Multicultural Issues in the Workplace

Needs, values, priorities of employees and employers have changed dramatically over the last decade. On all levels of the corporate ladder, men and women are seeking new ways to manage the time they spend working so they can spend more time living. In the boardrooms, executives are seeking ways to attract – and retain – the best employees so they can continue to survive and thrive in a highly competitive global economy. As companies are becoming more and more diverse it is becoming more and more important for companies to understand and manage diversity.The people of different background, races, religion creates diverse workforce. There is an importance of having diverse workforce to provide better performance. There are perspectives of managing the diverse workforce, which require organization leaders and managers of being responsible of attaining better diverse workforce. Diversity means differences, difference of age, sex, race, religion and culture etc. People with different demographic differences working in the organization makes diverse workforce. And it is becoming more important for the organizations to know about these differences and how to manage it.Diversity is also the common issue in the workforce environment, in some companies employees often get discriminated or misunderstood because of the diverse features. So it is important for the companies to manage the diversity workforce to value best performance. As differences have often been associated with discrimination, bias, unfair treatment and conflicts, managing diversity in workforce is an important task for managers today. Managing diversity in the workplace refers to the ways of managers used in ensuring employees in the organizations who come from different group do not suffer discrimination.Management can mobilize the differences and similarities in each and every one of the employees for the benefits of both the individuals and organizations. Ensuring fairness and equality i n a diverse workplace is more than just doing a good deed, it is imperative in today’s fast moving and sophisticated business world. Diversity is increasing everyday in every organization: in America 1 in 4 Americans belongs to a minority or is foreign-born. Women, who currently make up less than half the work force, are expected to fill 65 percent of the jobs created during this decade. Whether you are a business owner, executive, salesperson or customer- service professional, your success will increasingly depend on your ability to function in a culturally diverse marketplace,† (Profiting in America’s Multicultural Marketplace’ Lexington Books). Why should companies concern themselves with diversity? Many managers answered this question with the statement that discrimination is wrong, both legally and morally. But today managers are voicing a second notion as well. A more diverse workforce, they say, will increase organizational effectiveness.It will lif t morale, bring greater access to new segments of the marketplace, and enhance productivity. In short, they claim, diversity will be good for business. Research stated that the Canadian companies leading the way in the area of diversity management have discovered that by embracing the elements of ethnic and cultural diversity in their workforce they have enhanced their ability to understand and tap new markets, both within Canada and abroad. Managing diversity There is no doubt that the American workforce has changed in dramatic ways.Twenty years ago the American workforce was predominantly white and male: in the 70’s, non-Hispanic white males represented about 68% of the workforce while in 2006 represented less than 40% of the workforce. (Ivancevich,p54). One of the reasons white males no longer dominate the workforce is that women have entered the workforce in record numbers. It is estimated that at the end of the decade, more than 60% percent of adult American workforce, o r almost half of the American work force will be female(Ivancevich. 2007).Organizations have to follow the many guidelines to get diversity stick: they have to focus on getting the best talent out of the person regardless of different age, sex and other demographic differences; they have to develop career plans for all employees of the organization including the minorities; they have to promote minorities to responsible positions in the workplace; they have to make managers responsible to obtain diversity goals by managing their employees well. Managers also have to communicate well with all the employees and listen to their problems that are of different background or cultures.Also organizations should build diversity into senior management. Improved understanding of diversity seems to be an obvious need, yet most firms fail to invest time and resources to become â€Å"diversity-friendly. † Even though there is a long way until diversity in the work force will be fully integ rated, there are a few success stories about diversity management that could serve as an example. For example United Airlines experienced an increase in Spanish-speaking travelers when it installed a Spanish-speaking telephone reservation line.Avon Products had significant revenue growth after it hired African American, Hispanic American, and Asian American sales and marketing personnel. Another example that we can use is Pillsbury Company and Kraft General Foods who both recorded access to more of the African American and Hispanic American markets after increasing the number of sales and advertising professionals from these ethnic-racial groups. Lookism Lookism is the ugly prejudice that judges people on their physical beauty instead of their ability.This happens everywhere: in the office, on the street, in the media and in virtually every aspect of our lives. The media fully perpetuates this myth that beauty is more important than anything else, that skinny women are more beautifu l than overweight women, and that beautiful skin, hair and teeth make a person better than the one that is considered plain. If you’re unattractive in face or body, you probably learned early on that you pay a price. In school, you were excluded from the â€Å"in† group. When you wanted to date, few people were interested.On the street, people look not at you but past you. We all know that, after all, looks does matter. And it matters in the workplace too. As we can read in the article â€Å"Your appearance, good or bad, can affect size of your paycheck†, a â€Å"growing body of research supports what many suspect: in the workplace, an employee's physical appearance is a powerful symbol that affects job success. Reading more we discover that , â€Å"Looking good on the job is an intangible asset that can be important, just as sharp technology skills or the ability to be a team player can give certain workers an edge†.We have to admit that there are indus tries that solely judge people by their looks such as the entertainment industry and modeling. In those industries, a person's looks is his/her commodity because the public want to see attractive gods and goddesses, not average-looking people. As a conclusion I can say that even though people are protesting the fact that lookism is deemed as discrimination, there is a slim chance that the concept of judging people based upon looks will change overnight.In order for this to change, we all have to change. We, as people, we need to stop judging by the look. We should judge by the qualities that a person has. Organizational Culture An organization's culture varies as widely as the nature of work itself. Oftentimes a unique different mix of values and norms govern the cultural environment of an organization. In today's fast changing business environment, the cultural make-up of an organizations plays a critical role in the success of the firm to achieve its strategic objectives.Culture i s not an easily defined concept, but generally it is the values, beliefs, and norms expressed in work practices and behavior. An organization's culture is not necessarily an articulated list of values found in an appendix in an annual report. Rather, culture is created by the organization itself. Many corporations have recognized that diversity contributes to the bottom line by making it easier to retain good employees, lowering costs by developing skill in-house and developing a reputation that helps attract new employees.As Swanson states in the article â€Å"Diversity: Creating an Environment of inclusiveness†, â€Å"It has been suggested that one of the keys to integrating diversity is developing the ability to hold multiple perspectives without judgment. A statement easier written than accomplished! Although this is a challenge, there are several strategies that we can use to develop this skill: staying in the present, working to increase our comfort level with ambiguit y, striving to decrease distortion, and choosing actions that support our desired outcomes. †We can see that organizations have created specific recruiting programs that target traditional minority universities and trade schools. They have also tied the recruiting programs into a reporting relationship with the diversity council and other leadership initiatives. In tandem with recruiting programs, retention programs have been formed to address existing employees. Almost all organizations have started diversity programs. As a result high quality minority candidates are being recruited by other companies. This has created a highly competitive market for the very best minority employees.Gender In early societies, women bore children, cared for the home, and helped maintain the family's economic production. Men hunted, made war, and, in settled societies, assumed primary responsibility for field crop production. Women's status is a complex issue and a hard-to-define subject. Aroun d the world, women's status in each society and culture varies in different ways. In some societies, women's status improved gradually, while in other, it declined or remained unchanged. As it is mentioned in the article â€Å"Why Aren’t We There Yet? An Equal Pay Day 2009 Primer on the Wage Gap. , â€Å"Unfair pay is not simply the result of women choosing the wrong college major or career. Women attend similar kinds of colleges as men, outperform men academically, and are more likely to earn a professional license or certificate. Yet women earn less than men even within majors. These wage gaps start upon entering the workforce; just one year after college, female graduates working full time earn only about 80 percent as much as male graduates earn. Ten years after graduation, women fall farther behind, earning only 69 percent as much as men earn.And college educated women still earn less than their male peers when controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other f actors normally associated with pay. † However, women have made positively progress towards equality and their role in the society has been changed dramatically since the last century. The number of working women with children has more than doubled in the past 50 years. As my own opinion, I can say that even with all the changes that happen around the world regarding women’s place in the workforce, the stereotypical role of housewife is still present.Even when women break out from this role, they still not had given an equal opportunity. Men tend to hold administrative positions, while women usually have the positions that support the administrator. Religion The business world has gone global, and our diverse workplace could be the key to connecting with potential customers here and abroad. In my opinion, encouraging dialog and sharing of religious and cultural norms in the working place, not only will help decrease misunderstanding and misinformation among the employee s, but interaction with clients and vendors from other cultures and religions will become second nature.Knowing when (or when not to) shake hands, share a meal, or offer a glass of wine can give your company a good advantage in today’s global market. Based on this problem, a paragraph from the article â€Å"Religious groups and employers try a new approach to faith at work. † got my attention: â€Å"The idea of addressing religion in the secular business world often causes even seasoned human resources executives to pause and see how it complements their people-management strategies.At Texas Instruments, worldwide diversity director Terry Howard remembers his reaction when approached by 10 Christian employees about forming a company-sanctioned religious group. â€Å"The questions that I raised were: What does this mean to TI? How would recognizing you as a group help TI meet its business objectives and targets? How is it going to make TI serve customers better? How i s it going to make TI a good place to work for everyone and be inclusive? † he says.They made it quite clear that they saw themselves as being in the position to help us recruit and retain people of faith-based backgrounds. † In my opinion, having companies that respect employees religious background (allowing employees to take days off based on their religious beliefs), can attract top candidates for the company. In my opinion, each feels honored and respected and it is a win-win for the company and for the employee as well. By showing employees that you respect their beliefs and customs, you will be building a strong relation and in the same time creates employee loyalty.

