Allentown Materials Corporation

The analysis of the Allentown Materials Corporation case study reveals a number of issues mostly related to the untimely death of a respected leader, the subsequent change in leadership, and also the management style of the newly appointed upper-level managers. This paradigm shift in operational management strategy is one of the root causes of the conflict between departments, absence of teamwork, and low morale. Additionally, radical changes are required to bring Allentown Materials Corporation into a new era of manufacturing and ensure their continued success in the marketplace.The willingness to change is critical in a manufacturing organization where the means of maintaining a competitive advantage change frequently. (ReVelle) The former General Manager of the Allentown Materials Corporation Joe Bennett was very authoritarian in nature, preferring to make all nearly all important decisions by himself, and no decisions at all were made without Mr. Bennett’s approval. Many o f the managers reporting to Bennett were considered political and manipulative by their employees, and as a result few were willing to challenge his operational management style.When Don Rogers took over Joe Bennett’s position as general manager the aggravating factors of a major down turn in business were already present, but the effects were not necessarily being felt throughout the organization. A revolutionary change should have been implemented under Bennett when the business shifted from primarily military applications to private sector uses, however manager’s perspective may cause them to overlook important organizational changes or respond to these changes inappropriately. Both general managers are at fault for the current situation at Allentown; Mr.Bennett for overlooking when change was required and Mr. Rogers for responding to the need for change inappropriately. The military market revolved around highly reliable and consistent components for crucial milita ry equipment; and the military was willing to pay a premium to acquire such components. In contrast the consumer and private sector market also demands high-quality products, but at the lowest cost possible. (ReVelle) The secondary consequence of this shift from military to consumer markets is an increased presence in the extremely competitive Japanese market.Japanese manufacturing firms had long since developed and implemented their own manufacturing methodologies such as Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing and Total Quality Management. Allentown Materials Corporation is essentially attempting to compete in a market that has already seen revolutionary change at the hands of new methodologies and techniques. Changes do need to be made to ensure a manufacturing organization has the competitive advantage, and selecting the appropriate change methodology is equally crucial.The Six Sigma quality management program was originally developed by Motorola in 1986 and as a business strategy focu ses on improving the quality of outputs by removing the causes of defects, unacceptable variability in the manufacturing process, and discontinuing practices that do not add value to the final output. (CIT) One method in which Six Sigma accomplishes this is though improving processes already in place or creating new processes when the existing ones fail to meet business objectives. CIT) Motorola reported over 17 billion in savings in 2006 since the start of their Six Sigma initiative, and many other manufacturing companies have also achieved success with their own implementations of Six Sigma. (CIT) These tangible effects are the results of training in quality improvement methods, rearrangement of business processes to make them more efficient, initiation of projects that improve production or save money, and improved communication between management and employees.For a company to achieve Six Sigma any single process must not produce more than 3. 4 defects per million opportunities. (CIT) This in turn means increased profit for the company and potential bonuses or incentives for employees. We can also make comparisons between Six Sigma and the different Japanese methodologies and draw a number of conclusions†¦ Six Sigma addresses half of the revolutionary change required for Allentown Materials Corporation to remain competitive in the ever-changing manufacturing marketplace.The second component of the change required involves giving the entire organization a shared vision for the future which plays strongly on the core competencies of the Allentown Materials Corporation. The strength of Allentown Materials Corporation lies with its research and development, and manufacturing divisions. Part of this change will come about as Six Sigma is adapted and implemented at the Allentown Materials Corporation.Employees at all levels of the organization will recognize the potential benefits and rewards including increased job security, new opportunities with the comp any, and better performance evaluations and pay increases. Additionally, employees will be aware that if the company is deriving benefits from Six Sigma these benefits will eventually trickle down to them. (CIT) All of the new rewards and incentives will lend themselves to a shared vision within the company. One aspect of particular importance of the Six Sigma methodology will be the effect of training and teamwork on the various divisions.When a sense of teamwork is lacking the employees have a tendency to focus on the productivity of their particular department or division and fail to realize the impact of their actions on the entire operation. (CIT) For these changes to take hold at Allentown Materials Corporation a vital member of upper management must assume the role as the change champion. Don Roger’s seems like the clear choice to take on this position due to his position with the company and the fact that he has an established history of involving people in issues wit h the company and consulting them on decisions.The change champion at Allentown will have a number of new responsibilities related to ensuring the success of Six Sigma and simultaneously being the driving force behind the entire business revolution. In order to show demonstrable commitment to the program and the new shared vision the champion will need to be heavily involved in the change process, ensuring that it moves swiftly and that the change is real and positive. Encouragement, motivation, involvement with projects, removing the barriers to project success, celebrating successes when they occur, and recognizing achievements are all ways the champion can demonstrate commitment.In the course of implementing change the change champion should consider naming a steering committee consisting of him or herself, key managers from all the functional areas including the newly separated sales and marketing functions, and a new position; training manager. The steering committee would serv e to enact the changes, but would also provide crucial feedback from lower managers and employees about the practical implications of their changes.Among the responsibilities of the steering committee would be developing a new team handbook that clearly states the policies and goals of the company and a training program emphasizing teamwork, team interaction skills, and The issues effecting Allentown Materials Corporation may very well lead to its ultimate demise. It is therefore essential for Allentown Materials Corporation to institute a fast and positive change to ensure its long term viability and retain its competitive advantages in the marketplace. Six Sigma when implemented properly by a committed change champion can usher in a new era for Allentown Materials Corporation.

Legal, Social, and Economic Environments of Business Essay

There are several categories that a small business can fall into. Within these businesses there are legal, social and economic environments that effect how the business is run and whether the business is a success or failure. From the cost to run to how the tax return is filed; all three have their advantages and disadvantages. All three also can produce a lucrative income for the right person or people. It is imperative to the business for the owner(s) to choose which path is the best way to go while taking in consideration the pros and cons of each type. Legal, Social, and Economic Environments of Business The idea of a three pronged cord came to me when I noticed how many cords have burned up on my appliances. The third prong on the cord would distribute the current better. My goal is to manufacture and sell my product. Small businesses are what formed our country. From the forming of our governments to starting computer companies in our garages business decisions had to be made. There are three main organizations of small businesses: Sole Proprietor, Partnership, and Corporation.  When opening a business the owner or owners need to know how each organization operates and which would be the best for them. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, but every business falls into one category or another. Business Organizations Sole Proprietor: A sole proprietor is a single individual who makes all the decisions in the business. There is no one to run to and ask â€Å"What do you think about this? † It is the most simple of the three types because there are almost no legal requirements. As a sole proprietor there is more freedom to do what the individual wants which makes it much easier to run. Also, the individual can get a tax benefit and there is a lower cost to start (Tavassoli, 2013. Slide 9) Almost anyone can have a small business as a sole proprietor. Although saving some money on the start up and from tax exemptions are a plus, there are some things one has to take into consideration. One is the limited resources because there is no one else around to bounce ideas off of and most people don’t have the business sense to run their own company from the start, unless they’ve had previous experience and knowledge in that field (Tavassoli, 2013. Another is the difficulty of borrowing money. Most banks or investors are hesitant to lend funds to one person because their financial resources are limited. Finally, all the liability of the business is put directly on the individual (Tavassoli, 2013. Slide 9). Whatever happens in the business is solely on the owner and there usually isn’t anyone to fall back on for help. Partnership: The second type of business is a partnership. There is more room for growth in this type of business because now we have an added talent or experience (Tavassoli, 2013). You automatically have someone to get insight on ideas and bring more ideas to the table. There is a better opportunity to borrow money. Now instead of one persons income and assets there are two. Someone is more likely to help finance a partnership than an individual person (Tavassoli, 2013, Slide 10). In addition, the business return flows into the individual/joint return. Just as a sole proprietor, a partnership has unlimited liability. The only difference is now there is more than one person involved so burden is split. In a partnership the owners are responsible for all the debt and expenses of the business (Ebert & Griffin, 2005). Something else to consider is the difficulty to sell a business owned by a partnership. Why is it difficult? Consent is always needed from the other partner. No decision can be legally made without the other partner agreeing. Corporation: The third decision is a Corporation. Companies like Apple, Ford, and Microsoft all fall into corporations. One good thing about a corporation is the stockholders of a corporation have limited liability which means they are only liable for the amount they invested (Tavassoli, 2013. Slide 11) When there are law suits or debts only the corporation loses money. Lenders and investors are most like to provide funding for a legitimate corporation before others. Another thing is there is a better chance to find talent and pool ideas. The opportunity to create more jobs is another plus for being a corporation. With the good comes the bad. In a corporation there are multiple stockholders that have to be answered to when it comes to business decisions (Tavassoli, 2013. ) Theses owners will have their own opinions on how things should be done and which ideas to be taken into action. A corporation can be easily taken over if it is agreed upon by the majority of the owners. The financial reporting requirements are more extensive. Finally, at the corporate level businesses are double taxes not only as a corporation but on the paid dividends to its stockholders (Ebert & Griffin, 2005). After careful consideration I feel a limited partnership is the best choice for my business. A Limited Partnership would allow us to obtain financing in the future, rather than trying to get financing on my own as a sole proprietor. Also, the amount of liability is reduced because we are only liable for the amount of our individual investments. This allows my partner not to have to take an active role in the partnership. A limited partnership agreement is not required but will be put in place to protect each partner (CEC, 2010).

