Monday, September 30, 2019

Active and Passive Sentences

Your little boy broke my kitchen window this morning. My kitchen window was broken by your little boy. In the first sentence, the person who did the action (your little boy) is the subject, and comes first; then we say what he did (with the verb, broke) and what he did to (the object, my kitchen window). In the second sentence, the opposite happens: we start by talking about my kitchen window (the object of the first the sentence has become the subject of the second); then we say what was done to it, and who this was done by.The first kind of sentence, and the kind of verb-form used In It, are called ‘active'. The second kind of sentence, and the kind of verb-form used, are called ‘passive'. This difference in the verb conjugation is called one of Voice', different from those of tense, aspect and mood. Examples of Active and Passive Voice Active voice describes a sentence where the subject performs the action stated by the verb. In passive voice sentences, the subject is acted upon by the verb.Sentences in Active and Passive Voice Here are examples of sentences written In both the active voice and the assive voice, with the active voice sentence appearing first: Harry ate six shrimp at dinner. (active) At dinner, six shrimp were eaten by Harry. (passive) Beautiful giraffes roam the savannah. (active) The savannah is roamed by beautiful giraffes. (passive) Sue changed the flat tire. (active) The flat tire was changed by Sue. (passive) We are going to watch a movie tonight. (active) A movie is going to be watched by us tonight. (passive) I ran the obstacle course In record time. active) The obstacle course was run by me in record time. (passive) The crew paved the entire stretch of highway. (active) The entire stretch of highway was paved by the crew.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Precocious Puberty

The difference between Precocious Puberty and puberty itself is Precocious Puberty is normally found in children between the ages 8 and 11. While puberty normally does not hit children till around age 11-14. The Mayo Clinic best describes Precocious Puberty as: â€Å"Precocious Puberty is when the body changes from that of a child into an adult. It includes rapid growth of bones, teeth and muscles; changes in body shape and size; and development of the body's ability to reproduce. Precocious Puberty normally begins in girls between ages 8 and 12 and in boys between ages 9 and 14.The cause of precocious puberty often cannot be found. † Rarely, conditions such as infections, hormone disorders, tumors, brain abnormalities or injuries may cause precocious puberty. Treatment for precocious puberty typically includes medication to delay further development. There are 5 different types of Precocious Puberty. Gonadotropin-dependent precocious puberty is very common and affects mostly girls and half of the boys. This is a disorder which is triggered by premature secretion of puberty controlling hormones or higher levels of gonadotropins.Gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty mostly affects boys with low gonadotropin levels. Central precocious puberty is not triggered by any underlying reason. It is merely a body response to changes that concern the central nervous system. Isosexual precocious puberty causes the sign of femininity in girls and masculinity in boys. Heterosexual precocious puberty is just opposite of Isosexual precocious puberty which brings the sign of femininity in boys whereas masculinity in girls. Early onset of puberty can cause several problems.The early growth spurt initially can cause tall stature, but rapid bone maturation can cause linear growth to cease too early and can result in short adult stature. Most children, boys and girls alike that have Precocious Puberty end up being less than 5 feet tall. According to Kids Health (1995) t here are signs to be on the lookout for. For instance, â€Å"in girls the telltale signs of precocious puberty include any of the following before 7 or 8 years of age include: breast development, pubic or underarm hair development, rapid height growth, and onset of menstruation.In boys, the signs of precocious puberty before 9 years of age include: enlargement of the testicles or penis, pubic, underarm, or facial hair development, rapid height growth — a growth â€Å"spurt†, and voice deepening. † Both girls and boys will have an onset of acne and adult mature body odor. An 8 year old child having such things causes problems for that child. It’s always difficult to be different, and maturing into an adult-looking body earlier than your peers puts a lot of pressure on children. A child I know, Roberta, is only 7 years old and has Central Precocious Puberty.The mental affects it has on Roberta is outrageous; she is a second grader having to deal with wearin g sanitary napkins, the â€Å"smell† associated with periods, the self-image problems of already growing breast, among many more issues. This can really wear on a child, especially one that is so young. Roberta is finding it hard to maintain her friends, once they find out about her already having periods their mom’s want them to not be friends anymore. One little girl had been friends with Roberta since Preschool then the mom found out that Roberta was wearing sanitary napkins and told her daughter she could not be friends with Roberta anymore.Roberta’s mom went to talk to this lady, and her response was, she was not ready to have â€Å"the talk† with her daughter yet. It was better they not be friends to prevent Roberta from telling her daughter anything. It is more difficult for girls than boys. Girls have undeniable signs that are visible to everyone. Boys can hide their growing penis and chest hair from their friends, the only thing they cannot hide is their facial hair if that is coming in early. Both boys and girls can have a tough time when they go through pubertal changes.Children who go through the changes at the age of 8-11 while their friends do not hit puberty till 11-14, makes it even harder for those early bloomers to cope. Children with Precocious Puberty may be stressed because of physical and hormonal changes; they are just too young to understand all the changes their body is making. These children will be teased and may end up having body image or self-esteem problems. Girls who reach menarche before age 9-10 may become withdrawn and may have difficulty adjusting to wearing and changing sanitary napkins.Roberta has had problems adjusting to wearing the sanitary napkins and she wants to make sure no one can see them from her pants. It is very confusing and traumatizing for her. Both sexes, boys more often than girls, may have increases in libido leading to increased masturbation or inappropriate sexual behaviors a t a young age. Girls with a history of early puberty have a slightly earlier age of initiation of sexual activity. Some girls with Precocious Puberty enter the dating scene much earlier than their classmates.Early-maturing girls may also have behavior problems and a greater risk for substance abuse and suicide. The best thing for the children struggling through precocious puberty is for someone to be there for them, listen to them, encourage them, let them know there are others who are just like them, and what they are going through is normal. It may not normal for their age, but normal none the less. All children go through adolescences. Those with Precocious Puberty are just going through adolescences sooner. In order to diagnose Precocious Puberty the doctor will perform a work up on the child.The doctor normally begins by reviewing the medical history of the family, doing a physical exam, reviewing blood work to measure hormone levels, and taking x-rays of the child’s han d and wrist to determine bone age. When diagnosing a child with Precocious Puberty, a doctor will look at the Tanner Stages to determine where the child is at. Tanner Stages is a system that was developed in 1969 it grew out of a two-decade-long study of girls as they transitioned through puberty. â€Å"The Tanner staging system is named after Dr. James Tanner, who was a British pediatrician.He performed a longitudinal study in which the subjects were observed repeatedly over a period of time in the same context. † (Dr. Greenspan 2006) In an experiment; the girls underwent examinations and photographs every three months. Dr. Tanner and his research group studied the progress and developed the 5 Tanner Stages that we use today. The Tanner Stages deal with both breast and genital development. Roberta (the afore mentioned child) has a Breast Tanner Stage 3 and a Pubic Hair Tanner Stage of 4; this happens more times than not for girls to be more advanced in one area over the othe r.She is biologically age 7 but her bone age is 11. Girls will have Tanner Stages numbered 1-5; childhood through adulthood. Boys will have only one Tanner Stage, Tanner Stages numbered 1-5; childhood through adulthood. According to the Mayo Clinic (1998) there is treatment for Precocious Puberty. The children can receive a treatment called Gn-RH analogue therapy, usually includes a monthly injection of a medication, such as leuprolide, which stops the HPG axis and delays further development. The child continues to receive this medication until he or she reaches the normal age of puberty.Once he or she stops receiving the medication, the process of puberty begins again. The goal of treatment for Precocious Puberty is to stop puberty from progressing so the child can have a normal healthy childhood. Treatment will also depend on the type of Precocious Puberty and the underlying cause, if known. According to Health of Children, there are several drugs that have been developed for trea tment: histerlin, nafarelin, synthetic gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist, deslorelin, ethylamide, triptorelin, and leuprolide.If parents opt to have treatment, there is some after care that is required. The child will have follow up visits every 3-6 months to ensure that progression of puberty has been slowed or halted altogether. Normalization of accelerated growth, reduction in size of breasts and suppression of gonadotropin levels after receiving Gn-RH. Monitor bone age yearly to confirm that the rapid advancement seen in the untreated state has slowed typically to a half year of bone age per year or less.If parents opt to not have treatment, the child might need therapy to help with self-esteem issues, high anxiety, irritability or even withdrawal. Some studies have shown that not treating children has no effect on them at all with the exception to early adolescences. The best thing a parent can do is to discuss the ends and outs with the Endocrinologist about which treatme nt if any will be best for their child. Precocious Puberty is something a child can live with. Most importantly, there is help out there if they want it.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

The topic can be proposed by the writer Assignment - 14

The topic can be proposed by the writer - Assignment Example Suzy Harbison presented the case before the court with an argument that the property transferred to David was done so at a price less than their market value. This implied that Bonnie Strickland had breached her fiduciary duty in accordance with the Alabama limited liability company act. Rule Statement: In accordance with Act 1993, No. 93-724, p. 1425, Â §20 of the Alabama limited liability act, the court analyzed the liability of a manager of a company in relation to her liability to the third party and determined that Bonnie Strickland did not breach her fiduciary duty to the company. This is because the company was not formed with the intention of making profit. Additionally, interpretation of the intent of the operating agreement revealed that the limited liability company was formed for distribution of the assets of the defendants and her husband. Conclusion statement: Fiduciary duty is a legal and ethical relationship that requires one party to take care of the assets and financial property of another party. In the case presented above, Bonnie Strickland is the holder of the fiduciary duty towards the Strickland limited liability company. Nevertheless, despite holding fiduciary duty in a company, the law under the Alabama limited company act gives provision for designing the company’s formation agreement that give options for the fiduciary holder not to act according to the interest of the company, but in accordance with the interest of the party that is within the confinements of the law (Kaufman,