Analysis of Obama’s Victory Speech

The presidential victory speech delivered by Barack Obama who is the president to be was held on November 4, 2008, in Grant Park, Chicago. It is about his won election for the office as the president. I will take a closer look on how Obama emphasizes his speech with stylistic devices. The speech is divided into four parts. The first part is from ll. 1-26, the second from ll. 27- 70, the third from ll. 71-9 and the last from ll. 95-105. In the first part of the speech Obama uses many stylistic devices. He makes repetitions (â€Å"three hours, four hours†, l. 0), (â€Å"Blue States†, l. 20, â€Å"United States†, l. 21) to underline his ideas and to emphasize that people waited long to have the chance to vote even for the first time (ll. 7-13) and that the USA is one state (ll. 18-21). He also uses a metaphor (â€Å"arc of history†, l. 25) to evoke the picture of a unity that hopes together and that believes as one in the American Dream. Obama also refers to the American Dream in the first lines where he wants the audience to think about it and he wants the listeners to ask themselves if they believe in it.He tries to get the attention by addressing the audience (â€Å"If there is anyone out there†¦ †, l. 1). In addition to that he makes many anaphoras (â€Å"who still†, ll. 1,3,4) to underline the importance of the American Dream to the Nation. With an enumeration (ll. 14-17) he shows that everyone not only the rich but also the poor have something to say and have a choice. In the middle section of the speech Obama uses personifications (â€Å"†¦ the enormity of the task that lies ahead. †, l. 40) to point out the importance of the things that have to be done.With an enumeration (â€Å"l. 45) he involves the audience to show them which work they have to expect. Another point is that he uses repetitions (â€Å"I will† , ll. 51, 52, 53) and (â€Å"There†, l. 50) to make the listeners understa nd that he will be there for everyone and that he will never leave them with no hope. With a metaphor (â€Å"†¦ if Americas beacon still burns as bright-†¦ †, l. 67) he tries to give the people hope that America will always be the same strong Nation as it was.The third part starts with an example of a women (ll. 3-79) with which Obama wants the listeners identify with him and wants to show that he is just a human being as everyone else. After the example fallows an enumeration (ll. 80- 82) which emphasizes the strengths with which the women stands for her country because there were many things which she had seen but it is an example which says that she never lost her faith and that everyone else should act like her. The repetition (â€Å"New†, l. 86) shows that Obama wants to create something new and wants the audience to feel so, too.He arouses the audience`s emotions in giving the anaphora â€Å"Yes we can† (ll. 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 94, 104) which he uses very often to stabilize the feeling of triumph in the listeners and to make them want to feel supported that they want to and can change something. With another enumerations (ll. 91-92) Obama wants to tell everyone what happened in the world which was from importance and that this little thing a women did (â€Å" And in this year, in this election, she touched her finger on a screen, and cast her vote,†¦ †, ll. 92. 3) is as important as moving events in the world`s history.The last part is emphasized by Obama because he gives rhetorical questions (â€Å"†¦, what change will they see? †, l. 97, â€Å"What progress will we have made? †, ll. 97-98) that should make the people think about what they did, what they changed and what they will change. In the last sentences Obama uses many anaphoras (â€Å" This is our†, l. 99), and repetitions (â€Å"to†, ll. 99, 100, 101, â€Å"we†, l. 102) to give the importance of his last words an d to make the readers listen to what he has to say what is important.He tries to wake the readers up and wants to give the message of of his speech across. That nobody has to be afraid to loose because if he tries he can win. In the last sentence he thanks the audience in the way if saying that God watches everyone. To say this he uses another repetition (â€Å"God†, l. 105) to make the audience clear that he really wants the best for everyone. To conclude Obama wants to make his speech understood and he wants to get his message across by using many stylistic devices and examples where he always refers to the American Dream.