Cyber Crime & internet

The full realization of the potential benefits brought by internet in the global community is greatly sabotaged by cyber crime activities. Cyber crime is increasingly becoming a major concern across the social, scientific, economic, and law enforcement fronts of the global community. Although the actual economic impact of cyber crimes is hard to qualify, it is estimated that the American nation looses over $100 million on internet related crimes every year. There are numerous types of cyber crimes (Laser, 2009).These includes; identity theft, fraud, hacking, cyber terrorism, malicious computer programs, web posting of offensive materials, and drug trafficking among others. Due to the negative social and economic impact of cyber crime activities, governments and other stakeholders have engaged in a number of prevention measures. They encompass creation of public awareness to enable internet users to identify, report, and/or avoid being victims of such crimes (McDowell, 2008). Software scientists have also engaged in developing effective computer and network security software.In addition to this, there are laws such as the Intellectual Property Law, Electronic Communication Privacy Law, and the 2001 Patriotic Act serve an important role in detecting and prosecuting cyber crime offenders. This essay seeks to discuss malicious computer programs (also know as malware) as a form of cyber crime, its characteristics and how it is prevented, detected, and/or prosecuted. Malicious computer programs are defined as coded programs, which serve either to corrupt the effective functioning of a computer system or lead to unwarranted remote accessing of information from a computer network (Loader, Douglas, & Thomas, 2000).Viruses and worms are the most common types of malicious computer programs or software. Other malicious computer programs include spyware, and Trojan. They are codes which serve to compromise information stored in computer network devices. This type of malicio us computer programs is commonly associated with infecting executable computer files and denial of network access by authorized users (Loader, Douglas, Thomas, 2000). Indeed, through extensive infecting of computer files, such codes are responsible for crashing of computer network devices.Other common forms of malicious computer programs are deceptive Trojan horses, multi-purpose bots, and spyware programs. This is increasingly becoming a common cyber crime. Such programs are characterized by their ability to allow for the stealing of sensitive information from protected networks (Metropolitan Police, 2009). According to available information on these malicious computer programs, they can serve to aid a hacker in remotely accessing passwords and credit card details of network users without detection.In addition, due to their sophisticated capability, such programs are employed for facilitating corrupting of confidential information stored institutional networks (Loader, Douglas, & T homas, 2000). Such can also be used by terrorist groups to qualify the crucial information from their target government prior to attacks. There are numerous ways established for preventing malicious computer programs as a cyber crime activity. The most common measure is the creation of awareness among the general public and institutions on how to identify and mitigate being affected malicious computer programs (McDowell, 2008).To realize this preventive measure, network software scientists have engaged in numerous researches; developing highly intelligent network security software. Indeed, some software such as antivirus are commonly found free in the internet. Such are serving the crucial purpose of mitigating infection of computer networks by malicious computer codes such as virus and worm among others. Still, this intelligent network security software brings with them the ability to identify and deny access of systems by unauthorized users (Lasar, 2009).According to available res earch findings on the effectives of malicious computer programs, it is clearly established that some forms of these programs which are hard to control. In a move to protect the integrity of information technology in the society, it is a common practice for highly sensitive institutions to close down their networks upon realizing any errant behaviors. It is worth noting that such moves are instrumental in ensuring the continued illegal access of networks by hackers. This is usually followed by a change of the overall access security codes and other check requirements.Indeed, for security codes of highly sensitive institutional networks, constant changing is recommended to reduce access chances by hackers. The process of detecting and prosecuting cyber crimes is quite complex. This has been closely attributed to the fact that offenders in these crimes employ high sophisticated technologies (Metropolitan Police, 2009). It is commonly claimed that thieves are usually ahead of technology . Another problem compromising the process of detecting and prosecuting malicious computer programs crime offenders is low rates of reporting such crimes by the victims (McDowell, 2008).Such have also been associated by the failure of network company providers to cooperate with the law enforcement in identifying such incidences. Despite these drawbacks, the war on malicious computer programs as a cyber crime activity has employed a number of methods. First is the use of computer forensic investigation practices to qualify evidence of suspect malicious computer program offender (Lasar, 2009). This process involves technological analysis of collected data by forensic computer scientists.It is to be underscored that according to existing laws such as the Intellectual Property Law and Electronic Communication Privacy Law provides for legal suits against the programmers and distributors of malicious computer programs (Loader, Douglas, Thomas, 2000). Another commonly used measure in detec ting cyber crimes is the tapping of communication networks by law enforcement agents. Although this method has received heavy critics for interfering with the privacy and confidentiality of communication, it serves great purpose in mitigating unwarranted access of sensitive networks.The Patriotic Act of 2001, which allows for government surveillance of the internet, is aimed at mitigating terrorist activities. According to the provisions of the Act, law enforcement is given legal authority to intercept internet communications by crime suspects. Another crucial provision of the Act is its mandatory dictate for network providers to cooperate with the law enforcement in identifying the original of a given communication of malicious programs. Based on this reason, the process of detecting malicious computer programs has significantly improved with the enforcement of the Patriotic Act.Another measure of detecting cyber crime activities is the modern streamlining of the reporting and resp onsiveness practices in the law enforcement (McDowell, 2008). This encourages institutions and individual victims of malicious computer programs to report such incidences, thus enhancing the process of mitigating such criminal activities by the law enforcement agencies. In conclusion, the escalating problem of cyber crime activities is increasingly compromising the realization of the potential benefits brought internet technological advancements in the community.Although all cyber crimes have negative social and economic impacts in the society, malicious computer programs are a real threat to the security of nations across the global. Such programs are evidently blamed for corrupting executable computer network file, crashing of network devices, denying access by authorized users, and allowing access of private information by hackers. Therefore, there is need for more consulted efforts by the computer security software scientists, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to engage in formulating effective measures of fighting cyber crime. References Lasar, M. (2009).An introduction to the FBI’s anti-cyber crime network. Retrieved May 28, 2010, from http://arstechnica. com/web/news/2009/11/an-introduction-to-the-fbis-anti-cybercrime-network. ars Loader, B. , Douglas, T. , & Thomas, D. (2000). Cyber crime: Law Enforcement, Security, and Surveillance in the Information. New York: Routledge. McDowell, M. (2008). National Cyber Alert System. Retrieved May 28, 2010, from http://www. us-cert. gov/cas/tips/ST05-006. html Metropolitan Police. (2009). Trojan’ computer arrests. Retrieved May 28, 2010, from http://cms. met. police. uk/news/arrests_and_charges/trojan_computer_virus_arrests

Illegal Immigration in Morocco and Libya Research Paper

Illegal Immigration in Morocco and Libya - Research Paper Example ng the stakeholders involved, effects on human rights, effects the nations of Europe and their overall economic development, and what steps can be taken to rectify these problems. Through such an examination, it is the hope of this author that the reader can come to a more informed understanding of the unique determinants of illegal immigration from North Africa and the means through which Europe can seek to counter this destabilizing influence upon its future development. It does not take a great deal of careful consideration to realize the fact that countless tens of thousands of individuals each and every year risk their lives in whatever material possessions they might have in a desperate bid to enter southern Europe by. Whereas there are many different routes through which this might be accomplished, two of the most common and utilized routes for entering Europe illegally from Africa are via the coast of Morocco and the Libyan port city of Benghazi. Furthermore, although it might be convenient to understand all forms of African immigration into Europe in terms of a generic or similar pattern, the fact of the matter is that the differential between these two ports of entry not be more stark. As a function of seeking to analyze differential to a more full and complete degree, the following analysis will engage the reader with the unique dynamics that separate these two illegal immigration terminals. Before delving headlong into an analysis between these two potential ports of illegal entry into the European Union, it is first necessary to reference the different stakeholders involved. Firstly, and most obviously, the immigrants and it would be themselves are those who were at the most risk within the situation at hand. Secondly, another of culpable stakeholders involved those individuals, games, crime syndicates, and not portions of governance within the nations in question that actively promote and encourage this traffic as a means of enriching themselves.

Organizational behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Organizational behaviour - Essay Example Company Profile 2ergo Group PLC is a proficient player in the mobile trade and marketing and is based in Salford Quays in England. Its areas of specialisation include, provision of software solutions, mobile entertainment, mobile website, mobile news. Their services are utilised in smart phone and mobile phone marketing, smart phone applications, mobile ticketing and coupons and secure payment solutions. It merges its inventive mobile technology together with its prowess in professional services to guide other smaller companies to improve and implement their mobile strategy. Companies that rely on their professional advice include Fox Sports, Aviva, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Fidelity and Procter and Gamble (2ergo Group PLC). They consult on how to enhance their customer relationships, boost their sales, cut down on costs and end to end mobile solutions. The company headquarters are in the UK and it has been on the forefront in facilitating innovative mobile business strate gies across regions and different sectors. The company has spread its wings in Australia, Latin America, North America and India. Additionally, it is listed in the London Stock Exchange. The company has enjoyed a rise in revenue over time owing to quality customer service, diversity in its goods and services, customer loyalty and sound business policies. Through partnering with like-minded players they have cut down on costs, opened new branches and increase in sales and revenues. Its performance has been recognised in the global scene through receipt of various awards including the Salford Business Award Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Winner Mobile Star Awards – Winner, Mobile Advertising and Marketing Awards (MAMA), MMA 2009 Global Awards – Finalist and The Revolution Awards (2ergo Group PLC). This goes ahead to prove that the company’s organisational behaviour is impressive and can be adopted by other companies to improve their performance. Coping with Technolog ical Changes and Innovation The mobile market has evolved rapidly in the recent past calling for far-reaching changes in the operations of the company (2ergo Group PLC). The company has made changes to keep up with the global standards in technology. The Group has focuses mainly on technological advancements by investing a substantial amount of resources towards the course strengthening their capabilities to offer unmatched customer service. The company has received several awards owing to their innovativeness and technological advancements. The company has devised the following ways to cope with technological changes and innovation. These include: 1) Partnerships The company has formed partnerships with leading companies in different fields so as to diversify their products and services and boost their sales. It has partnered with several global companies including NCR, Procter & Gamble and 3M (2ergo Group PLC). This association has attracted more partners including two top restaur ants in the US and Australia boosting their revenue and their customer base. This has led to the creation of the PizzaExpress app which has led transformation of online retail payment which received massive response from their customers. In conclusion, partnerships have

The expectancy theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The expectancy theory - Essay Example n’ a motivation do things to reach an objective would prove true if said person believes in the value of the goal and there is chance to reach that goal. If an employee under the direction of a manager could he motivated to do something set by the latter, if the said employee puts value on the outcome of his or efforts and believes that reaching the same outcome is attainable or probable. Vroom’s explanation of the expectancy theory can be reduced into an equation as follows: Force = valence x expectancy (Koontz & Weihrich, 2006). Force here would represent the strength of employee’s or subordinate’s motivation. Such force is a function of valence which equates with the strength of same employee’s preference for an outcome and expectancy as expressed in a probability that a certain action ultimately brings a desired outcome (Koontz & Weihrich, 2006). A manager would benefit much if he has knowledge that an employee is interested in outcome like prom otion or higher pay. A manager, in applying the theory can tie up the pay with a level of performance while meet organizational objectives. Given the connection, it would be easier for the manager to motivate the said employee to do tasks assigned in attaining the desired level of performance which could actually help the employee or subordinate to be promoted or have the higher pay. Indifferent and non-believing employees could not be motivated as there would be a zero and negative valence