Friday, September 27, 2019

VARK Questionaire Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

VARK Questionaire - Assignment Example Training would include putting concepts into various illustration formats so that the individual could see a pictorial representation of the subject matter. In opposite accord, the aural learner would best be assisted in comprehension by putting training material into the form of a lecture or using CD-ROM technology with auditory discussion of subject matter. This would allow the aural learner to focus more intently on the concept or lecture. For those with read/write as their preferred style, the training should include textbooks, notes and other various hand-outs that describe the learning concepts. This type of learner would benefit from having subject outlines written or certain lecture notes that have been properly paraphrased and put into documentation (Murphy, et al.). The kinesthetic learner prefers a more hands-on approach, a form of experiential learning. This is a learn-by-doing approach which could involve role playing in groups or developing hands-on science projects and experimentation to come up with a concept solution (Pashler, et al., 2009). make up only a marginal percentage of the national population (studyingstyle.com, n.d.). Establishing tactile learning without a multi-modal approach might only satisfy a small portion of the learning classroom based on this research data. Secondly, some learners, like this student with dual learning styles, might benefit from a multi-modal approach that blends visual with read/write aspects. This would likely be a better training method when the learning takes place in a group with a high population of learners trying to comprehend the same training concepts, such as a business organization. Many individuals maintain multi-modal learning talents and this should be recognized to ensure that a program maintains elements for multi-modal learners. This might require the trainer to have a competent background in dual learning approaches, or conducting pre-testing in the large classroom, to

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Theories of knowledge and different purposes of the curriculum Essay

Theories of knowledge and different purposes of the curriculum - Essay Example Epistemology, the theory of knowledge, has traditionally competed for the primary role in philosophical inquiry. Sometimes epistemology has won, and sometimes metapysics, depending on the methodological and substantiative presuppositions of the philosopher. The epistemologist asks what we know. Some philosophers have begun with an account of the nature of reality and then appended a theory of knowledge to account for how we know that reality. Plato, for example, reached the metaphysical conclusion that abstract entities, or forms, such as triangularity or justice, are real and all else is mere appearance. He also held that the, real is knowable, and he inquired into how we might know this reality. Aristotle, on the contrary, held that individual substances, such as individual statues or animals, are real, and inquired as to how we might have knowledge, especially general knowledge, concerning these substances. It is hardly surprising that Plato and Aristotle produced vastly different theories of knowledge when they conceived of the objects of knowledge in such different ways. Their common approach, starting with metaphysics, we might refer to as metaphysical epistemology. Other philosophers, most notably Ren Descartes, turned tables on the metaphysical approach by insisting that we must first decide what we can know about what is real and must remain skeptical about what is real until we have discovered what we can know. It is refer as skeptical epistemology. However, there is also a problem with this approach. When one once enters the den of skepticism, an exit may be difficult to find. Seeking to discover what he knew by following the method of doubting all that he could, Descartes imagined a powerful demon bent on deceiving us and thus found demonic doubt. It remains controversial whether such doubt admits of relief by reason. It seems natural to begin with skepticism with the hope of discovering what we know and what we do not, but if we first pretend to total ignorance, we shall find no way to remove it. Moreover, we shall lack even the meager compensation of knowing that we ere ignorant, for that too is knowledge. To indicate the information sense of the word 'know' as being the one in question is quite different from analyzing the kind of knowledge we have picked out. What is an analysis of knowledge An analysis is always relative to some objective. It does not make any sense simply to demand the analysis of goodness, knowledge, beauty, or truth, without some indication of what purpose such an analysis is supposed to achieve. To demand the analysis of knowledge without specifying further what you hope to accomplish with it is like demanding blueprints without saying what you hope to build. Many philosophers have been interested in the task of analyzing the meaning of the word 'know' (A. J. Ayer 1955, 76). Indeed, many would argue that there is no need for philosophical analysis once we have a satisfactory analysis of the meaning of the term 'know'. This restrictive conception of philosophical analysis is sustained by a dilemma: either a theory of knowledge is a theory about the meaning of the word 'know' and semantically related epistemic terms, or it is a theory about how people come to know what they do. The latter is not part of philosophy

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Private healthcare vs public healthcare in the US Essay

Private healthcare vs public healthcare in the US - Essay Example Why Universal Healthcare Vouchers Is the Next Big Idea talks about the benefits of private healthcare over public and expresses the opinion that in the nearest future there will be no public health services at all. How will it work He explains: "Every household in America will receive a voucher entitling its members to enroll in a private health plan of their choice. All plans will be required by law to guarantee the basic features of what most Americans now receive from their insurers: doctors' visits, hospitalization, pharmaceuticals, and catastrophic coverage" (Emanuel 2005) Healthcare costs are rising dramatically and as the result the employers have to reduce the benefits offered to their employees because the healthcare expenses are too high. "By 2008, the country will spend more insuring retirees than on defense. By 2020, Medicare will gobble up 5 percent of the GDP" (Emanuel 2005). The private healthcare is not perfect as well. And it should be reformed in the future. Emmanuel is confident that the new system will be much better for several reasons: "First, it should cover every American, no exceptions. Second, it should pay for covering those who are currently uninsured by cutting waste, not by increasing the total amount our country spends on health care. Third, it should hold down the rate of increase of future health-care costs. Fourth, it should give Americans more choice of health plans, not less. Fifth, it should make our economy more productive, not less. Sixth, it should reduce, not expand, government bureaucracy" (2005). Private delivery system, Emmanuel continues, should not be changed and health insurance companies would continue to "contract with physicians, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, pharmacies and other providers for services to the individuals who enroll in their plans" (2005). Public healthcare is much cheaper for consumers but the government will not be able to handle all payment, especially taking into account the aging baby boomers generation. Mintz does not support the claim that private healthcare provides less and less quality at the higher and higher costs. His opinion on the issue is similar to Emmanuel's and he as well has outlined the system that can make private healthcare more effective and calm down the supporters of public healthcare - "Publicly financed but privately run healthcare for all--including free choice of physicians--would cost employers far less in taxes than their costs for insurance. Universal coverage could also work magic in less obvious ways" (Mintz 20 04). Under the current public healthcare system the healthcare coverage decreases dramatically - fewer people are able to receive the service when they need it. The answer to the problem is more obvious that it might appear - the creation of the universal private healthcare. In the year 2001 the healthcare expenses have "accounted for 13.9 percent of US gross domestic product. (It constituted a much smaller share of GDP in countries with universal healthcare, such as Sweden, 8.7 percent; France, 9.5 percent; and Canada, 9.7 percent.)" (Mintz 2004). The healthcare is becoming to expenses for the employers who are forced to cover the healthcare costs of their employees. Therefore, general managers are losing the competitive advantage to foreign companies in the countries where the universal coverage is introduced. People "do not trust the government with healthcare"

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Reflection Paper 2 Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection 2 - Research Paper Example In my particular case, for the past ten years, I have worked as an Instructor and Instructor Trainer of Basic Life Support (BLS) among other courses for a company owned by Jose, RN-EMT, a Florida Region American Heart Association Community Training Center (CTC) Faculty Coordinator. Jose, RN-EMT continues to limit his communication process to utilizing email with Nurse Instructors. Indeed, this communication strategy is quite good but in order to promote effective communication, there is need for improvement of this system. For instance, verbal communication through telephones and video conferencing can also act as viable strategies that can improve the communication between the parties involved. As Nurse Instructors, I think there should be more open communication channels in order to operate effectively. This enables us to create mutual understanding with different people we will be dealing with in our operations. A critical analysis of Nancy Blake and Colleen Young (2013) article t itle â€Å"How to Be an Effective Charge Nurse: Excellent communication skills, flexibility, clinical competency, and ability to make quick decisions required† shows that there are various traits that an individual should possessed in order to be an effective charge nurse. Blake and Young (2013, p.1) affirms, â€Å"The role of a charge nurse is unpredictable. It requires a person with excellent communication skills who is flexible, clinically competent and able to make decisions quickly.† In most cases, charge nurses function as liaison between middle management, staff, physicians, patients and families among other groups. Charge nurses deal with different people in their tasks hence, the reason for them to possess effective communication and leadership skills. According to Blake and Young (2013, p.1), â€Å"An effective charge nurse needs to incorporate leadership and communication skills with conflict resolution, time management and organizational techniques, delega tion, mentorship, education, and role modelling to be successful.† These characteristics are very important in as far as the effectiveness of charge nurses in dispensing their duties is concerned. This notion is supported by Grossman and Valiga (2009), who state â€Å"Leadership and followership are two separate concepts that are complementary or reciprocal, not competitive†(p. 36).   This also goes hand in hand with the aspect of culture which shapes the behavior of the employees in each department. According to Hawkins & Kratsch (2004), each unit has a culture that shapes the behavior of the people working there.   It is therefore the role of the leader to foster this culture, thus positively influence the other members to improve their performance. Non verbal communication is also important in order Aspects such as body language, facial expressions as well as tone have an impact on the way communication is carried out. The article also states that charge nurses s hould be good in delegating certain tasks to their followers in order to achieve quality patient care. One important role played by the charge nurse is to solve conflicts among the followers. This is not a very simple task since it requires someone with good communication skills in order to create mutual understanding among the warring parties. Overall, Blake and Young