Analysis of the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Essay

Lady Macbeth is a complex and intriguing character – she presents various elements in her character, often surprising us with sudden turns of personality. This reflects with Macbeth and her, causing various changes in their relationship – drawing them both closer together, and pushing them away from one another. When we first meet Lady Macbeth in Act One, Scene 5, she is reading Macbeths letter. This is the letter that openly tells word for word what happened and what the witches told Macbeth. He obviously had no hesitation in being so open with his wife, which is notable. Straight away, Lady Macbeth takes from the letter her own interpretation, saying that she knows that Macbeth must now kill Duncan so that he can be King as the witches have said, but she also analyses his nature from the letter, fearing that he will be too good natured to carry it out. This suggests that she knows at this point that she is going to have to persuade him. As the scene progresses, an Attendant comes in and tells Lady Macbeth that the King is on his way to the castle to stay with them. Once he leaves, Lady Macbeth is speaking as if she is ultimately sure that this murder will go ahead. But she is fully aware that it is going to be emotionally very difficult to go through with, and she calls upon evil spirits to assist her murderous plans. â€Å"Come, you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here And fill me from crown to the toe top full Of direst cruelty;† She does not want to have any human emotion within her, as she knows that that will cause her to possibly back down and not go through with her plans, so she begs that she lose her inner feelings of conscience; â€Å"Stop th’access and passage to remorse That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose nor keep peace between Th’effect of it.† At this point Macbeth enters she greets him with notions of future greatness, almost as if she is already beginning to tempt him with her ideas of murdering Duncan. She urges him to keep a welcoming look on his face when the others arrive, so as not to give away their deadly intentions. At the end of the scene Lady Macbeth gives him words of comfort by telling him not to worry, she will take care of things. Even that small gesture goes to show how controlling she likes to be, especially of this situation. The next scene that Lady Macbeth appears in is Act 1, Scene 6, where she has a brief appearance. She comes in simply to welcome Duncan with elaborate courtesy, almost over the top in her greeting. She is obviously making every effort to lull Duncan into a false sense of security. She also makes notable reference to the loyalty, obedience, and their gratefulness for his past honours to Macbeth and herself. This is a perfect example of the sort of open lying and falsehood that seems to come easy to Lady Macbeth. She has no trouble with coming out with any sort of lies so that her plans may run smoothly. This is evident of her character throughout the play. The next scene Lady Macbeth is in, Act 1, scene 7, is when she comes in straight after a monologue from Macbeth where he is struggling with his conscience. Now he has been left to his own thoughts for a while, he has began to think back to all the times that Duncan has helped and honoured him, and is quickly coming up with more and more reasons against going ahead with the murder. Once Lady Macbeth enters, Macbeth tells her that he is now not going to go through with it and Lady Macbeth reacts very negatively. She immediately accuses him of not loving her, claiming that if he did then he would go through with it. â€Å"From this time Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard To be the same in thine own act and valour, As thou Art in desire ? This is blatant emotional blackmail, but when Macbeth doesn’t back down, she quickly gets more and more harsh with her words. She borders on over dramatic, while maintaining every sense of meaning what she says, (which in itself is debatable). She says that Macbeth is no man if he is to break such a promise. This reference of not being manly is also used later, by Macbeth himself, when he accuses the two murderers of not being real men, but dogs. â€Å"What beast was’t then That made you break this enterprise to me ? When you durst do it, then you were a man. And to be more than what you were, you would- Be so much more the man.† She then speaks the worst reference of all-she tells Macbeth that she would rather brutally kill her own child than to break such a promise. â€Å"I have given suck and know, How tender ’tis to love a babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn As you have done to this.† All of her words are pure shock tactics, attempting to make Macbeth feel awful for even thinking of disagreeing with her. And, just as she wants, he breaks and agrees to carry on with their plot. She reassures him that it will all go smoothly, and she will drug the guards, so that they can later be blamed for the deed. Again, she is reassuring Macbeth, and he is taking in everything she tells him. This is commonplace in their relationship, with what we have seen of the couple so far. The next scene our Lady appears in is Act 2, scene 2. Lady Macbeth has drugged the bodyguards as she stated she would, and is waiting on Macbeths return from killing Duncan. She is exhilarated with excitement but fears that the murder has not been gone through with. However soon after the scene begins, Macbeth returns, bloody daggers in hand. He tells her that he has in fact killed Duncan, but is distraught. He is obsessed by his inability to say ‘Amen’ after his cruel deed had been done. He is also transfixed by a voice that he had heard, crying that he has murdered sleep and would never sleep again. â€Å"Still it cried, ‘Sleep no more’ to all the house; ‘Glamis hath murdered sleep’, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more.† Lady Macbeth in her usual non-sympathising way dismisses his hallucinations and orders him to put the daggers back by the guards. â€Å"†Who was it, thus cried? Why, worthy thane, You do unbend your noble strength to think So brain-sickly of things. Go and get some water And wash this filthy witness from your hand. Why did you bring these daggers from your place? They must lie there. Go carry them and smear The sleepy grooms with Blood. Macbeth, changing his usual role in the relationship, refuses! â€Å"Ill go no more I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on’t again, I dare not. Lady Macbeth seems a little taken aback, but bossily takes the daggers to put them back herself. She leaves Macbeth to his own thoughts. A knocking sound frightens the already very fragile-minded Macbeth, and on Lady Macbeth’s almost immediate return, she tells him to pull himself together, and smoothly plans an alibi. This scene is another clear cut example of Lady Macbeths dominant role in her and her husbands relationship. It seems Macbeth’s strength in life is found within Lady Macbeth. And Lady Macbeth herself feeds on this. So this situation is a fantastic opportunity for each of the two to show how they in their own way depend on one another. The next scene Lady Macbeth appears in, is at a climax point when Duncan is found dead. When Lady Macbeth enters, she is told of the news, and she, smooth as silk, acts suitably shocked at the ‘news’. This would have been substantial enough, but then when Macbeth re-enters to tell them all that he has killed the two guards, Lady Macbeth attempts to take the attention from him, by fainting. Of course, this as planned takes eyes away from Macbeth, and the moment is broken. Some might say however, that at this point Lady Macbeth is acting of rather high suspicion from being so overly-dramatic. But we have to assume that they are already so distraught about Duncan, and still so wrapped up in all of the goings on, that they miss this-which of course suits Lady Macbeth down to the ground! 2 scenes later, when Lady Macbeth next appears, Act 3, scene 1, she is now heralded as Queen. She only has presence there for 3 short lines, but essentially helps Macbeth to invite Banquo to that evenings banquet, and again is almost overly welcoming, which might, looked at in other eyes, look again rather suspicious. The next scene that Lady Macbeth appears in is Act 3, Scene 2. The scenes between her appearance and this one, show Macbeth hiring murderers to kill Banquo. This is a massive pivotal step for Macbeth, as he is clearly taking matters into his own hands rather than relying upon his Lady. He is however still very wound up about the murder and what has gone on. This reflects into Lady Macbeth, as in this scene she is shown to be rather troubled at this point, because Macbeth is still utterly distraught at what has gone on. She advises him not to brood at what has gone on, but this makes little difference. This may be because he is simply too upset to notice her help, but may also be because he is ceasing to listen to her so much. Macbeth then goes on to talk about how he even envies the peace that Duncan has now that he is dead! It was certainly not part of Lady Macbeth’s plan for Macbeth to get so upset, and I don’t think she’s quite sure how to handle it! Then however, Macbeth turns his attentions to telling his wife to pay special attentions to Banquo that night at the banquet. He hints darkly to her of dark deeds going ahead that night. This is almost teasing her with information-he knows that she thrives on being the one in control and is almost lavish with his words. At this, Lady Macbeth says nothing, but we can but imagine how she would be feeling to have the notion that Macbeth is doing things without her guidance or leadership. The next scene she is in is Act 3 Scene 4. Banquo has now been killed by Macbeths hired murderers. This scene is the all important banquet scene. It is a banquet held by Macbeth and his Lady, to welcome all of the lords under him, and essentially to try and impress them so that they will support him. Therefore it is undoubtedly very important for everything to go well. The very beginning of the scene shows Macbeth welcoming them all, and inviting them to sit down. The murderers then enter to inform him of Banquo’s death, and Fleance’s escape. Macbeth is distressed at the news of Fleance’s escape, but soon consoles himself that Fleance is too young to do any harm. Then, Banquo’s ghost appears, and sits in Macbeths seat. Lennox urges him to sit down with them, but Macbeth denies that there is space for him to sit down. A small discussion takes place in which they are all urging Macbeth to sit down, and Macbeth continues to deny there is space! He then becomes increasingly upset, and accuses the Lords of putting Banquo’s ghost there. Sensing that there will be trouble, Lady Macbeth intervenes and tries to calm the situation, and the confused Lords, by telling them that Macbeth is having a momentary lapse, and not to encourage him as it will upset him further; â€Å"Sit, worthy friends. My lord is often thus, And hath been from his youth. Pray you, keep seat. The fit is momentary; upon a thought He will again be well. If much you note him You shall offend him and extend his passion. Feed, and regard him not.† She then turns to Macbeth and uses a past used expression of, â€Å"Are you a man?!† He answers that he is, and much alike to her character, dismisses him just as she has done so often before when Macbeth shows weakness. Macbeth tells her to look at the ghost, as he is seeing already, and then tries to ‘talk’ to the ghost! This shows how certain he is that Banquo’s ghost is there. The Ghost then leaves the room, and while still maintaining that he saw Banquo’s ghost, Macbeth broods for a short time on how the dead return. He then seems to settle himself, and apologises to his guests before proposing a toast of general good health to them all, and to Banquo. At this point, the situation seems to have been salvaged but then the Ghost re-enters and once again and Macbeth explodes into violent language, through obvious sheer fear. Lady Macbeth attempts to reassure the guests in between his outbursts. â€Å"Think of this, good peers, But as a thing of custom. ‘Tis no other, Only it spoils the pleasure of the time.† But as Macbeth rants on, terrified, she realises she is losing control of the situation, and makes a last bid of control by ordering the Lords to leave. â€Å"I pray you speak not; he grows worse and worse. Question enrages him. At once, good night. Stand not upon the order of your going, But go at once.† The Lords leave, while Macbeth broods on murder, and the general unnaturalness. Lady Macbeth does little to stop him, which suggests that she is finally at a loss of what to do. It is evident that she has lost control of him at this point. Macbeth vows that he will go and see the witches and will go by anything they tell him from now onwards. This may seem simple to Macbeth, but must be difficult for Lady Macbeth, as this is yet another blatant turn away from her control and guidance. She tells him to go to bed, not even commenting on his choice to go to the witches instead of her. After this scene, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do not appear in any more scenes together. Macbeth most definitely continues to take the lead in the relationship, which is a complete and utter turn around from what we were seeing at the beginning of the play. Macbeths and his Lady’s relationship was based almost entirely on the fact that he depended on her completely, trusting her with everything. She in turn depended on him, as her role in their relationship purely was to guide and dominate Macbeth. This had worked perfectly fine until the point when they killed Duncan. This was a pivotal point in the play, because after Macbeth had gone through with the murder he, through his own decision and means, went and killed the guards. This was not part of Lady Macbeths structured plan, and this was his first break away from her regulation. From that point, Macbeth rapidly began to break away from Lady Macbeths domineering side, and started doing things for himself, notably when he arranged for Fleance and Banquo to be killed. As the play progresses it was evident that Macbeth was speedily becoming a much stronger, more brutal, and perhaps most significantly, self dependant. And as a direct result, Lady Macbeth faded out in her dominance and general persona. The next scene that Lady Macbeth appears in is much later in the play, which is Act 5, scene 1. She hasn’t even been mentioned during this time, let alone by Macbeth. The scene begins with a waiting-gentlewoman and a doctor. The Gentlewoman is telling the Doctor that she is concerned, as Lady Macbeth has been frequently been sleepwalking. He asks her what she has been saying all the while she has been sleepwalking, and she refuses to tell him. However at that point Lady Macbeth herself enters, sleepwalking, and he finds out for himself. She is seemingly rubbing her hands, which the Doctor enquires about. Then, Lady Macbeth speaks; â€Å"Yet here’ a spot† So the two onlookers listen to her words. â€Å"Out damned spot! Out, I say! One. Two. Why then ’tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard ? What need we fear ? Who knows it, when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have so much blood in him?† And then; â€Å"The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now ? What will these ne’er be clean? No more o’that, my lord, no more’that. You mar all this starting.† The Doctor and Gentlewoman at this point comment that they know that she has spoken of what she has not. She has basically just told them that she knows and was involved in murder. And still, she continues; â€Å"Here’s the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O.† The doctor and gentlewoman are somewhat shocked at her words and state that her heart is heavily burdened. The Doctor says that, â€Å"This disease is beyond my practise†, meaning that he cannot heal her saddened heart. And then Lady Macbeth speaks again; â€Å"Wash your hands, out on your nightgown, look not so pale. I tell you yet again, Banquo’s buried; he cannot come out on’s grave.† And then; â€Å"To bed, to bed; theres a knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come, give me your hand; what’s done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed.† And then she leaves. Her last few words are the words she told Macbeth when he was so unsure of himself and was upset at what they had done. When she repeats them at this point, it is almost as if she is reassuring herself as she speaks, rather than just going over it, which is interesting. It is obvious that now that it has finally hit Lady Macbeth the extent of what has been happening. It has finally occurred to her also, how much she has lost control. And this is literally killing her. The Doctor and Gentlewoman do not want to comment on what they have heard, for fear of what has been said. The scene ends with the Doctor being bid goodnight by the gentlewoman, as he goes to find Macbeth and tell him of his diagnosis. When Macbeth, 2 scenes later, is told that Lady Macbeth is irreparably unwell, he simply dismisses medicine and even suggestively dismisses the Doctor himself, while asking for his armour. He is only now thinking of himself. That is clear. He has no feelings of care or love for his once doted upon wife and instead can only think of himself and what is going on around him in regards to the attack. In Act5, scene 5, Macbeth is told of Lady Macbeth’s inevitable death. If at any point much earlier in their relationship Macbeth had been given such news, he would undoubtedly have been distraught. It would have been of great loss to him. But here, not so. Instead, he selfishly twists the news into some sort of extra ‘problem’ or ‘hassle’ to him. He sees it as another bad thing that has happened in his life. He shows no sadness, and instead is filled with feelings of resentment that it should just be yet another downfall in his life. This shows just how bad their relationship has got. It has got to the point where Macbeth is literally only looking out for one person, and one person only- himself. He has no further need for a wife, and so feels no grief at her death, and instead reflects on life’s futility; â€Å"Out, out, brief candle, Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury. Signifying nothing.† As we have followed Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship, various changes have occurred, which in turn have all ricocheted down the line towards Lady Macbeths death, and then eventually Macbeths own death. Macbeth took first steps towards less dependence when he went and killed the guards. This was not an apparent part of Lady Macbeths plan, and this unsettled her. But still she took charge of the situation by fainting, to draw away attention from his unintended actions. Then, he took further steps by arranging Banquo and Fleance to be murdered, and then Macduff’s family. Most importantly in it all, Macbeth did not tell Lady Macbeth of his actions. Instead he teased her with the notion of his plots and plans, leaving her ponder. He most probably enjoyed this mockery of his wife, as it was a large statement in their relationship, which once had been based on his dependence. He continues after all this to keep breaking away from her. He stops telling her his thoughts and plans entirely, and in accordance to this, Lady Macbeth loses her somewhat vital status, which is essentially what she thrived on, and how was the only way to keep their relationship going in the only way she knew how. So inexorably she gets to a point when she is only left to her own thoughts which she has in the past shied away from through putting all her efforts into her husband and his welfare. Off-stage, she dies, although it is never made clear how. We are left to assume that as foreseen by the doctor she died in her bed of such a burdened heart. Alternatively she may have taken her own life, or â€Å"fallen on roman daggers†, as it described as earlier in the play. As described earlier Macbeth takes this to his own heart as another ‘fault’ in his own life, and shortly after this point is justifiably murdered himself, by Macduff, whose family Macbeth earlier killed. Earlier in the play, Lady Macbeth sums up the futility of their actions and almost a premonition of what lay ahead was summed up when she said; â€Å"Nought’s had, all’s spent Where our desire is got without content. ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.†