The basic definition of management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The basic definition of management - Essay Example Typified hierarchical organizational structures of the past, with strong control mechanisms, have slowly given way to modern, flat, loosely connected organizational structures with emphasis on core competencies, and outsourcing of non-core functions. The basic definition of management as a process of planning, organizing, staffing, leading and control (Koontz & Weihrich, 1990) are still relevant and various approaches have been formulated and presented in management literature. In this paper the aspect of leading and its connection with planning and staffing would be explored. Leading is the ability to positively influence people and systems to have a meaningful impact and achieve results. "Leaders venture out. Leaders are pioneers - people who are willing to step out in the unknown (Kouzes & Posner, 2006). Leading is about search for opportunities, to innovate, grow and improve. Leading, perhaps is the most crucial aspect of management, and predominantly, deals with the interpersonal behavior and relationship management. In a globalized economy, the expanse leadership extends beyond an organization, encompassing cultural diversity across the borders. Unwittingly, the leadership attribute is also latently embedded with ethical considerations. So what does a leader do In effect a leader inspires, influences, persuades, encourages, motivates, attracts, and unifies team members to accomplish the organizational mission. Leadership is innately linked with effectiveness. Leadership provides strategic direction to the enterprise to achieve its missions. Through the strategic directions emanate the function of planning. What to do in the long term, medium term, annual, and quarterly periods What skills should the team develop in course of the planned periods, and how are they to be realized Planning, and building core competencies, go together. Talent acquisition and nurturing is a critical staffing function, which in turn, is driven through right global leadership. Leadership in Planning Leadership drives strategic planning. Those in leadership must ensure buy-in from members of the team with regard to the organizational values, mission, and goals. The twin responsibility of leadership therefore, is to manage perceptions of the team members, and drive the planning process itself. Genuine communication and empathy are the key skills of leadership that enable achieving these objectives. Strategic plans play the role of signposts that guide behavior and decision making in organizations. The plans translate into departmental and individual objectives. The role of leadership is to ensure continuous alignment of individual goals with organizational missions. The departmental and individual goals can further be amplified using acceptable performance measures, and monitor them periodically. So in a way, plans connect with the management functions of coordination and control. Leadership in a sense provides the vital link between planning and doing. Effective leadership channelizes the organizational efforts towards meeting short and long term objectives of the enterprise. Leadership in Staffing Leadership in staffing is about creating a shared vision, involving the right people, for the right job, at the right time. Leadership can play a silent but effective role of changing the organizational culture through world class professionalism, and conducive

Challeges ESOL Somali learner face when learning how to read Coursework

Challeges ESOL Somali learner face when learning how to read - Coursework Example Most educators teaching ESOL Somali learners assume that these students have prior knowledge of various literary genres such as myths and legends. As a result, teachers teaching ESOL Somali learners fail to develop a good background for basic vocabulary of the English language. Though ESOL learners may be able to read some vocabularies, it is quite difficult to fathom the content presented. In essence, ESOL learners face various challenges when learning how to read. The data for this report was corrected from a number of past studies regarding the challenges ESOL Somalis face when learning how to read. The paper explores the learning experience of Somalis with little or no formal education. ESOL Somali learners have challenges in hearing and speaking the English language. For instance, most ESOL students cannot speak or hear the language they are learning. Actually, since the ESOL students learn English as a second language, various difficulties are present. As a result, sound recognition and production of the second language becomes challenging for ESOL students. Phonics entails the understanding of written words and their corresponding literally sound. In other words, phonics refers to an approach employed to teach reading and writing of English words to non-English speakers. The approach involves developing the learner’s ability to identify and manipulate sounds in order to demonstrate the correspondence between different sounds and the spelling patterns that stand in their place. It is imperative to identify that sound production and manipulation is largely dependent on letter patterns. ESOL learners might have insufficient knowledge regarding their native language since they rarely interact with linguistics scholars. For people to understand all aspects of a particular language, interaction with other scholars is an imperative exercise. ESOL students should not only rely on the little skills

Comparison and contrast essay Anchorage,Alaska and Key West Florida

Comparison and contrast Anchorage,Alaska and Key West Florida - Essay Example Perhaps. Key West, Florida and Anchorage, Alaska may be thousands of miles apart geographically and culturally, but in some ways, they are practically next door neighbors. The first striking difference between these two cities is obviously geography and climate. Key West is the westernmost island of the archipelago known as The Florida Keys. Close proximity to the Tropic of Capricorn and the warm currents of the Caribbean Sea give Key West a balmy average temperature of 82oF. Add to this an annual rainfall of nearly 40 inches per year and you have a pleasant climate capable of supporting a host of interesting vegetation while providing many hours of sunny weather to enjoy the waters surrounding the island. Of course, any city that has taken on the title of â€Å"Southernmost City in America† had better have plenty of warm weather and sunshine to back up their claim. Anchorage, while not the northernmost city in America is a great deal different than Key West. One has no need to look beyond the raw numbers to see that two more different cities could not be found in America in regards to geography and climate. Anchorage boasts and average annual temperature of 35oF with an average annual precipitation of just 16 inches (most of it of the frozen variety)(Hoare, 2008). Though summer days can reach into the mid 70’s, summer and winter weather is unpredictable in Anchorage. 40oF swings in temperature have been known to occur within the space of several hours. Anchorage enjoys long summer days due to its high latitude, but the subarctic climate surrounding the city dissuades most people from spending those summer days swimming in the frigid coastal waters nearby. An additional geographic feature that makes Anchorage much different that Key West is the nearby presence of active volcanoes. Occasional ash accumulation from these volcanoes poses a slight

Extensive reading approach and contrast this with direct or component Assignment

Extensive reading approach and contrast this with direct or component skills - Assignment Example Uncommonly, there is an approach that avoids the use of recommended reading materials and guided reading activities, yet has the same aim of promoting advanced reading skills of students. This approach is referred to as the extensive reading approach. What is extensive reading? The term extensive reading is credited to Harold Palmer (1917: 137) who proposed that learners should read one book after another. The idea of reading a great number of reading materials over time to improve reading proficiency is based on the belief that language acquisition, especially vocabulary development, occurs through reading (Nagy & Herman 1987: 20). Supporters of extensive reading believe that the more reading experiences language learners have, the more adept they will be in the target language. In particular, Grabe and Stoller (2002: 90) believe that although extensive reading alone cannot guarantee language proficiency, the latter cannot occur without extensive reading. The extensive reading appro ach offers some advantages that other approaches do not have. Making students form the habit of reading could lead to promoting the love for reading, making the reader as the focus of instruction, empowering comprehension, and improving linguistic and communicative ability. (References for this are quite impossible to obtain, thus I used â€Å"could lead to† to imply possibility, thus lessening the claim). Promoting the love for reading Promoting the love for reading is one essence of the extensive reading approach. Dublin, Eskey and Grabe (1986: 228) noted that people learn to read and improve in reading by means of reading itself. In extensive reading classes, students are motivated to read to build the habit and enjoyment in reading. As Grabe and Stoller (2001) claims, ‘one does not become a good reader unless one reads a lot’ (198). As such, the extensive reading approach differs a lot in structure and materials from intensive reading approaches. The teacher in the extensive reading class allows students to read the materials they prefer, thus cultivating in them the interest to read about those things they find interesting. Students have the option to read fiction or non-fiction books, or basically anything they find interesting among a variety of materials available. This way, students are not forced to understand topics or concepts that they find vague at the very beginning. Ideally, the love for reading may be developed if teachers allow students to read according to their interest, pace and level (Collie & Slater 1987: 6). In other approaches, students are asked to read a uniform text, thus they are forced to understand knowledge and concepts even though such are not applicable to them. For instance, a Muslim kid may deal with a text discussing the beatification of Pope Paul II when reading about current events. Such a practice, although may enhance the knowledge of a student about the world, could interfere with a student’s culture and affect his/her interest during a particular reading class. This implies that teachers using other approaches should be careful in choosing materials for their students. Nunan (1989: 60) posits that the reading materials should have some cultural or personal relevance to the readers.

Corporate Law Corporate Manslaughter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Corporate Law Corporate Manslaughter - Essay Example But only just. The new draft bill on corporate manslaughter is a ghost of what was once proposed. But, for the first time in the United Kingdom, there might now be a chance of prosecuting large companies for killing their workers† (2005). Between 1997 and the 2005 adoption, twelve promises were followed by delays, and five thousand people died as Parliament deliberated (Monbiot, 2005). Home Secretary claims that delays were due to complexity of the law are belied by the rapidity which the Prevention of Terrorism Act was pushed through Parliament, which allows conviction prior to a fair trial (Monbiot, 2005). The law does not allow any individuals to be tried, only companies as a whole to be fined, which when combined with existing law that only direct knowledge and malfeasance on the part of directors can lead to a prosecution means that only small businesses are likely to ever see imprisonments (Monbiot, 2005). â€Å"As directors can still be disqualified and imprisoned for a gross breach of their duty of care towards their shareholders' investments, money in the United Kingdom will remain more valuable than human life† (Monbiot, 2005). Worse, the standard for senior management being tried is grossly minimal: It must be proven that the senior manager â€Å"sought to cause the organisation to profit† for them to be criminally liable (Monbiot, 2005). When seeking to punish a corporation for their malfeasance, particularly in the case of deaths caused by reckless or dangerous working environments, pursuit of profit or easily-avoidable issues such as quality of chemicals or safety controls for machinery, the legal justifications for pursuing action are a few fold. 1. Deterrent. Both the violating company and its staff and other companies and their staffs need to be put on notice that such behavior isn't tolerated. For example: In a civil suit against a company that willfully harmed an innocent, there should be a toll taken for the life of the i nnocent, then a toll taken for the psychological harm dealt to the family and loved ones, then finally a toll taken purely as a deterrent cost. 2. Justice. The person who died deserves their fate to be taken seriously, the harm rectified, amends done (Lewis, 2009). 3. Investigative, amends-based and reparatory. The family that died deserves to have someone make amends for and take responsibility for the action. And when it comes to an organization like a corporation, the investigation can bring to light other violations. It is in the first two realms that the Act is so limited. An unlimited monetary deterrent might be appropriate, but there are so many approaches for the defendant to mitigate the harm that it is unlikely that the fine will ever truly be a serious deterrent to companies with massive operating capital and cash flows (Reid, 2010). When it comes to corporate law, punishments need to be extremely severe because big companies have the ability to protect themselves using t ies to politicians and communities, deep pockets and powerful lawyers. More importantly, individual managers may think that, if a company faces a billion-dollar fine, the worst that will happen is that they will lose their job or will be demoted or punished,