Monday, September 23, 2019

Relationship Analysis in A Christmas Carol Essay

Relationship Analysis in A Christmas Carol - Essay Example In books, the tone of communication is enough to describe the relationship between two characters and the author does not need to explain the relationship separately. The analysis in this paper will be done in a similar manner, i.e. by considering the tone of communication between the characters. Thus, this analysis would show that the context and manner of communication define the relationship between the individuals communicating with each other. This is also one of the most important aspects of the interpersonal communication. The main character of the book is Ebenezer Scrooge who has been described as being a stingy and miser person who stays away from philanthropic activities and spends every penny after giving it a significant thought. Scrooge has no value for the acts of kindness or benevolence and all he cares about is accumulation of wealth. Jacob Marley was the business partner of Scrooge who has been disclosed to have been dead for seven years when the story starts to unfo ld. On the Christmas Eve in the 1840’s Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner Jacob Marley who tries to convince Scrooge to change his ways. In the past, Marley has been described as being the only friend, administrator, business partner and mourner of Scrooge therefore it can be said that both the characters had a similar personality, i.e. they both had love for money. After seven years of the death of Marley, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley. Initially the character of Marley does not communicate directly with Scrooge but makes Scrooge feel his appearance in different ways. He then appears in the fireplace in Scrooge’s bedroom. Ultimately, the ghost of Marley appears in front of Scrooge himself. This is where the first verbal communication between these two characters takes place. Initially the character of Scrooge responds coldly to the appearance of the ghost and asks what does the ghost wants from him. The ghost of Marley replies, â €Å"Much!† Scrooge then asks who the ghost was and Marley replies, â€Å"Ask me who I was.† The character of Marley then reminds Scrooge that he was his only friend in his life. Scrooge still remains doubtful but the manner of his dialogue suggests that he is not as cold as he was at his first reaction. He offers Marley a seat and remains unsure whether a ghost would need one. Scrooge remains skeptical whether Marley is real or not and the communication between the characters takes another turn when Scrooge behaves as if Marley is just a figment of his imagination and it is not a real ghost. At one point, Scrooge expresses to Marley that it must be something he had eaten that is playing tricks on his mind. The ghost of Marley lets out a cry that makes Scrooge so afraid he fell upon his knees and begged from mercy. Here, it can be said that the context of communication has changed completely as compared to where it started. Initially, the character of Scrooge was cold t owards the character of ghost Marley. Perception of the characters also plays an important part in the effectiveness of communication between two individuals. If the perceptions of individuals are similar, there would be effective communication between them as the receiver would understand what the sender is trying to communicate (Robbins, 2009). However, if there is difference in perceptions there would be distortion in the flow of communication and a lot of reconciliation would also be required. In this book, the character of

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Business Plan For Sunshine Bakery Essay Example for Free

Business Plan For Sunshine Bakery Essay Sunshine Bakery will be specializing in visually attractive cupcakes and cakes. There has been a significant increase in demand for whimsical, overindulgent and visually stimulating cakes, and Sunshine Bakery will target special events such as weddings, birthdays, christenings, bachelorette parties and stork teas. The Products Sunshine offers a wide range of speciality cakes. All the flavours will be available in both cupcakes or cakes. The different flavours on offer are: vanilla, lemon, strawberry, chocolate, cheesecake, cherry cream and blue berry. Customers Sunshine will focus on three distinct customer segments. The first group is the wedding group. This segment is growing at 15% a year with 32,000 potential customers. The second niche is the parties group. This segment is also growing at 15% with 14,200 potential people. The last group is the individual buyer (walk-in) group. This niche also is growing at 15% with 48,000 possible customers. Management Team Recognizing the importance of human capital, Sunshine has assembled a strong management team. The team is led by Merlin Hull. Merlin comes to Sunshine with 10 years of baking experience. In addition to her industry specific experience, Merlin has had 2 years of management experience. Robert Morgan brings financial skills to Sunshine after a 15 year CPA career. Marlene Hendricks will lead the marketing efforts having participated in her own PR firm. Lastly, Debbie Reitz will be on the team as an assistant baker with over five years of experience. Objectives To establish a working storefront for Sunshine Bakery. To develop the strong presence in the community needed to support sales goals. To develop a full menu by the end of the second quarter. Mission Sunshine Bakery aims to be a cornerstone in the community creating a  neighbourhood atmosphere where customers feel comfortable and become instant regulars.We seek fair and responsible profit, enough to keep the company financially healthy for the long term and to fairly compensate owners and investors for their money and risk. Company Summary Sunshine Bakery will be located in downtown Mellville in a historical building. This downtown district is a very popular destination because of the historical architecture for weekenders and tourists. Company Ownership Currently Sunshine Bakery is a sole proprietorship owned by Merlin Hull. Eventually, as the company becomes established, Sunshine Bakery will apply to be incorporated. Start-up Summary The primary expense to establish the Sunshine Bakery is the mortgage loan estimated at R1,750,000 to purchase the vacant space on 7th street. The building was previously used as a bakery and we plan to buy the used equipment along with the space. This cost is also calculated into the loan estimate. Merlin Hull intends to invest R70,500 of her savings to cover the other cost of start-up. These costs include: Advertising brochures. Bakery ingredients. Insurance. Bakery accessories, i.e. paper bags, cartons, etc. Products Sunshine Bakery provides specialized cakes and cupcakes at premium prices for special occasions. The following flavours will be available vanilla, lemon, strawberry, chocolate, cheesecake, cherry cream and blue berry. Market Analysis Summary Our focus will be to target weddings, birthday parties, Easter celebrations, bachelorette parties and stork teas. Market Segmentation Our target market consists of three groups: The Wedding Group The wedding industry is booming and Sunshine bakery will focus on this group for whom a premium price can be charged for specialized and custom made cakes or cupcakes. The Parties Group This group will probably pre-order a variety of flavours, and it is not such a labour intensive order, because they will probably go for the less expensive option of choosing our standard products. The Individual Buyer or â€Å"Walk-in† Group Sunshine’s premises in the Bellville area, is a very popular destination because of the historical architecture for weekenders and tourists, which makes this segment a lucrative option. We will focus on window display to attract passersby. Target Market Segment Strategy In our target market, we will mainly focus on the wedding group since they will spend the most per order. We expect that the parties and the individual buyer group will make up a smaller portion of our customers. We are specifically filling the speciality cakes needs of the wedding group, so we expect the most business from this group. Industry Analysis Sunshine Bakery competes in the Food Services Industry. In addition to competing with other specialized cakes bakeries, it competes with all restaurants, delis, bakeries and supermarkets for a share of its customers food expense. Sunshine is most concerned with competitors who differentiate their products and services with a creative and arty focus. Because this group is so large, Sunshine has chosen to limit its analysis to other specialized cakes bakeries. Competition and Buying Patterns Currently there are two bakeries in town that provide specialized cakes: Cupcakes from Heaven Strengths: Stocks freshly baked cupcakes and cakes. Well-  established bakery in town. Sells cakes in local grocery stores. Weaknesses: Does not provide a wide selection of flavours. Furthermore the texture and flavor of their cakes is very dense and lacks zest. Life is Beautiful Patisserie Strengths: Makes cakes and brownies every day. Will make custom-ordered non- gluten cakes. Weaknesses: Does not produce a wide selection or large quantity of cupcakes. Their main focus is traditional flavour large cakes. Strategy and Implementation Summary Our strategy focuses on serving a niche market with quality goods. We are determined to become a part of the community—an establishment that becomes as much of the community as a church or local grocery store. To achieve these goals, we will provide the following: Friendly, neighbourhood-feel atmosphere Quality baked goods for everyone to enjoy at a fair price Visually attractive cakes and cupcakes Coffee sales will be higher in winter months, and for summer months sales of sodas Competitive Edge Our competitive edge is our quality of goods. We use only products of the highest quality that create incredible feathery cakes that can’t be matched. We also focus mainly on whimsical and modern flavours and designs. The other bakeries in town focus on traditional flavours. Sales Strategy Our strategy focuses on building a customer base by providing good customer experience. With the addition of the coffee bar and lunch menu in early spring, we hope to have customers make the bakery their one-stop destination for breakfast or lunch. In the summer, when we open the outdoor patio, more and more customers will make the bakery a destination for their lunches more often since the atmosphere will be so pleasing. Sales Forecast Our sales forecast assumes the following changes: Cake sales in the summer months will be slightly higher since the wedding season is at its peak during summer months. Coffee sales will increase  during winter months. Please insert a Sales forecast graph here, indicating the projected sales for 12 months. Management Summary Merlin Hull is the founder of Sunshine Bakery. She brings to the bakery her experience as a baker and as an entrepreneur. She has worked as a baker for over 10 years including two years as an apprentice in a well-known Paris patisserie. As a teenager she helped her parents at the familys general store, both in sales and marketing. For her last two years at her familys store, she was the general employee manager. Her duties at the bakery will include employee hiring and training, head baker and store management. Robert Morgan has run his own successful CPA consulting firm for 15 years. His duties will include the bookkeeping, inventory management and stock fulfilment. Marlene Hendricks runs her own PR company and will be assisting the Sunshine Bakery in its marketing campaigns on a part-time basis.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Music-Induced Affect as Treatment of Elderly Depression Essay Example for Free