IT Failures in History and How They Could Have Been Avoided Research Paper

IT Failures in History and How They Could Have Been Avoided - Research Paper Example Why did the companies never focus on advertising as they would have? While researching this topic, I realized that some of the products were not globally recognized. Why were the products not globally known to consumers all around the world? May be the communication was not good enough. The most important question that prevails in my mind is that why the communication networks were not used as extensively as they would have to market the high-tech products? (Flyvbjerg, 2011). From this situation of products of IT falling in the market, we can derive that there was a lack of communications all across the globe. Particularly, there is a desperate need for efficient teamwork which makes sure that the whole organization thinks the same way. Famous leaders, such as Cameron have comprehended that a mutual structure for a strong hand by the government will ensure enhanced communications. The communications process should be well recognized and well integrated all across the organization (So urcing Shangri-La, 2011). The worldwide language of end-to-end business procedure has to be holistic particularly. The whole communication process has to be well integrated within the organization so that it spends enough on advertising and promotion to let people know of the company’s products. The combination of risks, analysis, compliance, quality, and document has to well integrate in the firm. Different stakeholder groups have to be treated differently by the management of the firm to support IT processes with the businesses. Also, bolster the people through continuous improvement of the organization (Sourcing Shangri-La, 2011). These problems, issues and questions have been answered by prestigious leaders in the field of Information Technology. As described earlier, an integrated system of communications has to be used by the company. Obviously, this is not an easy task practically. Theoretically, it seems like it is clear and neat but realistically, it is not. Complete execution of communications also goes through confrontation which is beyond the normal pace of work (The TIME Magazine). It is difficult to shift the whole culture of information technology communications to welcome simplicity and new levels of accountability and visibility in the organization. But, there is an even greater reason for just adhering to things and viewing change as hazardous. It is because management wants to keep a level of control and certainty to itself which is prevalent in the cases of bigger projects. The project control cannot be lost and so all activities need to be coordinated within the organization for a much wide viewpoint. This is the prime way that huge IT failures can be avoided or eschewed and millions of dollars could be saved (The TIME Magazine). Approximately ninety percent of all SMEs close down almost two years after losing data that could never get recovered. According to the Manager Director at City Lifeline, Roger Keenan, SME’s are the ones most susceptible to data losses as six hours of downtime makes pay for a working day. It is important for SMEs to save files not only on hard drives but also on secure and protected locations which are off the site. Also, collocation data centers assist in these disasters when all the information is gone by safeguarding the servers and equipments which are

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Strategic Marketing Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Strategic Marketing Plan - Term Paper Example Budget is tight for the first year and as such, management shall be more than careful in its decision making for the business. Employees shall carefully be chosen and the owner shall make sure that each personnel are oriented towards achieving its corporate goal which is to start gaining profit by the end of the first year. Competition would be very stiff with the presence of various coffee shops that have already established their presence in various parts of Dubai and the rest of the United Arab Emirates. Aviano Coffee is also confident in being able to make gains through its Internet channel. Its Marketing efforts shall be intensified to ensure that the corporate message is brought across the target market. To cap this off, Aviano Coffee Shop wants to achieve two things with the business: to share excellent coffee experience through its quality products and to gain profits to ensure presence in the market for a long period of time. II. BACKGROUND Coffee remains to be one of the mo st preferred beverages anywhere in the world. In the US, it is estimated that 50% of the total population or approximately 150 Million Americans drink coffee in any form, be it espresso, cappuccino, latte or cold coffee. Moreover, among these coffee aficionados, the average consumption is 3.1 cups per day (Coffee Business Statistics Report 2010). As such, it is expected that more and more Coffee shops open and thrive serving the tastes of these coffee lovers. Despite the presence of numerous Coffee shops in the country, there is yet room for more entrepreneurs who want to serve the needs of the Coffee lovers. While some may opt to go traditional, others diversify to create concept shops that do not only serve ordinary coffee, but also the fast growing industry of specialty coffee. It is with these premises that the author proposes to bring into local franchise the Colorado based brand Aviano Coffee. Aviano Coffee is popularly known in Colorado, with its market reach extending to oth er cities in Denver. Its product line highlights Latte Art, where baristas manually extract espresso. The key to competition is the manner by which specialty coffee drink is done, focusing on aesthetics of the coffee products and the ambience within the coffee shop, which focuses on the 18th and 19th century. Management wants to bring its clients into the specialty coffee experience capturing olden moments through appropriate interior design and shop structure. The thrust is to bring into the shop people who intend to have a good coffee experience (Aviano Coffee 2011). Bringing the concept store in Dubai will prove to be a challenging but exciting experience for the owners. Promoting the business within a unique culture, there will be little tweaks into the concept to ensure that the target market will feel most welcome when entering the concept store. This business plan discusses the strategies by which the concept is introduced to the target market in Dubai, and hopefully to other cities in the United Arab Emirates. III. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS The United Arab Emirates is considered to be one of the most liberal Middle East Countries in the world, according to the State of World Liberty Index It is also considered to be the 5th highest in the whole world basing on GDP per capita, and is the fastest growing economy globally (Top 5 Most Liberal Muslim Countries 2011). The presence of bars, clubs, movie theatres and commercial

Department of Maritime and Logistics Management Essay

Department of Maritime and Logistics Management - Essay Example The industry has become saturated due to several negative external environmental impacts. Therefore, it is important for the new comers to understand the appropriate demand for the air service before developing a new business. Discussion This part of the essay will determine the key factors that need to understand before deciding the demand for a new airline business. Moreover, the study will identify the implications for the operation of an airline regarding the mixed passenger and freight model. Answer 1 It is important for a newly developed organization to do a market survey to understand several business factors. Knowledge about market competition will help the organization to develop an effective business plan. Moreover, the organization needs to review effective internal resources and capability of the organization. Defining Idea, gathering information about market competition, effective resources, customer demand and feasibility assessment will help the organization to move fo rward. Global airline industry has become highly saturated due to intense competition and several political and economical challenges. Recent financial crisis and global economic recession affected the global economic environment. Low purchasing power, limited disposable income of people and negative economic growth rate are the major consequences of this economic slowdown. People are trying to save more rather than consuming products and services due to this economic distress. Therefore, it is important for the organization to utilize the resources in such a way that can reduce the business operation cost. Effective operation cost reduction can help the organization to implement competitive pricing strategy. Effective competitive pricing strategy will help the organization to achieve potential competitive advantages. Airline industry is considered as the service industry. People always expect better service against their air ticket fare. Now-a-day, the global airlines are trying to implement CRM strategies in order to satisfy the needs of customer. Slowly and gradually, effective customer relationship management will help the organization to develop a potential target customer base (Winsveen, 2012, p.13). Therefore, the major objective of the organization would be providing effective in-flight customer service against low competitive ticket price. Employees are considered as the strongest asset in a service providing organization. Skilled and trained pilots, flight attainders and air hostesses are considered as the major competitive strength of an airline organization. Effective organizational and work place culture need to be adopted by the organization to develop an effective workforce. The organization should focus on employment benefits of the employees in order to increase the motivation level of the employees (Bowhill, 2008, p.333). Highly motivated employees will try to perform more effectively. Low turn around time and high frequency of flights increa se the core competency of the airlines. The organization needs to provide effective training and development programme to increase the skills of the employees. Effective turnaround time management will enhance effective customer relationship management. Therefore, the organization needs to treat their employees and vendors as their own family members. Then only they can achieve effective competiti