The korean conflict Essay Example for Free

The korean conflict Essay The Korean conflict had a number of factors that contributed to it. One of the factors although it is not the major one could be the size of Korea as a country which is small in the middle of large countries such as Russia, China and Japan. Because of this fact, each surrounding country wanted to take over Korea to be under their territory, something which Korea had trouble in dealing with. Most of the time, she could find herself under the control of the neighbors like China which controlled her at intervals for over 1000 years. The major cause of the conflict came into play when Japan took control of Korea just like the other neighboring countries had done. They ruled Korea from 1904 until the end of the World War II when the Soviet Union and the United States of America joined forces to drive Japanese out of the Korean territory. They agreed that after the Soviet Union was to rule in the north with the United States taking the Southern Korean. The 38 parallel was to make the dividing line between the North and the South Korea. The two countries ruled for a period of two years after which they both left Korea. The North which was under the Soviet Union leadership was left with a communist government while the south which was under the leadership of the US, a democratic government was left behind . Because of the need for unity between the north and the south, problems started. There were two governments in place: one formed by the southern people which was a democratic government and the other one was a communist government. The northern government formed the democratic people’s republic of Korea which was headed by Kim II Sung as a prime minister and the southern government was led by Syngman Rhee who was their president. The north wanted Korea unified as a communist state with the south advocating for a democratic state. Elections were held to form a single government between the North and the south and were supposed to be supervised by the UN to ensure that they were fair. Elections were held, of which the South was declared to have been undertaken in a free and fair way but the Northern region’s elections could not be accepted because the UN supervisors could not be allowed into the North by the Soviets who were present. As a result, they were declared unacceptable. This led to formation of the separate states. Disputes started to emerge between the two sides with each side becoming more aggressive . The United States pulled out its soldiers from the south from 40,000 who were there to only 500 soldiers and limited the number of weapons they were sending to the region. This was partly because of the fear of the southern president attacking the North and also because of the policy that had been passed in the US concerning Asia (NSC 48/2) . Because of the power that the Soviet and China had developed through military advancement such that by 1949 they already had a nuclear bomb, the US opted for a different way of resolving the conflict other than war . In 1950, the troops from North Korea launched a surprise attack on the south. The UN intervened and called an emergency meeting on the same day but the meeting was boycotted by the Russian security delegation because the UN had recognized Chiang Kai-Shek’s government as the official government in Taiwan and ignored Mao’s communist rule in Beijing. At the meeting, it was claimed by the US that North Korea had interfered with world peace by attacking South Korea. America wanted North Korean troops to back off from the 38 parallel, a view that was supported by nine out of the eleven member countries. On 27th of June 1950, the US suggested that the UN should use force to get the North Korean troops out of the south because of them boycotting the Security Council . The UN formulated its plans in which 16 member states were to provide troops under the joint command of the UN which could support the South Korean army. The UN troops were under the command of an American General MacArthur. The UN troops launched an attack against the North Korean troops in September of 1950 and managed to effectively cut North Korean army into two and managed to push them out of the south. They continued advancing to the North Korean territory despite the warnings from China. This led to an attack on the UN troops by China between 1950 and 1951 managing to push back the UN forces. MacArthur was sucked by President Truman after they had clashed generating the war into a stalemate between the UN and China. They agreed on a ceasefire at Panmunjon in 1953 which still exists to date . The reasons that brought about conflicts between the North and South Korea were not justified. This was not North Korean verses South Korean war but instead it was a war between the US and the Soviet Union. It was the battle for supremacy between the US and the Soviet Union that fueled the conflicts between the two regions. In the first place, they are the ones who brought differences between the north and the south by first dividing them and instilling in them different forms of governance. Because of the effects that the war could have on the people of both the South and North Korea, the Northern troops could have desisted from entering the southern territory. From the start, it was evident that because of the differences that existed between the two, forming a unity government could do them more harm than good hence they should have continued with the separate governments they had formed . The cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union was more or less the same as the Korean conflict because it was still the struggle for supremacy between the Soviet Union and the US led to these wars. It was because of President Woodrow Wilson’s commitment to liberal internationalism that was aimed at promoting democracy together with free enterprise that conflicted with the Soviet Unions’ world wide class revolution which was aimed at bringing a socialist future that triggered the cold war. Differing economic interests between the two is also thought to have brought about the conflict. The US was out to create a new currency stabilizing scheme which the Soviet Union was opposed to because it was based on American capitalism. The issue of military superiority also had a hand in the conflict. The Soviet Union was the second most powerful and the US felt threatened by it. Therefore, it was keen on increasing its military capacity. The two came face to face in their fight for supremacy and had to deal with one another . Looking at the factors that led to the Korean conflict and those that contributed to the cold war, it is evident that the driving force between the two was the battle for supremacy between the Soviet Union and the US. These battles had significant effects to both states. It led to an expensive arms race which involved development of nuclear weapons, brought about alliances between states for and against each of the two and also had economic implications. They also led to propaganda wars and created a military and bureaucracy complex. It was not healthy for both of them and the world at large because of the tensions that it brought with them. Therefore, it is important for measures to be put in place to ensure that there is sovereignty among countries to avoid conflicts. BIBLIOGRAPHY Burton Ira Kaufman. The Korean conflict. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group. 1999. Robert Buzzanco, â€Å"What Happened to the New Left? Toward a Radical Reading of American Foreign Relations† Diplomatic History, Vol 23 No 4 Fall, 1999, pp. 575-607 Roger George Stoven. Korean conflict: negotiation vs. armed settlement. Minnesota: Mankato State College, 1972. Mahavir Prasad Srivastava. The Korean conflict: search for unification. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India (1982). Melvyn P Lefler. A Preponderance of Power: National Security, the Truman Administration and the Cold War (Stanford, 1992). Vladislav Zubok and Constantine Pleshakov, Inside the Kremlin’s Cold War: from Stalin to Khrushchev (Cambridge, MA, 1996)

Jesus Is Really Present In The Eucharist Religion Essay

Jesus Is Really Present In The Eucharist Religion Essay We can argue that the Eucharist is a mystery. But what is the source of the Churchs teaching about the Holy Eucharist. We cannot see any sign of Jesus presence in the Holy Eucharist with our external eyes. Furthermore, the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not something that can be discerned by scientific or physical examination. Instead it can only be realized through the eyes of faith. Here I am going to decipher more on the divine revelation as found in the sixth chapter of St. Johns Gospel. In John 6:55-56, Jesus clearly stated that, For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. It was very specific on the explanatory the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist as St. John stated it in his Gospel. The Catholic Church has always taken Jesus at His word, which is why the Holy Eucharist is defined as the real body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Thus, Jesus Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist and is the core of the life of the Church. One can say that the breaking of the bread tradition has undergone changes through centuries, but the faith behind this has not been changed because we strongly believe the Real Present of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus is present in the Eucharist so that the people may experience that God loves them. Barton argues that God the Father sent Jesus Christ the spiritual food so that we may enjoy the love of God and when we view him as giving his flesh to eat, it is by the precious bounty of his own love towards us.  [1]  The USCCB also confirm the same teaching that the Jesus gives himself to us in the Eucharist as spiritual nourishment because he loves.  [2]  Furthermore, the Vatican II Constitution on Sacred Liturgy also explains the Real Present of Christ in the Holy Eucharist as Christ is present in the Church. Particularly Christ is present when the Church prays and performs the work of mercy. The presence of Jesus in the Eucharist enlightens our hope and strength by its mysterious power and our faith. It is the sign of His grace for us. He revealed himself in the Holy Eucharist so that we may share the banquet with God. When the priests celebrate the Eucharist, we remember the Real Presence of Christ in our midst. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that, The command of Jesus to repeat his actions and words until he comes does not only ask us to remember Jesus and what he did. It is directed at the liturgical celebration, by the apostles and their successors, of the memorial of Christ, of his life, of his death, of his Resurrection, and of his intercession in the presence of the Father (1341). In a pastoral response: the fact is that Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist avails much. If there is no avail, then the Son of God incarnated for no reason, He died for no reason, and He rose from the dead for no reason. The presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist profits us more than anyone thing else in the world. It gives us the meaning to our Christian life. In short, the mystery of the Holy Eucharist leads us to the intimate relationship with the Lord, Jesus Christ. And finally, the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist enlightens our hope and faith in our Christian life. With this, our faith becomes stronger and stronger every day. In how many ways is Jesus really present in the liturgy? The Vatican II Constitution on Sacred Liturgy stated that there are six ways Jesus really present in the liturgy: there is also a real presence of Christ in the ministry of the word, there is a real presence of Christ in the liturgical assembly, there is a real presence of Christ in the priest in liturgical service, there is a real presence of Christ in the souls of the just, there is a real presence of Christ in the sacraments, and finally, there is a real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  [3]   There is the proclamation of the word of God that is a source of communion and it proclaims the arrival of Gods reign. That is to say, the real presence of Christ is in the ministry of the word. It is the daily experience of the church whenever she proclaims the presence of the Lord by adoration publicly and privately. As Lash says, He is present in his word, since it is he himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church.  [4]   Christ is amidst when there are two or three assembled in His name (Matthew 18:20). In this communion, the congregation gives thanks and praise for the wonderful works of God and all the blessings and graces that Christ has for us. The communion calls all the people to share a life that is divine as well as God invites all the people to share the divine life of His Son. We come to make present and to remember the memory of Christ our Lord in our midst.  [5]  We come to acknowledge the genuine presence of Christ, fully human and divine, in this communion. In addition, we are also called to recognize his presence, not only in the communion, but also in the just soul. By the sacramental consecration, the priest is configured to Jesus Christ as head and shepherd of the church. He is endowed with a spiritual power which is shared in the authority with Jesus Christ. In his Encyclical letter on the Eucharist, Pope John Paul writes regarding the identification of the priest to Christ, the ministerial priest acting in the person of Christ brings about the Eucharist Sacrifice.  [6]  Therefore, the church accepts that the ministerial priesthood is apostolic and empowered by Jesus Christ to go out into the world and to sanctify all. During the liturgy, there is also the presence of Christ in other sacraments. In short, the presence of Christ is in all seven sacraments: Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Order, and the Sacrament of Penance. For this reason, Christ instituted and entrusted this sacraments to the Church. Finally, there is a real presence of Christ in the form of bread and wine. In the Eucharist, Christ is present in the fullness of His being. The USCCB says, the whole Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine-the glorified Christ who rose from the dead after dying for our sins.  [7]  The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist comes about through transubstantiation. The bread and wine remain as it is, but the substance changes. In short, Christ will to be present in the bread and wine. It is a work of God that make the bread and wine become His own food. Criteria for Assessment Regarding to my answers, I believe that I accurately and appropriately explained my answers. In this paper, I also included pastoral and theological responses in a responsible way. Most of all, I used different sources to support my answers as much as possible. I strongly believe that with the assessment requirements I have fulfilled in answering all the need. GOD BLESS AND HAVE A GOOD DAY!

