s market performance in the period 1997 to 2011, with particular attention given to the market success of the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad in the period 2005 to 2011. Attention was focused on corporate strategy, specifically the Digital Lifestyle vision of Jobs which gave rise to the Digital Hub strategy in its innovation management. ... Steve Jobs provided the foresight, the inspiration and the motive force behind Apple’s recent successes, and there is every indication that given the leadership style of the new CEO Tim Cook that balances corporate and innovative strategies, Apple will continue to be successful into the future. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Chapter 1: Introduction 6 1.1 Background of Study 6 1.2 Steve Jobs & the Apple Story 7 1.3 Marketing & Strategy at Apple 8 1.4 Industry Dynamics 9 1.5 Research Aim 9 1.6 Motivation for this Research 10 1.7 Scope and Delimitation 10 Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature 11 2.1 Overview 11 2.2 Strategic Management 11 2.4.1 SWOT 13 2.4.2 PESTEL 14 2.3 Marketing Strategy 14 2.4 Competitive Strategy 18 2.5 Change Management 20 2.6 Innovation Management 23 2.7 Synthesis 26 Chapter 3: Research Methodology 28 3.1 Overview 28 3.2 Research Approach 28 3.3 Data Collection & Analysis 29 3.4 Research Validity and Reliability. 30 3.5 Limitations of the research methodol ogy 31 Chapter 4: Results and Analysis of Results 32 4.1 Overview 32 4.2 Fundamental changes undertaken by Steve Jobs, 1997-2005 32 4.3 Marketing systems and corporate strategy, 2005 to present 35 4.4 Discussion of Marketing strategy, Innovation management, and Change management 38 4.5 Competitor analysis of Apple vs. Microsoft 41 4.6 Future implications of the existing strategy of Apple 46 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations 50 5.1 Overview 50 5.2 Summary of findings 50 5.3 Conclusion 52 5.4 Recommendations 53 5.5 Directions for future research 54 Bibliography 56 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Background of Study The year 2009 was marked by of one of America and the world's worst financial crises, which became known as the Credit Crunch or the Global Financial