Safeway's 10k Form Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Safeway's 10k Form Analysis - Research Paper Example The company’s forward looking financial statements and its commitment to quality while expanding perishable offerings influenced my choice. Safeway’s operates in a highly competitive industry where competitors struggle to increase their market control and share. Its strategies of providing products that are tailored to ensure local preferences make it survive the diverse cultures and tastes in the different market segment. The operating strategy of providing value to its customers through stocking high quality products and maintaining high store standards together with the competitive prices makes it preferred by the shoppers (Safeway Inc. Annual Report 2011, n.d, p.43). Besides, it provides a one stop shopping for busy customers. Competitors include supercenters and club stores, specialty supermarkets, dollar store, drug stores and restaurants. The environmental legislation has also not had adverse effect on the financial results and is not expected to do so because of the company compliance to state and federal laws. Labor relations pose a threat to the company because most of the employees are unionized and work stoppages and disputes could affect their results (Safeway Inc. Annual Report 2011, n.d, p.14). Moreover, the failure of Safeway’s to achieve cost reductions could further adversely impair the company financial performance. this forces the company to consider altering their product mix to mitigate financial problems. Negative publicity on food safety, quality, and health concern poses a threat of loss of customers and could disrupt production. Moreover, the current economic condition in US and Canada with regard to the uncertain unemployment rate, fluctuating energy prices and demand of discounted products could further affect Safeway’s financials. Other environmental factors that pose a risk include changing regulation, increased amounts of debt, pending litigations and Information technology risk affects their performanc e. Question 2 2a) Deloitte $ Touche LLP audited the consolidated financial statement of Safeway’s and the internal controls over the financial reporting (Safeway Inc. Annual Report 2011, n.d, p.34). It issued an unqualified report on the financial statement and on the effectiveness of the internal control. According to the report, Safeway has prepared their financial statements in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles accepted in the United States and the integrated framework issued by the committee of sponsoring organizations of the tread way commission. 2b) Management analysis and discussion of the financial statement reveals a declining consumer spending because of the current economic conditions. Consumers are said to change their product mix or shop in discounted groceries to cut down on their expenditure. On the side of income, Safeway is reported to have a net income of $516.7 million in 2011 compared to $589.8 million in 2010 signifying a loss o f $1097.5 million (Safeway Inc. Annual Report 2011, n.d, p.22). MD & A further reveals how the economic environment impacted adversely on Safeway’s division (Safeway Inc. Annual Report 2011, n.d, p.22). The sales in 2011 increased by $43.6 billion while fuel sales increased by $1408.7 million because of the average price increase of fuel per gallon. Besides, the exchange rate fluctuation of Canadian dollar resulted in increase in sales increase by $ 240 million. The number of transactions alos inceresed in 2011 desites the slight

Corporate governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Corporate governance - Essay Example 12). This paper seeks to compare and contrast the theoretical framework of corporate governance, and explain how agency theory can be used to explain corporate governance arrangements in modern companies. The agency theory emanates from the separation of control from ownership such that professional managers manage the firm on behalf of the original owners. The theory draws strength in the rise of conflicts when the owner of a firm perceives that professional managers do not follow the best interests of the owners (Wong and Mwanzia, 2011, p., 2011, p. 16). The theory focuses on analyzing and resolving relationship between owners and shareholders of a firm and the agents or top management, this is based on the basic assumption that the role of a firm is to maximize the wealth and investment of its owners and shareholders. The agency theory works based on a form operating with limited information and uncertainty in its operations. As a result, the firm remains exposed to possibilities of agency issues such as adverse selection and moral hazard. Adverse selection in this case occurs when principals fail to determine, with certainty, whether an agent accurately portrays his or her ability to execute the duties with which they are charged. On the other hand, moral hazard refers to a condition under which a principal cannot ascertain the probability of an agent putting or giving their best towards the wellbeing of a firm (Wong and Mwanzia, 2011, p. 16). The theory also purports that availing superior information on a firm to professional managers gives an edge to agents over the owners. This is because the top managers of a firm may bear more interest in individual welfare than that of the firm or its shareholders and owners. This way, managers fail to act maximally towards the returns of a firm unless proper governance structures are out in place as a means to safeguard the interest of shareholders (Wong and Mwanzia, 2011, p. 16). As a result, the agency theory call s for curtailing the potential of managers to behave in ways that contradict the best interests of shareholders and owners of any given firm. In addition, the theory brings to light the strength of top management in having the stock of a firm held in a wide manner by many shareholders, and the composition of the board of directors being that of people with little knowledge on the firm. According to this theory, the management should be in a position to own stocks of the firm they manage in order to create a positive relationship between corporate governance and the amount of stock owned by the top management (Wong and Mwanzia, 2011, p. 16). This way, the agency managing the form can put the interests of the firm ahead of their own, and the conflict between ownership and agency can end. Thus, because of having a substantial amount of stock in their name, top management becomes more willing to take responsibility for the decisions it makes concerning the firm. In addition of concern, is the issue of generating rules and incentives

Group Minds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Group Minds - Essay Example However, the fact of life is that all individuals live their life in a group. There are very few people who appreciate to live a solitary life as numerous cannot stand solitude for long. Majority of the people are group animals, even if they fail to recognize it and this is what creates problem i.e. the failure to understand the social law that governs the group and thus that governs us. It is undeniable that the ideas and opinion of an individual belonging to a certain group is influenced by the opinion of that group. It is a tough task to maintain individuality against group opinion. Psychologist and sociologists have carried out various experiments to exhibit that usually the individuals are influenced by the opinion of the group and give up their opinion because the opinion of the majority in-group does not agree with them. People who have experienced this scenario agree that it is a shameful memory of theirs that they gave up their opinion under the influence of the group. It is important to realize this and various other mechanisms of human behavior so that in future we just do not limit our self to collection of information about ourselves but use it to improve our life and situation and free people from blind loyalties and obedience (Lessing,

Effects of Homosexuals in Schools Essay Example for Free

Effects of Homosexuals in Schools Essay In the 19th century, a German psychologist coined the term â€Å"homosexuality†. Basically, homosexuality is often a sexual attraction that is primarily towards the members of the same sex (Pickett, 2006). Oftentimes, homosexual equates to being gay and/or lesbian. There are varying points of view regarding homosexuals and homosexuality. Many religious groups believe that there no one born as a homosexual. However, there are plenty of scientists, particularly psychologists who believe that a person is born this way. Religiously speaking, there are no supporting texts in the Bible that there are homosexuals. Only two genders are made: man and woman. Oftentimes, the greater portion of the homosexual community believe that they were â€Å"born gay† (Worthen, 2004). This belief and perspective oftentimes give them comfort and a sort-of justification for their â€Å"state†. Also, this very same ideology relieves them of any responsibility to change. Nevertheless, there is no firm scientific proof until today that affirm that some people are born homosexual. Genetically speaking, they are just either male or female (Worthen, 2004). Since there are no born homosexuals, many psychologists believe that homosexuality is a learned behavior. There are many factors or reasons why a person becomes homosexual. Primarily, most of these factors involve family. These include a disturbed family life in the early years (of the individual), absence of/in love on the part of either parent or a failure to identify with the same-sex parent. Later, the consequences of these reasons manifest in the individual in varying forms—and one of them is through confusion of their identity that oftentimes lead to homosexuality. But one thing is for sure—that homosexuality has many roots (excluding family). Along with the other factors that cause homosexuality, we must not also take for granted the individual. The individual’s choices also play a key part in transforming and shaping his (homosexual) identity. Majority of causes of being homosexual is rooted with family reasons. In such cases this immensely affects the behavior of the individual particularly in school. Majority of homosexuals that go to school instantly faces the burden of â€Å"coming out†. This is one of the hardest challenges that an individual must face. Since most of homosexuals that go to school are having identity crisis and fear of rejection from their peers (if ever they decided to come out), they have a very high tendency to have unusual behavior from â€Å"straight people†. Most of the time, (with the assumption that the individuals are mostly teenagers since they still go to school) these people is in high risk of suicide, substance abuse, the feeling of isolation and more importantly, school problems. Consequently, because of this kind of behavior, they (and it) inevitably affect their relationship with other people. Because they always need the feel to isolated, the tendency is that, they can be the frequent butt of jokes (especially in schools where homosexuality is not yet a very open and accepted topic) that will in turn can lead into more dangerous behaviors. Moreover, when things go uncontrollable, there is also a huge tendency for the individual to resort to many absurd and unsafe displacement methods (i. . substance abuse, committing crimes, etc). Because of the rising number of individuals (particularly young homosexuals) that is involved in this kind of situations, a great deal of number of individuals and concerned groups were established to help them. Most of these help lines offer counseling but more than that, they also make sure that the individual can pursue his/her way to full acceptance and if worse comes to worse, to their recovery. Before the advent of DNA technology, psychologists and sociologists believe that the cause of homosexuality is influenced by the environment of the individual; but with DNA testing, they were able to pinpoint that somehow, genes has something to do with it. But more importantly, we cannot deny the fact that from the beginning, there were only male and female; but as time pass, some strong environmental factors can bend the reality of life that even Nature herself find it hard to turn back (or at least minimize the bad consequences) time.