What Genetic Factors Contribute to Obesity?

What Genetic Factors Contribute to Obesity? Obesity has increasingly become a challenging epidemic and is now a global concern which has shown no sign of lessening (McAllister et al, 2009, p. 868). While considerable efforts have been invested in stressing the importance of physical activity and the choice of food intake, studies have shown compelling evidence that genetic determinants brought by the inter-individual differences have high responsibility in obesity susceptibility (ORahilly Farooqi, 2006, p.1095). Substantive evidences about the molecular constituents of the major pathways involved in the balance of mammalian energy have only been recently deciphered. Therefore, this provides a gateway to a mechanistic understanding of obesity that will soon be a useful resource in the designing of effective drugs against obesity. Linkage studies and associations based on populations have identified specific loci where genetic variations occur among obese individuals. Efforts to indentifying and characterizing the monogenic obe sity syndromes have also shown considerable success (ORahilly Farooqi, 2006, p.1095). While a number of researchers have come into a consensus that genetic factors predispose individuals to obesity, some still slightly differ by appreciating the role of such factors like the influence on metabolic rate as well as the effect of selective partitioning of the excess energy in the human body into fats (ORahilly Farooqi, 2006, p.1095). This paper specifically identifies various genetic factors which contribute to obesity and provides recommendations for addressing the epidemic. To date, there are five main constituent genes known to be involved in food intake and energy expenditure pathways which ultimately contribute to obesity progression. These genes are leptin, leptin receptor, melanocortin-4 receptor, pro-opiomelanocortin as well as prohormone convertase genes (Bouchard, 2009, p.1499). The role of these genes in the occurrence of obesity and mutation consequences of such genes, wh ich are studied in different experiments, are elaborated and explained under different gene headings below. Leptin gene Efforts to perform leptin gene cloning in 1994 opened an avenue for rapid research in biomedicine and large scale genetic studies followed thereafter (Hinney, Vogel Heberbrand, 2010, p. 297). Finally, these efforts made success stories after effectively managing to treat leptin deficiency children using the recombinant leptin protein. The treatment of leptin deficiency children also provided other insights to biomedical researchers that single gene mutations could potentially lead to disorders such as obesity and hyperphagia (Hinney, Vogel Heberbrand, 2010, p. 297). Since its discovery, leptin has posed a potential possibility for the treatment of obesity. The development of obesity treatments has been centered in identifying main targets in leptin gene which was the first to be implicated for the genetic cause of obesity. The leptin hormone is mainly secreted depending on the body fat and is responsible for the regulation of appetite and energy metabolism mainly in the brain (Ahim a, 2002, p.196). Results obtained from linkage studies have deciphered that leptin is basically an assembly of 167 different amino acids that are produced by the leptin gene right from the adipose tissue. The protein encoded by the leptin gene displays a number of biological roles associated with obesity by binding with a defined receptor located in the hypothalamus. These biological roles of leptin include the control of food intake pathways, body weight regulation and homeostasis of energy (Wang et al, 2006, p.183). French studies and investigations into populations in Pennsylvania have associated leptin to cases of severe obesity. Among humans, the chromosomal locations of the genes for leptin receptor and leptin have been mapped to 1p31 and 7q31.3 respectively (Wang et al, 2006, p.183). Research had earlier shown that the variant G-2548A occurring in the LEP promoter was responsible for reductions in the BMI among overweight women. In addition, a few studies have shown correlati ons between obesity development and the presence of LEPR gene polymorphisms (Geller et al, 2004, p.572). According to Ioffe, Moon, Connolly and Friedman (1998, p.11852), subset of obese humans have considerably lower levels of leptin plasma. The findings imply that abnormal regulation of the gene in the adipose tissue could be the main cause of pathogenesis in obesity. Ioffe et al (1998, p.11852) carried out an experiment to test the propensity that decrease in the production of leptin could impact the bodys metabolism thus cause obesity. They performed their experiment by mating animal models that carried lowly expressed adipocyte specific aP2-human leptin transgene with mice that did not express any leptin gene. The leptin treatment of the mice that never expressed leptin resulted to a marked reduction in weight which resembled the results obtained after wild-type mice treatment. Usually, a subset of obese individuals expresses relatively low levels of leptin in plasma. The decreased rates of leptin production among obese individuals by the adipocytes have been implicated for the caus e of obesity (Ioffe et al, 1998, p.11854). Mutations in the leptin gene or the leptin receptor gene have been found to cause increased appetite, overeating, massive weight gain, impaired thermoregulation, insulin resistance and diabetes, immune dysfunction, sexual maturation failures and a number of neuroendocrine derangements in both human subjects and rats (Ahima, 2002, p.196). Melanocortin-4 receptor gene (MC4R) Mutations in the melanocortin 4 receptor have been said to be the most common genetic factors which contribute to obesity. While the gene coding for the protein, MC4R has been implicated for regulating the body weight of individuals and obesity, there are no convincing reports associating the gene with the increased binge eating among obese individuals. Contrary to what had been observed in the previous studies, the MC4R deficiency does not actually cause hyperinsulinemia. However, a frameshift mutation in the gene coding for the protein MC4R has been associated with dominant human obesity (Hinney, et al, 2003, p. 4258). The protein also acts as an antagonist for the agouti-related peptide (AgRP) gene that code for an endogenous antagonist for the receptor. The homologous of the MC4R gene, the MC3R gene has also been found to be a good candidate for causing genetic susceptibility to glucose intolerance in type II diabetes mellitus (Hinney, et al, 2003, p. 4258). In order to prove tha t MC4R is influential in causing obesity, researchers have sequenced the introns of the gene among the Pima Indians who among them, 300 were severely affected by obesity and 126 of them were neither obese nor diabetic. In their study, the researchers have addressed the assertion that substitution of G-A at codon 103 of the MC4R gene is responsible for influencing abdominal obesity and lipid, glucose and insulin metabolism. The substitution has also been implicated for its effect in inflecting the circulatory hormones such as the salivary cortisol (Hinney, et al, 2003, p. 4260). Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have been potential tools for identifying a number of candidate genes in specific regions of the chromosomes which harbor genes responsible and other phenotypes (Zlot et al, 2007, p.31). GWAS also provide critical tools for indentifying the common variants with reduces penetrance relevant as traits of interests or risk factors. Genes such as melanocortin-4 receptor gene occur in a coding region which also harbors other polygenic variants which regulate weight in healthy individuals apart from the mutations responsible for obesity (Yang et al, 2002, p.20328). These minor alleles that have been identified include various polymorphisms which code for isoleucine amino acid instead of valine at position 103 (103l) and the other that codes for leucine instead of isoleucine at 251L of the receptor protein. These polymorphisms are all negatively associated with the problem of obesity (Zlot et al, 2007, p.31). Homozygous carriers of such alleles have sli ghtly reduced basal metabolic rate (BMI) which is a risk factor for obesity. The biological mechanism of the MC4R gene has been suggested to involve the activation of the MC4R receptor which leads to a significant decrease in food intake. The MC4R has therefore been marked as the main therapeutic target for obesity treatment. The new regulatory biological mechanism has also been detected in cell lines which are derived from the murine hypothalamic neurons that express MC4R endogenously. This therefore points to the physiological importance of the endocytosis promoted by AgRP. In a study involving a number of obese children and adults, 6 percent of them were found to posses MC4R SNPs (Zlot et al, 2007, p.29). Following agonist stimulation, the MC4R usually signals via the intracellular adenylate cyclase pathway of signal transduction. Studies among the obese subjects have detected large quantities of MC4R mRNA in the membranes of the astrocytes contrary to the HEK-rMC4R cell membranes. Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) Feeding in humans follows habitually trained rhythms which are regulated by the hypothalamus. The amount of food one consumes happens as a response to the energy status in the body that depends on the hormones. Even though this is a complex process, there exists an integrated relationship between the energy needs of the body and the amount of food that is required by the body. As a result, the brain through the hypothalamus triggers the release of responsible hormones that regulate food intake. This happens through the release of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) (Millinvgton, 2007, p.4). The initial stage of the production of pro-opionmelanocortin starts with the production of the release of the POMC at the hypothalamus. Through a series of active enzymatic reaction steps, the pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) plays an initial role in the production of corticotrophin (ACTH), melanocyte-stimulating hormones (MSH) and endorphin (Millinvgton, 2007, p.4). The MSH leads to the production of melanocortin peptides that plays a high role in the development of appetite. The melanocortin peptides also continue to have a role in body weight regulation. As the body continues to produce the necessary genes that regulate its development, some genes that develop in the central nervous system give rise to the production of the melanocortin peptides. According to Zemel and Shi (2000, p.179), melanocortin peptides work by coating the melanocortin-4 receptors through the formation of a layer around these receptors. This covering inhibits the food absorption and intake. The absence of this through the degeneration of the melanocortin peptide cover marks the onset of obesity. This means that melanocortin receptors POMC peptide s plays a significant role in the development of obesity. As seen earlier, feeding is a process that happens through responses of habitual rhythms such as circadian rhythms. These rhythms are controlled by the genes that are adapted to a given type of system. The lack of POMC in the body exhibits itself through adrenal failure, altered pigmentation and increment in height onset of obesity (Millington, 2007, p.8). The processing of POMC occurs partially in the pituitary cells and neurons of the hypothalamus. However, POMC derivatives can be discharged differently through varying hypothalamic sites. These are sites that are involved in feeding process. This process of release leads to slight variations in the amount of signal sent to the sites. From the above discussion, dietary related aspects especially obesity emanates from a complex combination of various genes that makes their significant contributions. Environmental factors are also known to have their equivalent contributions to the role of the genes in the dietary habits and their effects on the body. The melanocortin that is produced as a result of POMC stimulation plays a central role in the direct processes of food absorption. Additionally, the signals sent by the POMC maintain the hormonal levels that controls amount of food to be absorbed at any given moment. This is depending on the homeostatic energy requirement at any specific time. However, in the instance when the levels of POMC released by the hypothalamus get reduced to minimal levels, the immediate effect that follows is the reduced production of melanocortin peptides. This means that the body no longer has the ability to control the amount of food being taken up by the body. Obesity develops as a resul t of the body absorbing food at a higher level than required. Prohormone convertase 1 (PCSK1) Researchers have reported that common variants in the PCSK 1 gene could be a potential cause of obesity. The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 1(PCSK 1) has been suggested to play a critical role in proteolytic cleavage, a step which is also important in the maturation process of a number of hormones which are produced as precursors (Heni et al, 2010, p.86). The PCSK 1gene codes for the prohormone convertase 1 which is actively involved in peptide maturation. The protease is selectively expressed in the endocrine and neuronal tissues where its main substrates include the hormones