Music-Induced Affect as Treatment of Elderly Depression Essay Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Depression in elderly patients is one of the most prevalent psychological problems today. However, research and knowledge regarding this subject is limited and those involved in the application of this knowledge to help elderly individuals experiencing depression are lacking in efficient strategies and training. This paper aims to explore the efficacy of inducing positive affect through music as a strategy in treating depression in elderly individuals. The paper focuses on the effectiveness of music alone as tool in treating depression based on its capability to induce positive affect. It is hypothesized that positive affect continuously induced via music within a set time-period will lessen signs of depression. Introduction Depression has recently been recognized as one of main psychological problems facing society today. Literature shows that treatment of depression needs to be specialized in terms of the population it addresses. Certain groups, such as adolescents, respond to certain treatments differently when compared to another group, such as the elderly. (Aryan Alvidres, 2001; Von Kroff et al, 2001) Depression among the elderly has specifically been found to be rampant and mostly unchecked mainly due to the fact that it was regarded earlier on as a normal step in an individual’s aging. (Casey, 1994) The need for further research on the subject is stressed by the fact that treatments and solutions for depression among elderly individuals are studied only in areas wherein a majority of the population is in the late stages of life. (Bramesfeld, 2003) Also, research has shown that general practitioners involved in treating depression in the elderly need to have more training and information on how best to handle depression in older patients. (Rothera et al, 2002) Diagnosis of depression is also a problem with 70-90% of depressed elderly patients going undiagnosed. (Koenig, 1999) A new strategy being researched for its effectiveness in treating depression employs the use of music techniques. Hendricks et al (1999) showed the potency of music in treating adolescent depression mainly because of its ability to inspire a change in the individual’s emotions. Hanser Thomson (1994) and Hanser (1990) studies have also shown promise in the use of music techniques to treat depression in older individuals. This paper aims to validate these previous studies but will focus only on the musical aspect of the treatment. Previous research included exercise, muscle relaxation techniques, and recall of experiences which could have confounded the results of the previous studies attesting to the effectiveness of music techniques. Research Question   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The goal of this paper is to determine whether there is a significant relationship between music-induced affect and depression. Can positive affect induced by music reduce depression? It is hypothesized that positive music-induced affect has a significant negative relationship with depression. Methods   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The design of the study is experimental and random. Specifically, it makes use of a 22 between-subjects factorial design. One variable will be the music-induced affect which will have two levels in the experiment, presence and absence of music-induced affect. Negative music-induced affect will not be used for ethical reasons. The other variable will be the test scores of the participants assessing the intensity of their depression. This will have two levels, test scores prior to the application of the music technique and test scores acquired after application. The two variables contribute tot eh 22 factorial design. (Mann, 1949) Setting   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The study will be conducted in a laboratory setting within primary care facilities from which the participants will be gathered. Performing the experiment in a primary care facility will be more convenient especially because the participants involved are elderly individuals. The laboratory setting will control for confounding variables that could be present in a real environment. Population   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research sample will be composed of individuals from age 65 onwards coming from primary care facilities and who have been diagnosed with depression (ranging from mild to severe). This is to avoid ethical and scientific concerns regarding clinically-induced depression. Data Collection The independent variable is the positive music-induced affect will be measured with the State Form of the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List-Revised (MAACL-R). (Zuckerman Lubin, 1985) The depression level, the dependent variable, of the participants will be measured with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). (Beck et al, 1961) Participants will be randomly assigned to two groups. The experimental group will be administered with music sessions aimed at inducing positive affect. The music will be pre-tested on a different set of participants also with depression to check its validity in inducing positive affect. The control group will not be administered with music sessions and will only be administered the Beck Depression Inventory at the start and at the end of the experimentation period.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The experimental group will be administered the selected music once daily for a duration of four weeks. During the sessions, participants of the experimental set-up will be asked to clear their minds and to concentrate only on the music being played. The State Form of the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List-Revised will be administered before and after each session to ensure that positive affect was induced. The Beck Depression Inventory will also be administered to this group at the start and end of the four-week experimentation period to document depression levels. Data Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Collected data will be analyzed statistically with the use of a one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA). The computed marginal means in the ANOVA will be the determining statistical value indicating the effect of positive music-induced affect on depression scores with the Beck Depression Inventory. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Music as a technique employed in treating depression will provide healthcare workers and low-income families with a relatively cost-free strategy of helping elderly individuals experiencing depression. This is also a technique that doesn’t require much training or medical expertise in its administration. All one would need in order to be able to administer this technique is knowledge as to which music selections are prescribed and certified to induce positive affect. This technique, because of its simplicity and speed of application, could also be used as a supplementary strategy to medication, counseling and psychotherapies being employed to treat depression in elderly patients.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The research, however, has many limitations. The range of elderly individuals that will be available for experimentation will only be confined to a specific locality. Time constraints will also be an issue. Further study should be conducted on a larger sample size and over a longer experimentation period. Different music styles and variations can also be checked to ascertain maximum effectiveness of the treatment. Gender could also be checked as a factor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Depression is indeed a psychological problem that afflicts today’s elderly individuals. Research regarding effective techniques has to be continued and expanded in order for healthcare workers to be able to best address this growing problem. References Arean, P., Alvidrez, J. (2001). Treating Depressive Disorders Who Responds, Who Does Not Respond, and Who Do We Need to Study? Journal of Family Practices, 50(6), 529 Beck, A., Ward, C., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression, Archives of General Psychiatry, 4, 561-571. Bramesfeld, A. (2003). Service provision for elderly depressed persons and political and professional awareness for this subject: a comparison of six European countries. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18, 392-401 Casey, D. (1994). Depression in the elderly. Southern Medical Journal, 87(5), 559-563 Hanser, S. B. (1990). A music therapy strategy for depressed older adults in the community. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 9, 283-298. Hanser, S. B., Thompson, L. W. (1994). Effects of music therapy strategy on depressed older adults. Journal of Gerontology, 49, 265-269. Hendricks, C., Robinson, B., Bradley, L., Davis, K. (1999). Using music techniques to treat adolescent depression. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education Development, 38(1), 39-46 Koenig, H. (1999). Late-life depression: How to treat patients with comorbid chronic illness.Geriatrics, 54(5), 56-61 Mann, H.B. (1949). Analysis and design of experiments; analysis of variance and analysis of variance designs. New York, Dover Publications. Rothera, I., Jones, R., Gordon, C. (2002). An examination of the attitudes and practice of general practitioners in the diagnosis and treatment of depression in older people. International Journal Of Geriatric Psychiatry, 17, 354-358 Von Kroff, M., Katon, W., Wells, K., Wagner, E. (2001). Improving Depression Care Barriers, Solutions, and Research Needs. Journal of Family Practice, 50(6), 529-561 Zuckerman M, Lubin B. (1985) Manual for the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List-Revised. San Diego: Educational and Industrial Testing