Argentinas Economic Crisis Essay Example for Free

Argentinas Economic Crisis Essay To divert attention from increasingly severe political and economic problems, in 1982 the junta ordered an invasion of the nearby Falkland Islands, a British territory that Argentina had long claimed. British forces counterattacked and took back the islands. A huge debt was accrued as a result of the war and at the end of the military government in 1983, the country’s industries unemployment were severely affected (Saxton, 2003). In 1983, the junta transferred power to an elected civilian president, Raul Alfonsin of the Radical Civic Union party. The new government’s plans included stabilizing the economy and introducing a new currency known as the austral. New loans were taken out and state eventually was unable to pay the interest on debt and eventually the confidence in austral collapsed. Inflation spiralled out of control, GDP shrank and wages fell by almost half. Following riots President Alfonsin stepped down six months before his term. In 1989, the Justicialist (Peronist) party’s Carlos Menem began governing and in 1991, he appointed Domingo Carvalho as the Minister of the Economy who introduced ‘Convertibility Law System’, which took effect on April 1, 1991. Saxton, 2004, p. 4). The Convertibility Law System ended the hyperinflation by establishing a pegged exchange rate with the U. S. dollar and backing the currency substantially with dollars. The aim was to ensure the acceptance of the currency after the 1989 and 1990 hyperinflation period, as people started rejecting the currency and dema nding US dollars (Hill, 2011). The exchange rate was initially 10,000 Argentine australes per dollar; on January 1, 1992 the peso replaced the austral at 1 peso = 10,000 australes = US$1. 4 (Saxton, 2003) Argentines were allowed to use dollars freely, price stability was assured and the value of the currency was preserved. The quality of life was raised for many and people could afford to travel abroad, buy imported goods and ask for loans from banks at a low interest rate. Argentina attracted extensive foreign investment, which helped modernize its utilities, ports, railroads, banks, and other sectors (Saxton, 2003). However, the fixed exchange rate made imports cheap which lead to loss of Argentina’s industrial infrastructure and increase in unemployment. In the meantime, government spending continued and public debts grew substantially as government needed to borrow to finance external debt. However, the government showed no intention of paying debt off and also delayed payment schedules, while IMF kept lending money. Eventually in 1998 Argentina entered in a four-year recession, during which its economy shrank 28 percent (Saxton, 2003). This happened as a result of the Argentina exports were harmed by devaluation of Brazilian Real and international revaluation of the dollar effectively revaluing the peso against its major trading partners Brazil and the euro area (Hornbeck, 2002). By 1999, elected President De la Rua was left with a country where unemployment had risen to a critical point and the undesirable effects of the fixed exchange rate were showing. The De la Rua government was mainly worried about the federal budget deficit, which was 2. 5 percent of GDP in 1999. That left only one option: raising tax rates. President De la Rua secured approval for three big tax increases, effective January 2000, April 2001, and August 2001. Hence, massive tax evasion and money laundering happened also led to funds evaporating to offshore banks. In 2001, the freeze on bank deposits began, in response to large withdrawals as people started losing confidence in economy. The economy turned from recession to depression as people and businesses could not make payments. Credit evaporated. Many people took to the streets in angry demonstrations which also led to supermarket looting and President De la Rua resigning (Horbeck, 2002). By late 2001, the government tax revenues plunged as the economy contracted and the Argentina government defaulted in its debt repayments, effectively ‘rendering ? 80 billion of government issued bonds worthless’ (Hill, 2011, p. 99). The debt default to IMF was the final nail in the coffin and in early 2002, the government finally allowed the peso to float freely. Hence, the peso immediately fell $1=3. 5 pesos (Hill, 2011). Q1. A fixed exchange rate is an  exchange rate  for a  currency  where the government has decided to link the  value  to another currency or to some valuable commodity like gold. For example in 1990, Argentina fixed the exchange rate of the Argentinean peso to the U. S. dollar at $1=1 peso. A government may fix its currency by holding  reserves  of the  peg  (or the  asset  to which it is fixed) in the  central bank. For example, if a country fixes its currency to the  British pound, it must hold enough pounds in reserve to account for all of its currency in  circulation. Importantly, fixed exchange rates do not change according to  market  conditions. It is also called a pegged exchange rate. For most of the period between 1975 and 1990, Argentina experienced hyperinflation (averaging 325% a year)+, poor or negative  GDP  growth, a severe lack of confidence in the  national government  and the  Central Bank, and low levels of  capital  investment. After eight currency crises since the early 1970s,  inflation  peaked in 1989, reaching 5,000% that year. GDP was 10% lower than in 1980 and per capita GDP had fallen by over 20%. Fixed investment  fell by over half and, by 1989, could not cover yearly  depreciation   particularly in the industrial sector. Social indicators deteriorated seriously: real wages collapsed to about half of their 1974 peak and income poverty rates increased from 27% in 1980 to 47% in 1989. After the 1990s when Argentina fixed its Argentinean Peso against the Dollar, the economy started to settle and actually demonstrated the benefits that fixing an exchange rate can have. By adopting a fixed exchange rate, the government reduced uncertainties for all economic agents in the country. As businesses had the perfect knowledge that prices are fixed and therefore not going to change, hence they could plan ahead in their productions. The fixed exchange rate system avoids the wild day to day fluctuations that are likely to occur under flexible rates and that discourage specialisation in production and the flow of international trade and investment. Argentina implemented its currency board in April 1991. Its main achievement was in controlling inflation, which was brought down from more than 3,000% in 1989 to 3. 4% in 1994. Another major accomplishment of the system was renewed economic growth. Enjoying the high world prices of  primary products  (Argentinas main exports), GDP grew at an annual rate of 8% between 1991 until the  Tequila Effect  of 1995. Even after the  Mexican crisis, until 1998 the annual growth rate was 6%. International trade  also increased dramatically, reflecting the growing degree of openness of the country. Imports increased from US$ 11. 6 billion in 1991 to US$ 32. billion in 2000. Likewise, exports also increased from US$ 12. 1 billion in 1991 to US$ 30. 7 billion in 2000. 2) Why was Argentina unable to maintain its fixed exchange rate regime? What does this tell you about the limitations of a fixed exchange rate regime? In the end, the fixed exchange rate regime did not last and Argentina had to abandon this policy to regain its position in the market. This was mainly because the pegged value was devalued by many countries and this caused global economic growth to decline considerably and the demand of exported Argentina commodities to decrease sharply too. This in turn made Argentinean goods more expensive in other international markets. On top of this, with Brazil devaluing their own currency against the US dollar made matters worse for Argentina as this had an influence on their Argentinean peso, pricing their goods out of the market. The decline in global prices for farm products and the global economic slowdown only added to Argentina’s problems. Even though the fixed exchange rate policy had succeeded previously in strengthening Argentina’s competitive positioning in the global market and stimulated economic growth, this would not have survived for long. The fixed exchange rate regime contains many drawbacks and would not have worked forever, as maintaining this fixed exchange rate conflicted with many other macroeconomic objectives of the country. There was also less flexibility present in a fixed exchange rate policy and caused difficulty for Argentina to respond rapidly to the shocks in the market, as pressure was added on to the currency. This affected the competitiveness of the market and also inflation rates, thus causing Argentina to alter their policy further. However, this is proven to be difficult as some countries may see this as an unfair trade advantage to them, causing some degree of disagreement between certain countries, affecting their competitiveness in the economy and making it harder for them to defend its own currency. Question 3: Do you think that the IMF was correct to insist that the Argentinian government adopt a fiscal austerity program? What other approach could the IMF have taken? The Argentine monetary crisis hit in 1999, but the IMF had been working closely with Argentine government since 1991 and had supported the Peso’s peg to the US Dollar. IEO, 2003), (Stiglitz, 2002) The IMF (2003) considers their policies in the run up to the crisis to have been lax and based on too much optimism. The organisation blames structural weaknesses in the economy; mainly high public sector debt, as well as other factors like lack of labour market flexibility and their own enforcement on these issues. While supporting Argentina through lending, the IMF called for fiscal austerity in order to boost confidence and attract much needed international investment. (MacEwan, 2002), (Stiglitz, 2002), (IMF, 2003) The fund argues that an expansionary fiscal policy was ruled out because there was no surplus from which to spend and deficit spending would have caused the debt to grow at a higher rate than the economy. Furthermore, a budget deficit could have led to higher interest rates for borrowing. (IMF, 2003) Given the fixed exchange rate, an expansionary monetary policy, i. e. increasing the money supply, was not possible. (MacEwan, 2002), (IMF, 2003) MacEwan (2002) argues that fiscal austerity had the opposite effect and reduced markets’ confidence in the country, which led to a worsening of the crisis. An alternative view is that it is normal for a country to run a moderate budget deficit in a recession and that an expansionary fiscal policy would have been more appropriate. (Stiglitz, 2002), (MacEwan, 2002) MacEwan (2002) goes further and explains that â€Å"curtailing social spending on education, health care, physical infrastructure projects cuts the legs out from under long-term economic progress. † In recent years, in spite of the financial crisis and the still-recent default, the Argentine economy has been doing well, growing by 9. 2% in 2010 and 8. 8% in 2011 and is expected to grow at least 5. % in 2012, with the growth being attributed to both fiscal and monetary stimulus. (MarketWatch, 2011), (Dow Jones Newswires, 2012), (MercoPress, 2012) The expansionary policy has led to inflation rates of 22. 75%, which seem to be causing labour disputes when wage increases fail to keep up. (MercoPress, 2012) For conclusion, something like: Even considering the high inflation rate (22. 75%) and resulting labour disputes, the situation is preferable to the massive debt and street riots of 2001. Q4 In the end the Argentinean government was forced to abandon its peg to the dollar.