which regulate energy metabolism such as proinsulin, proopiomelanocortin and proglucagon (Heni et al, 2010, p.86). Rare mutations in the PCSK 1 gene have been identified to be responsible for causing childhood obesity as well as the abnormal metabolism of glucose, proinsulin and insulin and the C-peptide. Common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PCSK 1 gene, the rs6232 and rs6235 have b een associated with incidences of obesity (Heni et al, 2010, p.86). Various mutations of the PCSK1 gene cause monogenic obesity. The SNP rs6235 has a high correlation to the non-synonymous rs6234 which encodes the Q665E. This substitution occurs at the protein in the C-terminal region (Tuomas et al, 2009, 3499). This research found that there exist a significant correlation between age and crs6232 in the initiation and proliferation of obesity (Tuomas et al, 2009, 3499). Another research by Qibin et al (2010, p.456) found that the rs6234 has significant association with an increased risk of a combined obesity phenotype and an overall overweight condition. The PCSK 1 gene was also found to have a higher association to obesity among men as compared to women. The result of this gene is that it influences the increment in fat storage around the waist region. The study also found that there exist enough evidence that associates PCSK1 rs6234 with overweight and the level of body mass index in men. It was also revealed that PCSK1 rs6234 plays no role in the weight gain among women. There have been various recommendations in the use of several mechanisms in the management of obesity. This has been based on the knowledge of the fact that eating habits are part of acquired characteristics. However, studies have revealed that eating habits are controlled by genes. This has therefore called for more understanding on the gene make up of a person. The understanding of the role of PCSK1 gene in the control in insulin and consequent glucose synthesis is a breakthrough in the ongoing research in the search of the appropriate weight management measures. Studies conducted by Martin et al (2010, 9) have found that small amounts of alleles of PCSK1 and SNPs are associated in high levels of stimulation of glucose proinsulin levels. This gave an indication that the two are related in the reduction of proinsulin conversion with little effect on insulin itself. Under the normal conditions, prohormone convertase cleaves a substantial amount of proinsulin. The study further found that PCSK1 and SNPs alters the sequence of the amino acid sequence of the protein which makes up this hormone. The change that is initiated by the SNP rs6232 on asparagines is the reduction of the enzymatic activity. The similar change also occurs on the location of the protein thereby reducing its effectiveness in regulating insulin. The end result is the increment of body weight, a condition that is referred to as obesity. Fat Mass and Obesity Associated Gene (FTO) The FTO gene has also been identified, using the GWAS approach, to be associated with type II diabetes and obesity. The A-allele of the FTO variant rs9939609 in intron 1 has been shown to be associated with an increased risk to develop obesity complication by 31 percent (Hinney, Vogel Heberbrand, 2010, p. 302). The association of genes in obesity and overweight problems has been suggested to be high in both monogenic obesity and polygenic forms. The FTO gene is one of the best examples of the common variants which play a role in increasing the BMI and thus important among obesity individuals. The FTO gene is known to be found in chromosome 6 among humans and variants of the gene have closely been associated with human obesity. The gene is widely distributed in both adult tissues and fetal tissues but there is much expression in the pancreatic islets as well as in the hypothalamus. Transcribed amino acid sequence of the FTO gene has shown high homology with AlkB, an enzyme which demethylates DNA oxidatively. The FTO recombinant protein has the potential to catalyze 3-methylthymine demethylation in single-stranded DNA. Animal studies have shown that gene expression in FTO is usually upregulated in rats especially in the hypothalamus following food deprivation. The gene is also negatively correlated with the orexogenic galanin like peptide expression that is commonly involved in food intake stimulation. The increase in the expression of hypothalamic FTO is often associated with energy intake regulation but not the feeding reward. These consequences make the gene to be identified as a critical in causing obesity. An obesity risk allele of the FTO variant has been identified. Usually, the carriers with a single copy of the FTO allele are more susceptible to develop obesity than individuals without the copies. In another observation, the carriers of the two copies of the FTO gene weigh even more than those with a single copy of the gene. This implies that the gene causes an increased risk of obesity among the carriers compared to those without a copy of the gene. At the same time, researchers have identified the association of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the similar region (rs14210850) of the FTO gene. The variation has been identified as the cause for some percentage of population variance in BMI and even a higher number of attributable obesity cases. The risk allele, according to the researchers, is found in cluster 10 SNP in intron 1 of the FTO gene known as the rs9939609. Morbid obesity has also been shown to be associated with both the INSIG2 SNPs and the FTO gene. Varian ts of the FTO have also found to be associated with the obesity condition using GWAS of BMI. In the study, individuals with AA and AT alleles at rs993909 have been found to consume more energy per day compared to the individuals having the protective genotype of TT. However, the similar studies have indicated no variation in energy expenditure based on polymorphisms. In other studies, the consequences of variations in the two different types of SNPs in the FTO gene have shown the possibility of the gene impacting the levels of circulating leptin as well as the energy expenditure. The SNPs that affect the energy expenditure and the circulating levels of leptin include the rs1421085 and rs17817449. Although the studies have not pointed on the biological mechanisms of the FTO gene in contributing to obesity and weight control, researchers have postulated that the gene could be responsible for regulating appetite through its influence in the hypothalamus. Discussion and Recommendations The pathogenesis of complex diseases such as obesity has always been associated with the interaction of environmental and genetic factors. This complexity has made it difficult for researchers to tease apart the accurate relationship between the genotype, phenotype and environmental factors by only using conventional experimental designs. Using genetic information maintained in databases, researchers have been able to identify critical molecular pathways responsible for obesity which are specifically brought by the interaction of the environmental factors and the genetic factors (Gohlke et al, 2009, p.46). Bioinformatics techniques and the Internet have offered critical tools for synthesizing data on the relationship between genes and diseases such as obesity. Methods such as genome-wide association scans have shown a number of genetic variants in the FTO gene which might be associated with phenotypes related to obesity (Scuteri et al, 2007, p.115). Researchers have identified the po tential benefits of genomic-wide association studies (GWAS) approaches in obesity intervention and prevention strategies such as the design of highly specific drugs targeting the identified molecular pathways (Zlot et al, 2007, p. 31). The role of epigenetics in obesity has been explored by a number of researchers including McAllister et al (2009, p. 892). Epigenetics encompasses the study of a number of inheritable variations mechanisms in gene expression which do not necessarily originate from alterations in the DNA sequence. These mechanisms are often established at the early stages of postnatal development and during the prenatal stages and they act to maintain a number of gene expression patterns throughout the life of an individual (McAllister et al, 2009, p. 892). Because of this, some environmental factors have become common in the recent past and have commensurately deranged the epigenetic mechanism establishment which results in the regulation of body weight (McAllister et al, 2009, p. 892). The roles of cytosine methylation within the CpG dinucleotides, the modification of histone proteins which package the DNA into the nucleus and the cell-dependent expression of a number of autoregulatory DNA binding p roteins have been investigated and shown to perpetuate the conformation of regional chromatic which dictates which type of gene will be competent transcriptionally in specific type of cells (McAllister et al, 2009, p. 892). This literally implies that apart from the genetic basis of obesity, the epigenetic studies shed light and provides extra information that is layered above the common understanding of gene sequences. Like the DNA sequence, epigenetic factors are also replicated at cell division during mitosis and meiosis thus bestowing transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (McAllister et al, 2009, p. 892). As reported by McAllister et al (2009, p. 896), the understanding of the environmental factors on the epigenetic processes has always remained elementary. Therefore, there has been little evidence to point out specific environmental exposures whose increasing levels might affect epigenetic mechanisms. Maternal obesity has however been identified as one of the main environmental exposure which results into obesity. It is accepted that the obesity epidemic affects even the childbearing women and feed-forward transgenerational obesity amplification has been proposed to result among children born of obese mothers. This is because the intrauterine environments of obese mothers are likely to induce developmental adaptations in the developing fetus which consequently predispose them to obesity. In an observation made to support this assertion, children born of obese mother after bariatric surgery were found to have reduced risks for obesity than the children born of the same mothers before bariatric surgery (McAllister et al, 2009, p. 893). Bariatric surgery is one of the medical procedures carried out with an objective of losing weight and has shown exciting evidence in reducing the chances of obesity among the born children. There are two types of disorders that have been identified to be caused by single-gene defects. The first class of these disorders is the Mendelian disorders which cause a variety of clinical features including obesity. The second class of single-gene defects is mainly characterized by disease conditions in which obesity is one of the main clinical features. 11 different genes have been reported to be closely associated with monogenic obesity and 52 genomic regions which harbor quantitative trait loci have also been indentified to have associations with human obesity. Five of the genes have been considered to be of clinical importance since they account up to 5 percent of the early obesity onset and severe cases of childhood obesity. These genes are leptin, leptin receptor, pro-opiomelanocortin, melanocortin 4 receptor as well as prohormone convertase genes. One of the most interesting observations is that all the five genes are associated with encoding receptors and peptides involve d in satiety and appetite regulation. Therefore, there is need to intensify research efforts in marking the five genes and developing molecular drug targets for critical receptors which control appetite and satiety. Apart from the five common genes that have been associated with obesity, other minor genes with smaller effects such as ACE, LDLR and VDR have also been implicated for causing obesity. These minor genes are more than 20 in number (Bouchard, 2009, p.1499). Conclusion and Recommendation The prevalence of obesity is increasing globally as biomedical researchers step up their efforts to indentify the specific genetic causes of the epidemic. A number of technological and conceptual advances have made it possible for a shift to an approach centered in single-gene search for interventions aimed at treating and preventing obesity. Before these advances, traditional approaches involved studying obesity from the polygenic approach which was very difficult to mark out the exact molecular processes that occur in at cellular level. A few complex segregation analyses maintained the assertion that obesity was mainly caused by more than a single segregating genes having large effects on the adiposity and body weight. Later studies supported the evidence that obesity could be caused by both polygenic and oligogenic determinants. With the improved technology and scanning of the entire genome, it has been possible to identify individual genes responsible for obesity using polymorphi c microsatellite markers. Among the enabling technologies in sequencing the human genomes involve SNP identification, bioinformatics and SNP genotyping technologies. At present, these technologies have made it possible to study the anatomy of the human genome with improved details and this is expected to yield newer insights into pointing out the exact genetic causes of obesity.