Friday, September 20, 2019

Fmcg Industry And Outsourcing Information Technology Essay

Fmcg Industry And Outsourcing Information Technology Essay FMCG industry, conversely also called as Consumer packaged goods industry. Fast Moving Consumer Goods are those fragile consumables which are usually consumed by the consumers at a regular interval. Prime activities of FMCG industry belong to selling, marketing, financing, purchasing, etc but the industry also betrothed in operations, supply chain, production and general management. FMCG industry provides a wide range of daily consumable products and consequently the amount of money circulated against FMCG products is also very high. Competition among FMCG companies is also mounting and as a result of this, investment in FMCG industry is also greater than ever, particularly in India, where FMCG industry is regarded as the fourth largest sector with total market size of US$13.1 billion which is estimated to grow 60% by 2010. FMCG industry is considered as the largest segment in New Zealand which accounts for 5% of the country Gross Domestic Product. FMCG product categories include Packaged food and dairy products, Hair and body care products, glassware and paper products, pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, plastic goods, printing and stationery, household products, photography, drinks etc. and some of the examples of FMCG products are soap, detergent, shampoos, coffee, tea, dry cells, greeting cards, gifts, tobacco and cigarettes, watches etc. Well known FMCG companies are Nestlà ©, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Procter Gamble, LOreal, Coca-Cola, Carlsberg, Kleenex, General Mills, Pepsi and Mars etc. The purpose of this topic is to investigate the relationship between the factors that affect the outsourcing decisions in FMCG industry of Pakistan. There are higher trends seen in the market for outsourcing in many FMCG companies but still it is reflecting as there are a number of factors which inhibit the FMCG companies to make outsourcing decisions. Outsourcing occurs as a result of intimate acquaintance between subcontractors and managing departments. Outsourcers want to decrease the cost of production and the cost of management by distributing work to avoid other costs such as wages and compensation. However, outsourcing helps society by decreasing unemployment, making the economy grow and decreasing social problems. Outsourcing is also a way to boost the economy and it helps producing industries to survive in the market. However, it is not a guarantee that the producing industries will survive. It is just one of the devices that FMCGs should use in management, but it depends on managerial efficiency in the industries. If FMCGs want to survive in the age of globalization, they have to adopt management techniques suitable for each situation in order to survive in the current industrial climate. Nowadays, macroeconomics and microeconomics have been changing very rapidly, in every region. This situation is forcing all countries in the world to adapt to competition resulting from globalization, including modifying government policies, international relations, free trade area agreements, etc. Changes are also occurring in industrial management, especially organizational management, production management and technology, delivery, and marketing management, in response to both local and international competition. In the competitive environment of manufacturing concerns and evolving technological era, to enhance efficiency and productivity, cost remains a challenge to overall manufacturing industry to compete with rivals in providing the best total lower cost to end customers and to secure the market share in order to add value to the shareholders. To invest heavily in capital investment such as machineries, buildings and land to expand space in supporting the production operation is a burden to most companies if the return of investment is not valuably. FMCGs that outsource are in quest of, to recognize benefits or address one or more of the issues like Cost savings, Focus on Core, Cost restructuring, Improve quality, Knowledge, Contracting out, Operational expertise, Access to talent, Capacity management, Catalyst for change, Enhance capacity for innovation, Reduce time to market, Co modification, Risk management, Venture Capital, Tax Benefit, Scalability and Creating leisure time etc. FMCG Industry and Outsourcing Companies that were struggling to increase the capacity to support the ramp up demand at times were upset when there was a drastic downturn of demand cut. As a result, the sudden downturn would affect the resources and investment that were put into supporting the end customers demand. Team of human resources and machineries that consumed production space and being idled would increase the overhead and fixed cost, thus affecting the companies badly in their financial statements. In addition, training and development to up skill internal resource skills set in terms of running the operation effectively, bringing up technical content expert, specialist ability to perform research and development to add value, effective management and maintaining the operation would require significant investment in human resources. Thus, most of the companies started to explore opportunities to reduce cost and to improve profit margin in order to maintain competitive edge in the market. One of the identified opportunities was to outsource non-core business functions to external service providers at a lower operating cost. Outsourcing decisions are those strategic decisions that change the operating strategy of an organization both in manufacturing and services. The most important step in any outsourcing decision is to clearly define the scope of the activities that are being considered for outsourcing versus previously in sourced. Outsourcing becomes a basic strategy of the FMCG industry and is essential for FMCG firms to stay competitive in the global environment. From firms perspective, outsourcing offers several advantages, such as reducing or stabilizing overhead costs, gaining cost advantage over the competition, concentrating on core activities and organizational specializations, providing flexibility in response to changing market conditions, and reducing investment in high technology based manufacturing organizations. Through 2004 onward business growth strategy changes and business growth was restored as the first priority for most worldwide businesses, making cost reduction the second or third priority. Ensuring business growth as well as business process speed, agility and cost reduction requires a unique mix of internal and external capabilities, skills, services and processes. Only a business-driven sourcing strategy supported by good-enough sourcing execution capabilities will guarantee successful business outcomes as well as improved performance and competitiveness. Lack of an outsourcing strategy or relevant skills and processes to manage outsourcing relationships is the most important reason for the failure of service and manufacturing industry. Global competition, increasing regulation and inspection, the development of specific standards and the industrialization of services will raise the competitive bar for the FMCGs services and business processes, making it compulsory for the FMCGs to work on their core business in source let the others do their job for you. By competing on core competencies and outsourcing non-core areas, FMCG companies achieve consistently higher performance over the globe in all fields especially manufacturing and supply chains through consistent focusing and tracking their Key performance indicators. For any of the company to make decision for in source or outsource, its the company strategic decision which will make the basis for the whole in source or outsource process. For making any decision, decision maker will consider the following perspective in their mind or they must have good answers for these questions. Determine what your company needs to or should do best strategy driven long-term positioning Determine how best to do things profit driven short to intermediate term competitiveness INSOURCING/ OUTSOURCING STRATEGIC DECISION KEY STEPS IN SERVICE BASE INDUSTRY An executive level cross-functional decision-making process identifies core competencies and areas for internal investment. The level of internal control required by the companies and prospective direction for operational insource/ outsource decisions are identified and analyzed based on strategic value and relative competitiveness of the company in the market. Document complete strategic decision making process and the implementation process for the strategic decision being made as it provides closed-loop assessment for continuous improvement of the decision in the long run. Align the implementation strategies, processes and Key performance indicators with criteria and assumptions used in strategy formulation or development and in sourcing /outsourcing decision process. STANDARDIZED OUTSOURCING PROCESS FLOW IN FMCG INDUSTRY Stage Key Activities Rough Timeline BU Role COE Role Opportunity Consideration Align on business need gain mgmt commitment to evaluate options Identify options to consider (e.g., internal cost savings, consolidation, off-shoring, outsourcing) Perform Options Analysis / Size of Prize (not detailed financial analysis) If potential for outsourcing, contact outsourcing COE for support NA PR PR PR PR C C Evaluation Team Kick-Off Establish small team to perform preliminary evaluation of outsourcing (Project Mgr/Business Mgr, Deal Mgr, Purchases Mgr, FA Mgr, HR Mgr, External Rel.) 1-2 wks PR C Initiate Evaluation Project Agree on top-line preferred deal parameters with OS COE (e.g., general scope boundaries, sell all vs. partial assets) Develop Keep Price Analysis using the CBA model (COE website) Develop preliminary project success criteria Develop preliminary project process, timing and critical path Consider advisory needs (e.g. external consultants, legal support) Consider need for employee communication pre-market evaluation activity Confirm business management alignment support to evaluate the option 1-4 wks SR SR SR SR C SR PR SR SR SR SR PR SR C Market Evaluation/Discovery Analyze market and identify potential suppliers (e.g., market position, capabilities, potential for savings monetization) Develop supplier materials (cold call message operation review presentation) Meet with suppliers (generally worth meeting w/up to 10 or so if available) Evaluate findings of visits and determine potential for outsourcing RFI may go out as part of typical assessment activity 4-8 wks PR PR C SR C C PR SR Decision to Pursue Outsourcing Refine project objectives, scope, etc. (w/knowledge of market evaluation) Prepare recommendation to pursue outsourcing Gain management approval per Decision Authority PRIOR to RFP Determine the small group of suppliers to be engaged in an RFP (3-4 ideally) Execute CDAs with these suppliers Expand project team (RFP leader, Legal, Administrative support, etc) Develop communication plan communicate to employees if not yet been done Base Case Financials 2-3 wks PR PR PR SR PR PR C C C SR PR C C RFP Development Draft and gain approval to RFP Develop RFP timeline (release date, supplier engagements, site visits, submittal date) Release RFP and instructions to suppliers 4-6 wks PR C PR TPO PR TPO RFP Process Execution Perform step-by-step RFP completion process w/suppliers (e.g., RFP review session, electronic QA cycle, preliminary solution review) Receive review bids, and execute formal solution walk-thru process Get revised bids and perform evaluation (operational, HR, financial) 4-8 wks SR SR SR SR SR SR Downs elect Process Develop recommendation to down select to 1 or 2 suppliers (keep 2 suppliers ideally to maintain competitive environment) Get management agreement 1-2 wks PR PR C C Due Diligence Conduct due diligence as required (us on suppliers; suppliers on us) 1-2 wks PR TPO Final Bids Provides suppliers with draft contract Request Best Final Offers (if appropriate) 1-2 wks C C PR PR Negotiations and Contract Signing Negotiate detailed price and contract terms (w/2 suppliers as long as possible) Align on final down select Get management approval Finalize internal and external communication plans (with External Relations) Sign contract and execute related communications 4-6 wks C PR PR PR PR PR C TPO C C Transition and Closing Put full transition team in place Execute required transition steps (including road shows, job offers, etc) Develop and execute companion agreements in other countries Execute closing Prepare deal files 4-12 wks PR PR SR PR SR PR PR Primarily Responsible Total Time Required* SR Shared Responsibility 5 10 months (ex Transition) C Contributor 6 12 months (w/Transition) TPO Technical Process Oversight * will vary based on project scope Problem Statement The rapidly changing global industrial environment, cost of working capital, research and innovation, releasing key internal resources, concentrating on Core business functions, obtaining better organizational form has significant impact on outsourcing decision making in FMCG industry of Pakistan. Hypothesis H1: Outsourcing activities are increasing day by day in FMCG Industry of Pakistan. H2: FMCG industries are Outsourcing in all areas of their business not only manufacturing operation. H3: FMCG industries are Outsourcing to reduce Operating cost. H4: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to increase concentration on their core business. H5: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to Improve Quality of Services. H6: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to Acquire Specialized expertise and knowledge H7: FMCG industries are focusing on Selective Outsourcing. H8: FMCG industries have midterm Outsourcing contracts. H9: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with good reputable companies. H10: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with companies that produce at lower cost. H11: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with companies that have advance technology and management experience. H12: Losing control of the certain business is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H13: Increasing dependence with outsourcers is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H14: Difficult to bring in source after conflicts is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H15: Disclosure of commercial secrets is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H16: Conflict of Interest with outsourcing partner is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. Outline of the Study The research structure based on five chapters as follows: Introduction about the Outsourcing and FMCG industry. The literature review had provided theoretical background of the research and cites author had previously researched on the topic of factors affecting outsourcing decision The research methods chapter included method of data collection, statistical technique and hypothesis development. The results chapter had included findings and interpretation of the results. The conclusion, discussions, implications and recommendation section provided the final logical analysis. Definitions Outsourcing Outsourcing is an agreement in which any task; operation, job or process that could be performed by employees within an organization, but is instead contracted to a third party for a significant period of time-one Company provides services for another company that could also be or usually have been provided in-house. FMCGs   It is an acronym for  Fast Moving Consumer Goods. It is defined as fast selling, low unit value  consumer products  normally in universal  demand. It includes categories like foods, soft  drinks, toiletries, cosmetics and other non-durables. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Most of the companies that were struggling to increase the capacity to support the ramp up demand at times were upset when there was a drastic downturn of demand cut. As a result, the sudden downturn would affect the resources and investment that were put into supporting the end customers demand. Team of human resources and machineries that consumed production space and being idled would increase the overhead and fixed cost, thus affecting the companies badly in their financial statements. In addition, training and development to up skill internal resource skills set in terms of running the operation effectively, bringing up technical content expert, specialist ability to perform research and development to add value, effective management and maintaining the operation would require significant investment in human resources (David Mackey and Kaye Thorne, 2003). Thus, most of the companies started to explore opportunities to reduce cost and to improve profit margin in order to maintain competitive edge in the market. One of the identified opportunities was to outsource non-core business functions to external service providers at a lower operating cost. Outsourcing decisions are those strategic decisions that change the operations strategy of an organization both in manufacturing and services. The most important step in any outsourcing decision is to clearly define the scope of the operations that are being considered for outsourcing (Cook, Mary, F. and Gildner, Scoot B. 2008). Human resource professionals throughout the world are being asked to do more or less, to enhance productivity while controlling costs and to find out new ways to increase profitability. (Uddin, Gazi, M. 2005). Outsourcing is not a new notion. For decades, jobs have been migrated from other part of the countries namely American and European countries as well as other overseas countries to global service providers primarily India, China, Singapore and Malaysia due to lower operating cost. According to Cynthia A. Kroll (2004), a regional economist from University of California Berkeley, the recent wave of outsourcing affected a different mix of jobs, at different wage levels. It was not confined only to a small set of industries but cut across all industrial sectors in new geographic area rapidly (Cynthia A. Kroll, 2004). William P. DiMartini (2005), Senior Vice President at SunGard Availability Services said businesses in all industry segments found that limited internal resources would make outsourcing an attractive, cost-effective and prudent option that would allow them to focus on their core competencies (AccountingWEB.com, 2005). Demand for outsourcing is a result of demand for organizational products by the target audience. On the basis of organizational estimate of total turnover, practicing managers can attempt to establish the nature and type of outsourcing required to that esteemed goal (Uddin, Gazi M. 2005). Outsourcing advantages to name a few include lower operating cost, improve competitiveness, low in capital investment, shift resources to focus on core functions, generate demand for new growth and market segment, access to world class capability, sharing risks and make capital funds available for core business investment. Bangladesh is a least developed country, basically an agrarian economy, having around 24 million acres of cultivated land, employing about 14.5 million cultivators. Manufacturing industries have grown around Dhaka and Chittagong based on agriculture input of jute, cotton, chemical and gas based industries. Industrial production growth has averaged more than 6% over the last 5 years. The export sector has been the engine of industrial growth, with ready-made garments leading the way, having grown at an average of 30% over the last 5 years. Primary products constitute less than 10 percent of the countrys exports; the bulk of exports are manufactured/processed products, ready-made garments and knit wears in particular. (www.euroitx.com) There are many manufacturing concerns in Bangladesh that are looking into outsourcing opportunity to reduce cost and to overcome the internal limitations and achieve lower cost of operation. The country is now moving towards industry based economy from the agro-based one. Hence, this study was an attempt to access determinants influencing the outsourcing decision and to research the manufacturing concern in Bangladesh on how well the factors would influence the manufacturing industry in Bangladesh to outsource certain function of their business areas to external service providers. The study also aimed at finding out the influencing factors that influenced the companies in outsourcing decision and helped the companies to overcome the internal limitation barriers. In the early 1980s, outsourcing typically referred to the situation while organizations expanded their purchases of manufactured physical inputs, like car companies that purchased window cranks and seat fabrics from outside the firm rather than making them inside. Nowadays, outsourcing took on a different meaning. Presently it refers to a specific segment of the growing international trade. This segment consists of arms-length, or what Bhagvati (1984) called long-distance purchase of services abroad, principally, but not necessarily, via electronic mediums such as the telephone, fax and the Internet. Outsourcing can happen both though transactions by firms, like phone call centers staffed in Bangalore to sen7e customers in New York and X-rays transmitted digitally from Boston to be read in Bombay, or with direct consumption purchases by individuals, like when someone hires an offshore firm to provide plans for redesigning or redecorating a living room (Bhagwati, J. et al. 2004) In an era of rapid technological change and short product life cycles, companies were trying to reduce cost and maintain quality at the same time which implied that companies would need to specialize in what they did best and de-emphasize management attention from business processes that did not directly impact the business. Outsourcing was a means to partner with service providers so they could handle specific business processes better, faster and at a lower operating cost (V. Krishna Polineni, 2001). It was defined as the transferring one or more internal functions of an organization to an external service providers. According to the analyst Dean Davison, the outsourcing was growing about 20 percent to 25 percent per annum (Dean Davison, 2006). Outsourcing has become an alternative, which all major corporations must consider in order to remain competitive. It helped to increase efficiency, improve service quality, accountability, values, decreased headcounts and cash infusion and gain access to world class capability and sharing risk (The Outsourcing Institute, 2006). One of the primary advantages of outsourcing arises quickly from the reduction of overheads. This might give rise to an immediate, and possibly one-off, advantage in terms of the avoidance of future or recurrent capital outlay, and the savings in office space and equipment provisions if these could be released during the outsourcing decision. There was clearly a staff cost reduction possible here, and this could be the predominant element in directly-attributable, ongoing cost savings. The spin-off from this might benefit the business support services department where the outsourcing was partial, and could be especially useful where the capital cost was high and recurrent, particularly if there was uncertainty about the future costs of maintaining effective and competitive business support. It was an investment risk transfer, in other words. Where outsourcing is total, the benefit was accrued directly by the core business it translated to a capital injection to the customers busines s. This was one of the major driving reasons of the outsourcing of IT provision in the early 1990s generally agreed as having been led in 1989 by Kodak, which outsourced all of its IT operations to IBM (Jonathan Reuvid and John Hinks, 2001). This could also confer a great deal of flexibility on the company. For a centralized organization which was providing a range of its support services from its own personnel and offices, the move to outsourcing could allow a downsizing of the property commitments. Consider the impact on the organizational infrastructure requirements of a change to outsourcing IT provision, payroll and credit processing, pensions, catering, recruitment, training, Human Resource Management (HRM), cleaning, security, lettings, software development, estates and building management. It could also confer direct scope for downsizing or increased options for organizational re-structuring through property and HRM flexibility. The transfer of a non-core service provision to a variable cost would allow economies of scale to be passed on from the supplier, and also would mean that incremental changes in the process capacity of the customer (upwards or downwards) could be covered at proportional rather than quantum cost changes. Where scope to vary the scale of the contracted supply was agreed, this has allowed the business organization to make maximum use of its marginal capital for core process change rather than non-core process support change. This could allow decreased time to market for new products or processes, and also increased scope for changes. Outsourcing solutions can provide an excellent chance to get the company service provision out of a rut and, if properly managed, to stimulate new solutions to problems from the mixing of different approaches. A noticeable feature of the global economy is the enhancing international products. Robert Feenstra (1998) describes the remarkable international specialization in the manufacturing products. For example, the raw materials of manufacturing products like Barbie dolls (plastic and hair) are obtained from Taiwan and Japan. Assembly used to be done in those countries as well as to lower cost locations like Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China. The growth in international specialization can also be observed in aggregate statistics. William Zeile and Gorden Hanson et al (2003) document the importance of trade within multinational firms. David Hummels et al. (2003) show that trade in intermediate inputs has grown faster than trade in finished products. While the globalization of production may yield important productivity benefits, there is a widespread view that it has also adversely affected low skilled workers. There are frequent media reports on how low-skilled labors in the firs t world countries are hurt when manufacturing jobs are relocated in the US and in many other countries have picked up on this theme to push for greater restrictions on trade with developing countries. Yet, despite its prominence in the public debate, there is little systematic evidence of the extent to which low-skilled workers are harmed by outsourcing to poor countries (Hsieh, Chang T. and Woo, Keong T., 2005). Outsourcing has existed in the USA for over 30 years particularly the business process outsourcing (BPO). The Bank of America, Best Buy, Delta Airlines, Goodyear, IBM, the Marriott, Motorola, PepsiCo, Procter Gamble, and Sun Microsystems are all outsourcing HR functions. US federal and state governments also spend billions each year doing so also. HR functions are not just being outsourced, they are being sent offshore. The US companies have off-shored their manufacturing and their RD facilities in their semiconductors, computing, chemicals and pharmaceuticals to the UK, Germany, France, Ireland and other developed countries (www.shrm.org). In view of developing countries, outsourcing takes place more recently to India and China. In 2003, 1.5 million service jobs were outsourced to the developing world and the number was projected to surge to 4.1 million by year 2008 (Elmillian Chew Saint Fey, 2005). According to the Offshore Location Attractiveness Index published by AT Kearny (2004), Malaysia, an emerging South East Asian nation, was the third most desirable location for offshore outsourcing in the world, after India and china. In Malaysia, the demand for outsourcing was not only from global multi-national companies but also from local companies. The demand for outsourcing was driven by the fact that companies could access a more reliable infrastructure that could ensure smooth core business operations at lower costs and with greater flexibility. Outsourcing also encouraged the pooling of resources for a more efficient use of resources to reap the benefits that could be derived from economies of scale. Bangladesh has potential in outsourcing in its competitive business environment with a relatively low cost structure as well as support from the government and non-government organizations. In view of outsourcing demand, Bangladesh could be very well take advantage of this fact by attracting quality outsourcing operators to the country. The availability of quality resources especially in the private sector to support the outsourcing demand, this could be made available to support off-shore and local outsourcers. HR outsourcing organizations in Bangladesh are in stage of booming up and most of the organizations have realized that they should play more attention to networking activities. Uddin, Gazi M. (2005) describes the challenges and prospects of effective HR outsourcing for managerial activities in the corporate world of Bangladesh. The study reveals that networking activities play a strong role in HR outsourcing and duration of outsourcing is temporary. The study mainly focused on HR outsourci ng, not on the factors influencing outsourcing decisions. Literature review shows that several comprehensive studies have been conducted in the world regarding outsourcing specifically HR outsourcing, general time management, managerial jobs, and managerial behavior and so on. But no significant study in the light of this research has been found. It is not claimed by the researche