Effect of Artesunate on HT-29-AK Cancer Cells

Effect of Artesunate on HT-29-AK Cancer Cells Effect of Artesunate on HT-29-AK Cancer Cells, and its Therapeutic Implications Cancer Biology Coursework II The possible cytotoxic effect of Artesunate on the survival factors and the concentration of HT-29-AK cells over different incubation periods and its therapeutic implications. The possible cytotoxic effect of Artesunate on the survival factors and the concentration of HT-29-AK cells over different incubation periods and its therapeutic implications. Background: HT-29-AK are cancer cells, Artesunate is an antimalarial compound which could possibly be used as an anti-tumour agent. The present study attempts to confirm the incubation period most effective in decreasing the concentration of HT-29-AK cancer cells. Aim/Hypothesis: This experiment tests the effect of Artesunate on the E-Cadherin mRNA expression, VEGF-alpha and beta mRNA expression, Survivin and on caspase-3 expression. Methods: 96 well plates were used and HT-29-AK cells were incubated at different concentrations over different time periods to examine the effective concentration and incubation period. The E-Cadherin mRNA expression was measured using immunocytochemistry and the Survivin and VEGF-alpha and beta mRNA levels were also measured using methods such as qPCR and ELISA. Results: We could show that at lower concentrations and a 72 hour incubation period Artesunate killed HT-29-AK cells, and decreased E-Cadherin and VEGF-alpha and beta levels. Levels. Conclusion: The results allude to the cytotoxic effect of Artesunate and lower concentrations for 72 hour incubation periods and its effect on HT-29-AK cells with potential clinical applications. Figure 1 shows the concentration of ART on the X-axis and the percentage of control growth on the Y axis, this graph is aimed to show the effect of ART on HT-29-AK cells over varying periods of time. As the incubation time period increases the drug is becoming more cytotoxic, if the cells are incubated with the drug for longer, a lower concentration is required. The pharmacological index is 72hr>48hr>24hr, the IC50 is the concentration at which the cells need to be incubated to kill half the number of cells: 24hrs: incubating the cells over of 24 hours leads to an IC50 of 165Â µM, this alludes to the requirement for higher concentration over shorter incubation periods. The Concentration required is 100.39Â µM more than if the cells were incubated for 48hours and 150.56 Â µM more if the cells were incubated for 72 hours. 48hrs: incubating the cells over of 48 hours leads to an IC50 of 64.61Â µM, the concentration required to kill half the number of HT-29-AK cells is 100.39Â µM less if the cells were incubated for 48 hours instead of 24 hours, however the concentration required to kill half the number of cells is 50.17Â µM more than if the cells were incubated for 72 hours instead of 48 hours. 72hrs: incubating the cells over of 72 hours leads to an IC50 of 14.44Â µM, the concentration required to kill half the number of cells over 72 hours is 150.56Â µM less than incubation for 24hours, and 50.17Â µM less than incubation for 48 hours. Figure A and B shows the relative E-cadherin mRNA levels at different ART concentration incubated at 24 hours(Left) and 72 hours(right). Relative E-Cad mRNA levels at 24 hours Control: The control showed a relative E-Cad mRNA level of 1, at a concentration of 82.53Â µM The concentration at 82.53Â µM showed a relative E-cad mRNA level of approximately 1.1, this relative expression is 0.1 more than the controls relative expression, the relative expression of E-cad mRNA levels at 82.53Â µM was 0.9 less than the relative expression of E-Cad mRNA at 165.06Â µM and 1.8 less than the relative expression of E-cad mRNA at 330.12Â µM. The concentration at 165.06Â µM, showed a relative E-cad mRNA level of approximately 1.9, which was 0.8 more than the expression at 82.53Â µM and 1.0 less than the expression at 330.12 Â µM. the concentration at 330.12Â µM, showed a relative E-cad mRNA level of approximately 2.9, an increase of 1.8 is observed compared to the ART concentration of 82.53Â µM and an increase of 1.0 is observed compared to the ART concentration of 165.06Â µM. Relative E-Cad mRNA levels at 72 hours Control: The control showed a relative E-Cad mRNA level of 1, at a concentration of 82.53Â µM The concentration at 7.22Â µM showed a relative E-cad mRNA level of approximately 0.4, this relative expression is 0.6 less than the controls relative expression, the relative expression of E-cad mRNA levels at 14.44Â µM equal to the relative expression of E-Cad mRNA at 7.22Â µM and 0.01 less than the relative expression of E-cad mRNA at 28.88Â µM. The concentration at 28.88Â µM, showed a relative E-cad mRNA level of approximately 0.41, which was 0.01 more than the expression at 7.22 Â µM and 14.44Â µM Figure C shows the level of staining of adhesion molecules At 24 hours the control showed the least amount of staining compared to the ART concentrations at 82.53Â µM, 165.06Â µM and 330.12Â µM. At a concentration of 82.53Â µM there is an increase in staining compared to the control but there is less staining compared to 165.06 and 330.12Â µM concentrations. At an ART concentration of 165.06 Â µM more staining is observed compared to the control and at 82.53 Â µM however less staining is observed compared to 330.12Â µM. At the final ART concentration 330.12 Â µM an increase in staining is observed compared to the control, 82.53Â µM, and 165.06Â µM. At 72 hours the control showed the most amount of staining compared to the ART concentrations at 7.22Â µM, 14.44Â µM and 28.88Â µM. At a concentration of 7.22Â µM there is a decrease in staining compared to the control but there is more staining compared to 14.44Â µM and 28.88Â µM concentration. At an ART concentration of 14.44Â µM less staining is observed compared to the control and at 82.53Â µM however more staining is observed compared to 28.88Â µM. At the final ART concentration 28.88Â µM a decrease in staining is observed compared to the control, 7.22Â µM and 14.44Â µM. Figure A and B show the relative VEGF-alpha and beta mRNA levels at different ART concentrations. Control: The control concentration showed the same relative mRNA levels for both VEGF- alpha and beta which was a level of 1. 7.22Â µM: the relative VEGF- alpha concentration was approximately 0.62, and the VEGF- beta concentration was 0.39, this means that at a concentration of 7.22Â µM, 0.23 Â µM more of VEGF-alpha mRNA levels is expressed compared to VEGF-beta mRNA levels. 14.44Â µM: the relative VEGF- alpha concentration was approximately 0.64, and the VEGF- beta concentration was 0.35, this means that at a concentration of 14.44Â µM, 0.19 Â µM more of VEGF-alpha mRNA levels is expressed compared to VEGF-beta mRNA levels. 28.88Â µM: the relative VEGF- alpha concentration was approximately 0.61, and the VEGF- beta concentration was 0.05, this means that at a concentration of 28.88Â µM, 0.56 Â µM more of VEGF-alpha mRNA levels is expressed compared to VEGF-beta mRNA levels. The control showed a relative survivin mRNA level of 2, an ART concentration of 7.22Â µM showed a mRNA survivin expression of approximately 4 which is 2 more than the control. At an ART concentration of 14.44 Â µM a relative mRNA expression of 13 is observed, an mRNA expression of 9 more than at 7.22 Â µM and 13 less than 28.88Â µM. At an ART concentration of 28.88Â µM a relative mRNA Survivin expression of 26 is observed, this level of expression is 13 more than at 14.44Â µM and 22 more than at 7.22Â µM. these results show that Survivin which is an inhibitor of apoptosis is inhibited over a 72 hour incubation period and a concentration of 7.22Â µM. The control showed a % cleaved caspase 3 level of 100, an ART concentration of 7.22Â µM relative to the control showed 300% cleaved caspase-3 level which is 200% more than the control. At an ART concentration of 14.44 Â µM a relative to the control 320% cleaved caspase-3 levels was observed, which is 20% more than at 7.22 Â µM and 5% less than 28.88Â µM. At an ART concentration of 28.88Â µM the percentage of cleaved caspase-3 relative to the control was 325%, this level of expression is 5% more than at 14.44Â µM and 25% more than at 7.22Â µM. 4. Discussion Jiang W et al experimented with Artesunate on osteosarcoma cells, Artesunate was combined with another compound called allicin, which was derived mainly from garlic. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the synergistic effects of the combined therapy. The results of this experiment showed a decrease in concentration of osteosarcoma cells, a decrease in invasion, motility, and the colony formation of these cells, this occurred due to an increase in Caspase3/9 expression when combined. In Prof Olivera’s experiment the methods only included Artesunate and the cleaved caspase activity were all similar at different concentrations, the difference in methodology is apparent because two compounds was used in Jiang W et al’s study while only one was used in Prof Oliviera’s study. Liu Y et al also used a combination therapy to investigate the cytotoxic effect, triptolide and Artesunate was used to inhibit the pancreatic cell line growth by inducing apoptosis, the experiment also showed a production of heat shock proteins which produce synergic effects. Similar to Prof Oliviera’s experiment Artesunate has a cytotoxic effect, however the similarity between these two experiments is that the combination therapy used in Liu Y et al and the single therapy used in Prof Oliviera’s study both were more effective in lower concentrations of Artesunate these allude to potential clinical applications. Dong HY et al experimented the effects of Artesunate on breast cancer using tumour transplanted nude mice, cyclophosphamide or normal saline was used in combination with Artesunate and the results showed ART inhibiting the growth of the MCF-7 cancer cells by arresting the cell cycle. In conclusion the findings of Prof Oliviera’s study is as follows: Over a longer incubation period a lower concentration of Artesunate is required to kill half of the cancer cells. Over 72 hours less Artesunate is reuired to reduce the relative mRNA levels. And less staining of adhesion molecules is observed over 72 hours as the concentration increases. ART over 72 hours has a greater effect on decreasing the expression of VEGF-beta compared to VEGF-alpha. Over 72 hours the higher the concentration of ART the increase in relative survivin mRNA levels. The percentage of cleaved caspase-3 levels relative to the control increases as the concentration of ART increases. References Dong HY et al, ‘Antitumour effects of Artesunate on human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells and IGF-IR expression in nude mice xenografts’, 2014 Liu Y et al, ‘Synergism of cytotoxicity effects of triptolide and Artesunate combination treatment in pancreatic cancer cell lines’, 2013 Jiang W et al, ‘The synergistic anticancer effect of Artesunate combined with allicin in osteosarcoma cell line in vitro and in vivo’, 2013