Perception is Reality in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway Essay -- Woolf

Although the entire novel tells of only one day, Virginia Woolf covers a lifetime in her enlightening novel of the mystery of the human personality. The delicate Clarissa Dalloway, a disciplined English lady, provides the perfect contrast to Septimus Warren Smith, an insane ex-soldier living in chaos. Even though the two never meet, these two correspond in that they strive to maintain possession of themselves, of their souls. On this Wednesday in June of 1923, as Clarissa prepares for her party that night, events during the day trigger memories and recollections of her past, and Woolf offers these bits to the reader, who must then form the psychological and emotional make-up of Mrs. Dalloway in his/her own mind. The reader also learns of Clarissa Dalloway through the thoughts of other characters, such as her old passion Peter Walsh, her husband Richard, and her daughter Elizabeth. Septimus Warren Smith, driven insane by witnessing the death of his friend in the war, acts as Clarissa' s societal antithesis; however, the reader learns that they often are more similar than different. Thus, Virginia Woolf examines the human personality in two distinct methods: she observes that different aspects of one's personality emerge in front of different people; also, she analyzes how the appearance of a person and the reality of that person diverge. By offering the personality in all its varying forms, Woolf demonstrates the compound nature of humans. As an extremely unconventional novel, Mrs. Dalloway poses a challenge for many avid readers; Woolf doesn't separate her novel into chapters, almost all the "action" occurs in the thoughts of characters, and, the reader must piece together the story from random bits and pieces of information... ... more. All of these contrasts affirm Woolf's contention: no one can or should ever be denoted as someone with only dominant characteristic, because no one remains unvarying. Yet this novel isn't just about Mrs. Dalloway or her complex nature, but rather of Woolf's realization that as Mrs. Dalloway is multi-dimensional, every human is a mixture of his/her concepts, memories, emotions; still, that same human being leaves behind as many different impressions as there are people who associate with that person. Furthermore, Woolf evokes the following question: If everyone's impression of another is just a fragment of the whole, what is the "real world" like, where everyone's consummate nature is in view? Only then does one realize that such a thing, a consummate nature, doesn't exist, and with the human personality, what you see at this very instant is what you get. Â  

Psychological Manipulation in 1984 Essay -- George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell, is a superb novel with outstanding themes. One of the most prominent themes found in this novel is psychological manipulation. Citizens in this society are subject to ever present signs declaring â€Å"BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU† (Orwell 1). Along with psychological manipulation, physical control takes place. The Party not only controls what people in Oceania think, but what they do as well. Technology is another important theme. Without the constant telescreens, microphones, and computers, the Party would be all but powerless. Big Brother is the main figure of the Party. The main symbol that drives these themes is the telescreens. It is representative of the party always watching and controlling everyone at all times. Psychological manipulation the Party uses on the citizens is one of the first themes Orwell exposes in this dystopian society. The Party maintains this manipulation by constantly overwhelming citizens with useless information and propaganda. And when memory failed and written records were falsified—when that happened, the claim of the Party to have improved the conditions of human life had got to be accepted, because there did not exist, and never again could exist, any standard against which it could be tested. (Orwell 82) Winston Smith, the protagonist, is having a frustrating conversation with an old man about life before the Revolution. He figures out that the Party has purposely set out to weaken the people’s memories in order to make them unable to challenge what the Party claims about the present. If there is no one who remembers life before the Revolution, then no one can say that the Party has failed. In reality, the Party has failed by forcing people to... ...of Nineteen Eighty-Four are not going to be forgotten any time soon. Psychological manipulation is quite possibly the most realistic of the themes. In conjunction with psychological manipulation is physical control. The Party is a totalitarian government and controls every aspect of life. Technology is yet another important theme. Technology is what gives the Party their power and influence. Big Brother, the symbol, as well as the telescreens are motifs that help drive the main conflict. Works Cited Knapp, John V. â€Å"Nineteen Eighty-Four† Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Ed. Carl Rollyson. Hackensack NJ: Salem Press Inc, 2000. 2451-2452. Magill, Frank N. Ed. â€Å"Nineteen Eighty-Four† Masterpieces of World Literature. New York NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1989. 582-585. Orwell, George. Nineteen Eighty-Four. New York NY: Penguin Books Inc., 1977.

Are People Unwise to Pursue Love Even When They Know It Will Cause Them Pain? Essay

Love is an important aspect of life, as it is a powerful bond of closeness, trust and understanding. History, literature and science are filled with examples of people aspiring after their love when consequences can be seen easily. These historical figures achieved great height and are remembered by people. Loss and pain are inevitable, and they are worth it when love, whether of a person , a cause or a country, is pursued. Facing pain is not unwise but rather heroic. Love can be sudden attraction that could pull people in, even when they know this love will not last and is forbidden. Marie Curie was a passionate physicist and chemist who is famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity, as she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her husband was also an instructor at the school of physics and chemistry; it was their mutual interest in natural sciences that drew them together. However only after eleven years of marriage, Pierre was killed in a road accident, leaving Marie devastated by his death. After five years of his death, in 1911 it was revealed to the public that she was having an affair with physicist Paul Langevin, who was already a married man and a former student of Pierre’s. After the news broke, the Swedish Academy of Sciences even banned her from receiving her Nobel Prize. Marie challenged the Academy and attended the ceremony and this perhaps was her most courageous act. If then she had retreated, her career would have been over. She did not fear and staunchly believed that eventually her reputation and honor would be restored. Marie Curie, knowing the consequences of what her love might lead her to, decided to pursue it publicly, knowing it will risk her entire career. We can certainly not call her love unwise. It is a passionate love and it is to be remembered for ever. Even though pain of loss is an unavoidable consequence of love, it should not stop people from being in love. Life is followed by opposites: if we gain success then we also must be ready to lose something we possess. If we have good morals, then they will be ultimately challenged by corrupt forces. However these negative forces should not be a reason to stop us from reaching our goal and cherish every moment of love we can pursue. Recently I have received heartbreaking news from a relative saying his friend’s partner passed away from a fatal car accident. The woman clearly loved the man a lot, even after he was gone she suffered mental depression for several weeks. But the times they were together were the most prized moments of his life. They had a wonderful journey in life together, and even though they are forever apart, he can keep the thought of his wife in mind to gather courage and overcome difficulties in life. This shows determination and also shows that love is never unwise to pursue as long as it is true love. There is no doubt that a life pursuing love is greater than one that is blend. Love is a natural emotion that every living creature experiences. It will only be selfish and an act against way of life to deny the wonderful experience of closeness, peace, and happiness that everyone is meant to have. History, literature and life itself bear witness to that idea every day.

Person I Admire

I could say there was one person that I admire the most, but truth us there are more than one. One person that comes to mind the most beleive it or not is Angelina Jolie. A celebirty is a funny one to admire†¦ But what i admire of her is the dedication that she has to the causes that are true to her. Now that can mean anything and some people might say that she is just another celebirty in search of recognition. But what I see is someone that has used her celebirty for the betterment of others in ways that are more than superficial.Unlike Madonna and others she has worked hard and has spent days at a time if not weeks in places like afganistan and Leone for her cause. She has given without condition and as a result of it has given a home to children that otherwise would not have another chance. So I admire her as a true humanitarian. If fame follows her it is truely because we cannot get enough of her and not because she invites it. But the one person that I admire the most my g randmother.She was a great woman and one that held on in times of turmoil, she taught me to be strong and if I have to cry go ahead. But to keep focused and when I was done feeling sorry for myself get to work on fixing the problem and not dwelling on it. She taught me that no one said life was fair so quit acting like some one said it was and then took it away. Be a woman, and being a woman is expecting respect as well as demanding it. Funny thing, she always said a man's world is always easier than a womans. So if all you have to do is get through a mans world you are home free!!