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Is Sherlock Holmes an Individual or a By Product of the Victorian Age? :: Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Essays

Is Sherlock Holmes an Individual or a By Product of the Victorian Age? To the ignorant onlooker Sherlock Holmes is simply a clever detective amongst a horde of similar duplicates from various tales and myths of the crime-solving era. Sherlock Holmes is the culmination from a culture of detectives. Francis Eugene Vidocq, a â€Å"Holmes† in the making, with an utter disregard for the official police, an ability to disguise himself, and clever plans to catch the criminals accompanied by an excellent knowledge of the criminal underworld. Lecoq, used science and his cleverness to solve his crimes. Dupin, a detective who possessed powers of deduction and reasoning. Conan Doyle used all these essential ingredients and through an ingenious metamorphosis produced the ultimate detective; the meticulous observer Sherlock Holmes. If we delve deeper into the infinite chasm of Holmes' character we reveal more about the enigmatic figure that masquerades inside his majestic exterior. The entwining, interlocking tentacles of Holmes' deceivingly simple demeanour knot together to conceal his true being. His character cannot be confined to the restrictive boundaries we use for one and another. His character is far more complex and intelligent than his middle class placement in Victorian society would like to divulge. Conan Doyle created a character, blessed with gifts of deduction, intuition and a genius ability to solve crimes. But in forming this wonderful concoction he thus morphed many other sides to Holmes, seemingly oblivious to his adoring followers. He formed an untouchable creature, unable to feel emotion and passion. "He never spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer" Emotions would only make Holmes weaker, and Sherlock Holmes did not do weakness. A cold calculated scientist, an ostentatious performer, an arrogant conceited artist, a character arisen to a higher level than us 'inferior beings' Holmes' the bohemian, Holmes' the scientist, Holmes' the detective, Holmes' the gentleman, Holmes' the musician. Clever, genius, conceited, arrogant, patronising, condescending. His character is more than dual-natured. His multiple sided personality forms a complex persona to investigate. To dissect the inner chambers of Holme's thoughts, I will protrude into the depths of a classic narrative; The Red Headed League which embodies many of Holmes intricate characteristics. In this classic narrative Mr Wilson, the stereotypical ignorant victim is used as a long-suffering pawn in a game of cruel political chess, he is obliviously trapped in a criminal masterminds scheming plan to gain his revenge on society. The 'red headed league' is an exuberant ploy to keep Mr Wilson out of his lodgings for days on end under the preface that his "Real vivid flame coloured tint" had earned him a place in the ambiguous "red headed league". He has

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Benefits and Risks of Antibiotics Essay -- Antibiotics Pills Essays

Benefits and Risks of Antibiotics Introduction There are many issues that producers face in their practices today. One of these issues concerns the widely accepted use of antibiotics in livestock feeds. There are benefits and risks associated with this use. These issues impact not only the animal industry; the repercussions are seen on a much larger scale in the general public. This paper will give an overview of both the pros and cons of this issue. Background Antibiotics have been approved for use in livestock feed for over 30 years. This includes a variety of different antibiotics that are added to the feed at sub-therapeutic levels. There are strict guidelines that limit the amount of antibiotic to no more that 200 grams per ton of feed. Each antibiotic also has a minimum and/or maximum amount set. Antibiotics are widely used in all areas of the animal industry. They are most prevalent in swine, poultry and beef rations. PRO Antibiotics are invaluable to the producer. There have been numerous studies that show growth promotion and increased feed efficiency (a.k.a.: nutrient conversion) are achieved by using antibiotics in the feed. All industries can benefit from antibiotic use. For example, 100% of poultry producers add antibiotics to their rations for increased feed efficiency in growers and increased egg production in layer hens. Feedlot cattle are fed antibiotics to reduce the incidence of liver abscesses - a major money loss at slaughter. There are many who argue that the practice of including antibiotics in feed leads to drug resistant bacteria. The research done on this topic is inconclusive. Some producers are trying to get around this problem. These producers implement a gradient-feeding regime... ...uperbugs on the hoof? Science. 2000 May 5:288(5467):792-4 Hayes, D. J., H. H. Jensen, L. Backstrom, J. Fabiosa. Economic Impact of a Ban on the Use of Over-the-Counter Antibiotics in Swine Rations. 1999. Staff Report 99SR90 Center for Agriculture and Rural Development, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. Hoogkamp-Korstanje, JA. 1999. Ned Tijdschr. Geneeskd. (translation). PubMed abstract Houndt, T., H. Ochman. Long-Term Shifts in Patterns of Antibiotic Resistance in Enteric Bacteria. Appl.Environ. Microbiol. Dec 2000 V.66:5406 Jurgens, Marshall. 1997. Animal Feeding and Nutrition, 8th Edition. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co. Kamphues, J. 1999. Berl Munch Tierarztl Wonchensch. (translation). PubMed abstract. Tollefson, L., M. A. Miller, Antibiotic use in Food Animals: Controlling the Human Health Impact. J. AOAC Int. 2000 March/April; 83(2):245-254 Benefits and Risks of Antibiotics Essay -- Antibiotics Pills Essays Benefits and Risks of Antibiotics Introduction There are many issues that producers face in their practices today. One of these issues concerns the widely accepted use of antibiotics in livestock feeds. There are benefits and risks associated with this use. These issues impact not only the animal industry; the repercussions are seen on a much larger scale in the general public. This paper will give an overview of both the pros and cons of this issue. Background Antibiotics have been approved for use in livestock feed for over 30 years. This includes a variety of different antibiotics that are added to the feed at sub-therapeutic levels. There are strict guidelines that limit the amount of antibiotic to no more that 200 grams per ton of feed. Each antibiotic also has a minimum and/or maximum amount set. Antibiotics are widely used in all areas of the animal industry. They are most prevalent in swine, poultry and beef rations. PRO Antibiotics are invaluable to the producer. There have been numerous studies that show growth promotion and increased feed efficiency (a.k.a.: nutrient conversion) are achieved by using antibiotics in the feed. All industries can benefit from antibiotic use. For example, 100% of poultry producers add antibiotics to their rations for increased feed efficiency in growers and increased egg production in layer hens. Feedlot cattle are fed antibiotics to reduce the incidence of liver abscesses - a major money loss at slaughter. There are many who argue that the practice of including antibiotics in feed leads to drug resistant bacteria. The research done on this topic is inconclusive. Some producers are trying to get around this problem. These producers implement a gradient-feeding regime... ...uperbugs on the hoof? Science. 2000 May 5:288(5467):792-4 Hayes, D. J., H. H. Jensen, L. Backstrom, J. Fabiosa. Economic Impact of a Ban on the Use of Over-the-Counter Antibiotics in Swine Rations. 1999. Staff Report 99SR90 Center for Agriculture and Rural Development, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. Hoogkamp-Korstanje, JA. 1999. Ned Tijdschr. Geneeskd. (translation). PubMed abstract Houndt, T., H. Ochman. Long-Term Shifts in Patterns of Antibiotic Resistance in Enteric Bacteria. Appl.Environ. Microbiol. Dec 2000 V.66:5406 Jurgens, Marshall. 1997. Animal Feeding and Nutrition, 8th Edition. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co. Kamphues, J. 1999. Berl Munch Tierarztl Wonchensch. (translation). PubMed abstract. Tollefson, L., M. A. Miller, Antibiotic use in Food Animals: Controlling the Human Health Impact. J. AOAC Int. 2000 March/April; 83(2):245-254

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The metaphorical language

The metaphorical language is not unusual in the English language. It is used variedly and very often not just as a form of speech. Metaphors are a form of thought with its distinct epistemological functions. A metaphor is a direct comparison between two or more seemingly unrelated subjects. It is a description of the first subject as being or equal to the second subject in a way. The implicit and explicit attributes of the second subjects are used to enhance the second subject’s description. This form is usually used in literature to convey expressions or associations to correlate context. Used in rhetoric, metaphors are direct equation of terms that is more assertive than just simple analogy of subjects. It provides foundation for thinking, reasoning and understanding of our culture.(2006)Metaphor is greatly used in comprising ordinary concepts, motivating semantic change and meaning of linguistic expressions and in a way influencing people to make sense of the true meanings of words. Ordinary concepts are explained through mentioning their similarities and differences against one another. Semantic change can be brought forth by metaphors used properly and metaphors used greatly enhance how meanings are given to words and concepts.   Using metaphors allows writers and people in general to convey ideas that are creatively put in a way and that is easier to understand that just using the literal language. Metaphors are directly stated and can help capture the true essence between two subjects’ distinctiveness. Metaphors not only perform its functions in literary writing, it also has social functions.The use of metaphors reinforces the connection between speaker and listeners. We realize that the popularity of the use of metaphors is due to the fact that people use and understand them. There is an instant connection between speakers and listeners if a metaphorical expression is used because most metaphors are commonly used.   Metaphors are often used by philosophers like Plato in their arguments and speeches to convey ideas and expressions. Metaphors help them explains these concepts more to their listeners, even at time enhance the meanings in the concepts they use. It also gives other people the individual approach and beliefs of each one of us. Metaphors are consistently used in political reasoning and justification of foreign policies.Given the said quotation by Richard Gibbs in 1994, we will evaluate the use of metaphors in politics. How metaphors are used, what metaphors are used, and what are the meanings and implications of these metaphors. This exploration of the usage of metaphors will help us understand why metaphors are great influence in our lives. They are not only used as a language and as words to express, but also have meaning which holds significant importance to each of us. Often times, metaphors are used because it is better and easier to understand them than the literal form of language used. This happ ens when people realize the association between the concepts. This strengthens how the words and concepts are used by people.In recent political language, metaphors are clearly seen used frequently by people. An election campaign, for example, is referred to as a war or race of candidate vying for a certain position in the government. Other metaphors used in politics constantly change with time and location, and several meaning can be diverse due to certain persons’ understanding of the concrete metaphor. An example of metaphors used in government language is nanny politics. This is referred to as laws and bills characterize as a protection for the masses against bad entrepreneurs according to critics. Consumer protection laws are coined as mommy politics, laws that outlaws anything that is dangerous for anyone no matter where they are. These understanding are criticisms often addressed in metaphors. (2006)Metaphors according to Gibbs are also the link used between a concept and the bodily experience.(Miyakoshi 2006) The difference between embodied metaphor and abstraction from experience is distinguishable from the rise of metaphors from reality. The concepts are from the experiences of the individual; in this case, metaphors of politics are derived from observations of the people regarding how the reality in politics works. In a study conducted by Vervaeke and Kennedy in 1996 draws their analysis on several metaphors with regards to a study also done by Lakoff and Johnson in 1980.They both presented a broad range of interpretations of the metaphors used not only in politics but also other areas as well. In political context, for example, the statement â€Å"argument is war† can be interpreted in various ways. The researchers concluded that whenever the words â€Å"maneuver†, â€Å"strategy† or â€Å"defend† are used, any of which are used as metaphors for the other words as well. The intentions of these metaphors are to exp ress the underlying concepts of either a war, athletic competition or a game.(Ritchie 2004) The history regarding depicting metaphors as important speech forms in society had been part of Lakoff and Johnson researches done in 1980. The study regarding metaphors had concluded a lot of observations that Richard Gibbs agrees to as well.War and race is very much used in the metaphors used in politics. The metaphors used in politics are greatly seen as correlated with observations regarding how the political system works. This enables people to derive their interpretation of the metaphors. Evaluating the quote regarding politics using metaphors used in war and sports is due to the observations of people on politics being confrontations. It may also be because people see politics like events seen in war and in sports. In sports, people compete, challenge one another, win and lose. This is also seen in politics. This presents a strong relationship between the two subjects and entities to b e compared to one another. In war, there is also the fact of losing and winning a war, the defeat and the triumph is also experienced in politics. There are many contributing factors as to why these three subjects are interrelated often times. Metaphors are one way to express the similarities observed by people with the subjects concerned.Metaphors are strongly and often used in politics to address an idea and expression. The language is simple, often times very understandable by people. The meanings for these metaphors can greatly change over time and place, whether it may be negative or a positive attribution of the subjects. Through metaphors, words can be played creatively with meanings still discernable. The effectiveness of the metaphors can be gauged by how the meanings still remain after the attribution done with different concepts. Meanings are in people. A cohesive meaning attributed to a specific metaphor is effective in expressing in another way the concepts in politics. (2006). â€Å"metaphors.†Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved october 22, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor.(2006). â€Å"metaphors.†Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved october 22, 2006, from http://webserve.govst.edu/users/ghrank/Political/Not-So-Great%20Expectations/metaphors.htm.Miyakoshi, R. R. a. K. (2006) Eighth Speaker: Raymond GibbsQuestions and Answer.   Volume, 1 DOI:Ritchie, L. D. (2004). â€Å"Lost in â€Å"Conceptual Space†:Metaphors of Conceptual Integration.†References:{, 2006 #2}{Graff, 2006 #5}{Kà ¶vecses, 2006 #8}{Zyngier, 2006 #9}

Monday, September 16, 2019

Edward Steichen’s Commercial Photography

Edward Steichen was a brilliant and lithe artist, capable of continually transforming photography along with the changes marked by modernity and liberalism during his time. Steichen’s inclinations that revolutionized photography and realized its purpose as an art form made him an icon that art enthusiasts, as well as aspiring photographers and artists should look up to. Moreover, Steichen’s determination to stand out in various fields of artistic backgrounds such as art critiquing, to commercial photography, and from painting, to being a museum curator, became an inspiration to artists and non-artists alike to surmount various fields or industries that interests us, and dedicate ourselves to things that we love most. (Morrison, 2007) The remainder of the text will discuss specific roles and contributions that Steichen has made throughout the years that gave photography its uniqueness and significance. Steichen’s life has made a tremendous influence on how he became an imaginative force of nature to photography so the most significant parts of his life will be recounted not only to pay tribute to him but also to illustrate how his existence merged with the subsistence of the field of photography. Edward Steichen’s Commercial Photography Edward Steichen was born on March 27, 1879 in Luxembourg. However, most of life was spent in the United States as his family moved to the country while he was still young. His interest in pursuing a career in arts and photography was apparent when he reached the age of sixteen. â€Å"Edward Steichen,† 2008) Steichen underwent training in lithography which allowed him to obtain necessary knowledge and skills in printing colored shapes and figures on plates that became instrumental in his practical understanding of photography and the artistic formation of various images in color through painting. Although painting interested him as much as photography, he chose to reinforce his obtained knowledge and skills on the latter as his way of taking the field of photography seriously – something that was taken lightly beforehand. His perceptions of serious photography were fueled by his persistence in melding the artistry in the field, as well as with commercialism. (Morrison, 2007) His unique and earnest take of photography led him to meet and become partners with Alfred Steigletz. Together, they established Photo Secession, which mainly reproduced the pictorialist style of photographic art. This style was exceptional in its form as photographs taken were made to look like products of painting artistry and ingenue. Since the opening of Photo Secession, Steichen has focused on redefining photography. He wanted to bring in something fresh to the artistry scene so he created many photo exhibitions that presented various foreign works, particularly the renowned works of French photographers such as Henry Matisse. (Mitchell, 2008) He moved on to studying and developing aerial photography. His interest in this type of photography was intensified by the learned possibility of producing images that are clear-cut, in focus, and well-designed. Schueth) During this time, Steichen was all about characterizing photography as something meaningful, significant, and most importantly beautiful, as opposed to it being taken for granted in the past just like a mere tool for leisure pursuit and such. Steichen’s life after World War I was the most distinguished part of his artistic career in commercial and fashion photography as it was during this time that he was hired as the chief photographer of Conde Nast which managed Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines. Hobson, 2001) Although Steichen’s move to be part of fashion and commercial photography was entirely different from his previous artistic points of views and aims of what photography really meant to him, he still continued to accept projects and shoots for advertising and fashion photography purposes. Despite the disagreement of Steiglitz in his chosen career path (Hobson, 2001), Steichen considered the prospect of working on commercial and fashion photography as a challenge and a means to expand the limits of the field of photography. Through this experience, Steichen was able to formulate new and various techniques in photography which helped in realizing his purpose of allowing photography to be the vehicle for aesthetic materialism. (Zurich, 2008) Some of Steichen’s remarkable works with commercial photography includes his past projects for Welch, Jergen’s, and Kodak. His enthusiasm for meaningful and straightforward photography was reflected in his commercial works as he utilized real-life situations as subjects for illustrating various products advertised by business organizations. His photographs for Eastman Kodak showed how people were seen forthrightly while utilizing this particular product. As time went on, after a variety of commercial photography sessions, Steichen was able to realize the connection between photography and advertising. At this point, Steichen succeeded in bringing out the momentous nature of photography, not only as a means that exuded aesthetics but also as it was related to every human being which influenced their way of thinking and behavior. This point of view, he applied in the Welch Juice magazine photographs drawing out the elegant and upscale nature of the product. (Hobson, 2001) His technique in utilizing photography to appeal to varying degrees of social positions and points of view earned him a rise in Vogue magazine sales following its release. Perhaps, his ability to meld photography with multiple disciplines led to his success in commercial photography. It was primarily attributed to his intellectual faculties that made photography a tool for realizing the purpose of marketing and advertising. Steichen saw the potential of photography to sway the minds of the people into something desired by him or business organizations who produce various products for the benefit of the market population. His views about advertising in commercial photography were fueled by the things and situations he experienced during World War I. During that time, he worked for the Photographic Section of the Army Air Service in France and he was trained to reproduce copies of photographs that met identified needs and requirements to maintain patronage among the people and industries to the army. The militaristic perspective in utilizing photographs was adapted by Steichen in his works, and allowed him to look at explicit and constructive angles of products or subjects that would gain the confidence and attention of its viewers. (Johnson, 2000) Contributing to his successes in commercial photography was his positive nature and characteristics that drew people toward him and gained trust for his artistic capabilities. He was open to working with other people in the industry, collaborating with various art directors and clients to obtain insights and share knowledge and information that improved his craft. Moreover, he studied the trends in advertising and worked on adjusting his photographic styles to current strategies and techniques in marketing. Through his research, he was able to develop his most successful technique in commercial photography that is realism. He realized the importance of emotional responses as a means to establish connection with his audience or viewers. His ability to take pieces of his viewers’ realities and transform it into meaningful messages within his photographs while incorporating the dimensions of marketing and advertising subconsciously earned him the trust of business organizations and marketing industries. He veered away from the hostile and uncomfortable dynamics of aggressive and direct advertising and transformed this particular marketing strategy to adapt rationalism, realism, and gentle persuasion. (Johnson, 2002) Overall, his strategy in commercial photography not only influenced the field of photography but also transformed business and marketing as separate industries. For one, he was able to make his subjects household names, meeting the needs, requirements, and demands of business organizations and marketing industries. He satisfied not only the audience, viewers, or consumers, but also the corporations behind his photographic subjects. His views of realism as an important force in photography and marketing allowed to become a part of business strategies being implemented not only in the past but until present time. However, it was not only his career in commercial photography that determined his successful career. It was also his elegant and modern works on fashion spreads that revealed his range, from pictorialist to aerial, and commercial to fashion photography. Steichen’s photographic contributions to fashion were dubbed as his celebrity aesthetic approach to photography. (Riding, 2007) He shot various stars and celebrities for Vanity Fair and Vogue covers in style, as he aimed to perfect their public figures by taking pictures of them representative of their beauty, grace, and alluring persona. For Steichen’s fashion shoots, every angle and every shot was all about capturing the essence of beauty and power. (Richard, 2008) His sense of fashion photography may be summed up in two words – elegance and modernity – despite the classic and conventional influences. Picardie, 2008) Conclusion Steichen’s brilliance as an artist was fueled by his ability to transform the face of photography by incorporating various techniques and approaches which redefined and added to what photography can do aside from its obvious practical purpose of reproducing images for leisure purposes. In addition, Steichen was able to take the classic and conventional features of photography and develop new techniques that allow it to change with the demands and requirements of modern and liberal times. Aside from Steichen’s ability to wander from one artistic background to another as a measure of this ingenuity and excellence in the field, his capacity to take photography under the context of other disciplines established his exceptionality as a photographer during his time. Steichen did not take his craft lightly and looked for various ways on how it will be improved that furthered his aims of making it a means to reproduce the reality in beauty that may be captured in photographs. Â