Microsoft Corp.’s Pricing Policies Essay

Executive Summary This case study focused on the Microsoft Corporation and charges made by their competitors, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Justice of antitrust violations and a monopoly of the computer operating systems and applications software, software development tools (e.g., programming language software), and hardware peripherals (e.g., Microsoft Mouse) that Microsoft specializes in. It focused on numerous issues that would lead one to believe that Microsoft was in fact monopolizing the entire industry they were in. . In order to adequately discuss and analyze the issues of this case, I have broken this paper up into four separate sections. Section 1 – Key Terms & Concepts: Description of the key terms & concepts that pertain to this case Section 2 – The Case Against Microsoft: Identify the facts and information that support my case against Microsoft Section 3 – The Defense of Microsoft: Identify certain facts and information that support a defense of Microsoft Section 4 – Discussion: What I have learned from the case After reading this case study, I went back to the email that I received from you and went over the questions that you suggested we consider. The first question was: If you were the DOJ how would you build a case against Microsoft or a dominant leader? I will attempt to do this in Section 2 – The Case Against Microsoft. The second question was: If you were Microsoft how might you defend yourself against DOJ claims? I will cover this in Section 3 – The Defense of Microsoft. I will attempt to show why it was very necessary for the DOJ to bring a case of monopoly and antitrust violations against Microsoft. In doing this, I will attempt to put myself into Microsoft’s shoes and defend their claims that they have not created a monopoly. Section 1 1. Key Terms & Concepts The reason I decided to include these terms and concepts was to make it easier for me to write this paper and use certain terms without describing them each time I used them in my paper. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division: The Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, a presidential appointee, ran the Antitrust Division of the DoJ. When the Division thought the evidence was sufficiently persuasive, it brought criminal charges. The Division also entered into negotiations with businesses to end litigation in exchange for consent decrees in civil cases, or nolo contendere (no contest) please in criminal cases DOJ: Department of Justice: The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is a Cabinet department in the United States government designed to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans (http://en.wikipedia. Org /wiki / United_States_Department_of_Justice) DOS: Disc Operating System FTC – Federal Trade Commission: The FTC enforces federal antitrust and consumer protection laws by investigating complaints against individual companies initiated by consumers, businesses, congressional inquiries, or reports in the media (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Trade_Commission) ISVs: Independent Software Vendors MS-DOS: Microsoft Operating Systems NDAs: Non-disclosure agreements OEMs: Original Equipment Manufacturers OS: Operating Systems PC: Personal Computer Sherman Anti-Trust Act: it made illegal any form of contract or combination between entities in regards to trade and commerce that would have the effect of restraining trade. And it also put responsibility on government attorneys and district courts to pursue and investigate trusts http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Sherman _ Antitrust_Act) The Clayton Act of 1914: The Clayton Act was designed to prevent monopoly in the beginning rather than to remedy its effects. To accomplish this goal, Congress authorized antitrust prosecutions whenever business practices â€Å"may†¦substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in any line of commerce, in any section of the country.† Section Two of the act forbade sellers from discriminating in price – selling goods of like grade and quality to different buyers at different prices – when such differences were neither cost justified nor necessary to â€Å"meet competition.† Section Three limited the use of tying and â€Å"exclusive dealing† contracts. Tying contracts required purchasers or leases to acquire a second, separate product in order to obtain the desired product. Exclusive dealing contracts obliged a purchaser or lessee not to deal in products of competitors Vaporware: is software or hardware which is announced by a developer well in advance of release, but which then fails to emerge, either with or without a protracted development cycle. The term implies deception, or at least a negligent degree of optimism; that is, it implies that the announcer knows that product development is in too early a stage to support responsible statements about its completion date, feature set, or even feasibility (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaporware) Section 2 2. The Case Against Microsoft In order to make my case against Microsoft and prove that they are most assuredly in violation of monopoly and anti-trust regulations, I will answer the following questions: 1. Is this a case of monopoly? 2. Is this case a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act? Is this a case of monopoly? When I began considering my approach to this paper, I first thought about situations where I was absolutely sure I had been the â€Å"victim† of a monopoly. In order to do this, I first had to make sure that I fully understood exactly what a monopoly was. The American Heritage ® Dictionary defines a monopoly as â€Å"Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service†. In simpler terms, I have always thought of a monopoly as a big corporation doing its best to â€Å"screw-over† the little guy (A.K.A the customer) by doing its best to make as much money as possible. The first situation that came to mind when I thought of a monopoly was how the Comcast cable company had a virtual strangle-hold on the cable service in my home’s area. Since they had â€Å"exclusive control †¦of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service†, in this case they were the only cable provider in our area, you were forced to settle for Comcast’s service unless you had satellite television or you were willing to settle for the wonderfully fuzzy reception from the antiquated â€Å"rabbit ear† antennas of years past. As a result, we unfortunately had to deal with Comcast’s horrible service and always rising rates. Luckily for us, another competitor came in to the picture when WOW! (Wide Open West Internet-Cable-Phone) set up service in our area. We switched cable providers almost immediately and we couldn’t have been happier. They have provided excellent customer service and their rates are consistently lower  than Comcast’s. As a consumer, we definitely benefited from the increased competition and eventual abolishment of the cable company monopoly in our area. With that out of the way, I was forced to look at whether or not Microsoft had a monopoly in their particular industry. Based on the information in this case, I cannot say that Microsoft has a monopoly on any single entire industry. Do they dominate the majority of endeavors that they choose to participate in? Of course they do. Just look at some of these numbers: As you can see from Table 1, Microsoft dominates the market shares of suite software in the United States. The only problem with these numbers is the fact that they are limited in their time range. In my experience, three years is a long enough time to make an approximate forecast for future happenings, from a financial standpoint. However, that is from a transportation and supply-chain perspective where the main variable happens to be the customer’s shipping fluctuations. In a volatile and constantly evolving market such as software development, these numbers could sway tremendously with the introduction of a new and sought after product or changes in consumer wants and desires. Table 2 shows the financial numbers of Microsoft and three of their competitors: This also tells a lot about Microsoft’s market dominance, but this time from a financial standpoint. Two things that stand out to me in this table are the fact that Microsoft has almost twice as much net revenue than their nearest competitor (Microsoft has 4,649 and Novell has 1,998). The second thing that jumped out to me is the fact that all of the competitors show an increase in net revenue from 1984 to 1994. Based on the growth of Microsoft’s competitors (which there are more than one), I feel confident in saying that Microsoft does not have a monopoly in their industry. They do not meet the standard set forth by the simple definition in the dictionary of â€Å"Exclusive control by one group of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service†. As you can clearly see from the tables, Microsoft  does not have exclusive control of the means of producing or selling a commodity or service. However, Microsoft does in fact hold a monopoly on many other counts, one of which is that Microsoft Windows, the Microsoft OS, is installed on most personal computers that can be purchased from Dell, Hewlett Packard, Compaq, and the like. Because this OS comes pre-installed, we as the consumers do not have much of a choice and there is not much of an alternative for us to go with unless we want to switch to an Apple Macintosh OS. Although Microsoft isn’t a natural monopoly in the classically defined or economic sense that I’ve identified above, it is a natural monopoly in the land of cyberspace. Microsoft is the path of least resistance for government, consumers, and programmers alike. Microsoft may have many faults, but they make a lot of things easier too. Most of us are willing to accept a monopoly such as Microsoft has for increased convenience and usability. Microsoft is a one-product company, no matter how it may sometimes appear. Their success is fundamentally due to the success of Windows. It rose to power with one product, and it resides there because of the success of that product. Unfortunately for us, this is not only the best product on the market, it is the only true alternative for us to use. In my book, regardless of the textbook definition, this constitutes a monopoly by Microsoft. Is this a case a violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act? As I stated in Section 1, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act makes â€Å"illegal any form of contract or combination between entities in regards to trade and commerce that would have the effect of restraining trade†. Based on this case and the readings from week #7, there is proof that Microsoft did violate the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, particularly Sections 1 and 2 of the Act. Section One prohibited contracts, combinations and conspiracies â€Å"in restraint of trade† while Section Two outlawed monopolies and attempts to monopolize. Microsoft violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act by illegally using its market power to restrain trade in the high tech industry. A filing from the DOJ on December 19, 1999 stated that â€Å"Microsoft engaged in illegal conduct in five separate ways: * by tying browser sales to sales of the operating system; * by using its market power to illegally maintain a monopoly; * by attempting to monopolize the browser market; * by imposing exclusive dealing arrangements between itself and Internet service providers and/or developers; and * by imposing first boot-up and screen restrictions on computer makers.† http://news.com.com/2100-1001-233992.html The DOJ filing in December of 1999 shows exactly why Microsoft was in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. Some of the things that Microsoft has done that clearly violate the act include, but are certainly not limited to: Microsoft customers upgrading their copies of Microsoft Office at the Microsoft website, but using the competition’s web browser, are greeted with a message insisting on the use of MSIE for the â€Å"full edition† of the update. On November 18, 1998 the digital greeting card company Blue Mountain Arts discovered that beta versions of Microsoft’s Outlook Express (which comes free with Internet Explorer) were automatically filing Blue Mountain’s e-mail greeting cards into the â€Å"junk† folder rather than the â€Å"inbox.† Shortly afterwards, Blue Mountain Arts discovered that Microsoft’s WebTV service was blocking their e-mail greeting cards as well. When the courts ordered Microsoft to ship Windows without an integrated Internet Explorer, the company â€Å"complied† by offering a non-functional version of the OS, claiming that the browser was now so completely  integrated into Windows to remove it was tantamount to â€Å"breaking† the operating system. -All three of these examples were taken from the following website: http://www.vcnet. com /bms/departments/dirtytricks.shtml To summarize, I’ve identified the following facts: Microsoft does have a monopoly in their industry Microsoft did violate Acts 1 and 2 of the Sherman Anti-trust Act It is convenient for Microsoft to say that their success is solely based on them being able to produce good products. Although they do devote extraordinary resources to improving their technologies, they also work diligently to stifle growth and in-roads from their competition. Section 3 3. The Defense of Microsoft – I am not going to spend a great deal of time attempting to defend Microsoft. They have spent millions and millions of dollars working tirelessly to do it themselves. Furthermore, I firmly believe that they have established a monopoly and that this monopoly serves to futher one parties interests: Microsoft’s. However, I did some research online and came up with the following paragraph from an article titled â€Å"The Microsoft Antitrust Suit† written by Peter Tracey. In it, he wrote â€Å"The persecution of Microsoft is an assault on the free market, and on the intelligence of the American people. It is the result of long-held envy by Microsoft’s competitors, including Netscape and Oracle. It is in violation of the constitution, being both ex post facto and vague (Getman). The governments persecution of Microsoft should be stopped, moreover, the antitrust legislation that has exposed business to unfair and unreasonable practices should be repealed.† (http://www.levelthreesolutions.com/ peter/msantitrust.html) In Microsoft’s opinion, the government should not get involved in determining what means a company uses to produce their products. They feel that they have been able to succeed through hard work, tenancity, and superior products. Although it may be â€Å"unfortunate† for their competitiors, Microsoft feels that â€Å"if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.† In essence, Microsoft makes the most money doing what they do by taking solid ideas from other people, such as the Disc Operating System, and making them better. Microsoft doesn’t monopolize the industry. They simply work harder, take risks, and capitalize where other companies have floundered. Section 4 4. Discussion – Before I discuss this particular case study, I must tell you that I have always been a big fan of Microsoft and Bill Gates. I have enjoyed the relatively cheap cost of Microsoft’s software such as Microsoft Excel and Word. I have also felt that with each successive upgrade of these products I have only been able to improve my performance both at work and school. I also thought it was impressive that Bill Gates could take his ideas, push forward with his undefeatable will, and become one of the richest people in the entire world. However, this case study and the analysis that I’ve done with it has really opened my eyes to the â€Å"seamy† side of Microsoft and Bill Gates. I was so moved by this case that I even went and downloaded one of Microsoft’s few internet browser competitors, Netscape, to compare it’s product with Internet Explorer. When my wife asked me what my paper was I about I told her it was about Microsoft and whether or not they were a monopoly in the industry. Her very quick and wry response said it so perfectly: â€Å"Duh, of course they are. Even I know that.† I think this says it all so succinctly. Do I think Microsoft needs to be disbanded or separated in to two different operating companies? Not really. Like I said before, I enjoy Microsoft’s products and I use them constantly. In fact, I am writing  this paper using one of Microsoft’s products, Microsoft Word. I just honestly think that fair competition and a level playing field for Microsoft’s competitors would only benefit the consumer in the long run. More people with new insights will be given the chance to expand the technology already in place. Too many companies are skittish about taking on Microsoft because of the monopoly and the fear of being annihilated. Finally, I have learned that cases of anti-trust and monopoly are not always as clear cut as one may think. I always thought that Microsoft had a clear monopoly and that there was nothing any of us could ever do to remedy it. I also really didn’t care as long as they continued to improve Windows and the accompanying Office Suite. I can see now that competition in all economic arenas, whether it is cable television or fast-food or computer software, is important, no vital, for lower prices and increased technological growth.