Essay --

People relate to landscapes through tactile and visual experience of surfaces around them, beneath their feet and in their hands. Textures are most immediate and close physical contact with the landscape. Ploughing, grazing, clearance – create distinctive textures of surface, some of them deliberately created for the properties of the texture itself. Textures incorporate time; they are result of a slow but constant change of the very texture of surface. Mundane practices which might have a minimum impact on the surface can in a long term combine to form a distinctive textures. Aerial photographs and high resolution topographic data is full of textures. We tend to ignore them and focus solely on "features", traces. What can we do with textures? How can they be harnessed for deciphering the biography of surfaces and the way people interacted with the land in close physical contact? In the modern, Western, world the visual sense has primacy over the other senses. Since sixteenth century, vision has become increasingly important in how we engage with and understand our world, with the other senses marginalised. The visual became considered the most reliable form of representation. Archaeology, and especially aerial archaeology, has come to rely almost solely on vision for both the collection of data and the dissemination of information. Visual sense turns us into spectators, detached and distanced from the object of study. Landscape becomes a particular way of seeing and representing the world from an elevated, detached and even ‘objective’ vantage point, --- as an artistic genre and a culturally conditioned habit of visual perception, unique to European, Western societies. In this way visual technologies (photographs,... ...worth exploring. Textures offer access into the richness and immediacy of the perceivable world and allow us to enmesh with it. When we turn the eye in the organ of touch, we are able to see the â€Å"stuff† of landscape rather than its â€Å"things.† It is highly subjective, embodied view of the world, but one that helps us to "understands materiality" of the landscape. Dwelling in the landscape is about the rich intimate, ongoing â€Å"togetherness† of beings and things which make up textures and which, over time, bind together nature and culture. Textures blur the nature/culture divide and emphasise the material and temporal nature of landscape. In this way, landscape is a never finished process of weaving, â€Å"entanglement", of materials and activities. And they can perhaps to help us to reflect what we really see when we interpret aerophotos and lidar imagery.

Comparison of Kafkas Metamorphosis and Dalis The Metamorphosis of Narcissus :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparison of Kafka's Metamorphosis and Dali's The Metamorphosis of Narcissus      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The painting that I chose to compare to the novel Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, was painted in 1937 by Salvatore Dali.   Dali is an established Surrealist painter, who, like Kafka, explored his own psyche and dreams in his work. Dali invented a process, called the "paranoiac critical method", which is used in this painting, to assist his creative process.   As Dali described it, his aim in painting was "to materialize the images of concrete irrationality with the most imperialistic fury of precision...in order that the world of imagination and of concrete irrationality may be as objectively evident...as that of the exterior world of phenomenal reality."1      Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The rich landscape, seems to be limitless in detail.   Dali rendered every detail of this landscape with precise accuracy, striving to make his paintings as realistic as possible.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a beautiful young youth, who fell in love with his own reflection, and then drowned while trying to embrace himself.   His body was never recovered, but a flower, which was named after him was.   The left side of this painting shows the kneeling Narcissus, outlined by the craggy rocks of what could only be Cape Creus's. On the right side of the painting, the scene has morphed into a more idyllic and classical scene, in which the  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   kneeling Narcissus has become the statue of a hand, holding a cracked egg, from which emerges The Narcissus flower.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This painting reminded me of the first chapter of Metamorphosis, where the main character, Gregor Samsa, first realizes that he is confronted with a ludicrous fate in the form of a gigantic insect.   In both Kafka's and Dali's work, I noticed that they both implement a certain "receding" technique.   Dali tends to put an object (In this case, Narcissus) In the foreground, and the background of the painting tends to be very crisp and detailed, yet unimportant, compared to Narcissus. I feel the same way about Gregor, I see Kafka writing this story with mainly Gregor in mind, as the main character and narrator.   Kafka puts this puzzled victim in the story as a clerk, yet that element of the story tends to receded in to the plot of the story.

The Rime Of The Ancient Marine :: essays research papers

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner The Mariner is not in the hands of a merciful God because his agony always returns. He asks for forgiveness of his agony but still after he tells his tale the agony returns at random times. A merciful God would grant permanent mercy. For all, the Mariner has been through death and hardship of his crew because of the killing of the albatross. The thought of his crime is enough agony but the Mariner's agony returns until he has to relive the tragedy of the killing of his crew by telling his tale to another person. The fact that the agony always returns is particularly horrible about the Mariner's punishment because no matter how hard he tries or how much he prays his sin is carried along within him. The pain of his sin goes away right after he tells his tale but it returns shortly afterwards. The Mariner says that, after telling the Hermit his story, 'Since then, at an uncertain hour that agony returns.'; Since the first time the Mariner confessed his crime to the Hermit at an inconsistent hour God reminds the Mariner of the sin he has committed by piercing his heart with agonizing pain. He tells the Wedding Guest that, until he tells his story, 'The heart within me burns.'; This is God's way of expressing his anger to the Mariner for the curse he put on his crew when he killed the Albatross. God makes sure that the Mariner has and will fell agony, that the agony will always return, and that the agony will return at an unsure hour each day which causes the Mariner to relive his tale and to liv e in agony for the rest of his life. The Mariner is granted relief from his agony by telling his tale which releases his agony for a short while. The Mariner is telling the Wedding Guest why he must continue to tell his tale, 'Which forced me to begin my tale; And then it left me free.'; God has granted him the power to tell his tale which sets him free for a short while. Maybe God is merciful for letting him tell his tale but his agony always returns. He can't enjoy his little time of freedom because he is uncertain when the pain will return again. The Mariner travels, looking for the right person to tell his tale to, the face which relieves his agony and lets him feel free.

Statistical and managerial techniques for six sigma methodology theory and application Essay

Quality improvement (QI) comprises of continuous and systematic actions that result to measurable improvement in the health care as well as the health status of patients groups that are targeted. According to the institute of Medicine’s, which is a recognized advisor and leader on the nation’s health care improvement, health care quality comprises of a direct correlation between the desired health outcomes and the level of improved health services of populations and individuals (Shan 2008). The process of QI involves the application of a defined and a deliberate process of improvement. It involves ongoing and continuous efforts designed to achieve measurable improvements in the effectiveness, efficiency, accountability, outcomes, performance, and other indicators of quality in processes or services which improves the community health and achieves equity. Methodologies used in integrating QI strategies in the health care performance                Methodology describes theoretical analysis of the appropriate methods to a given field of study or to the body of principles and methods particular to a branch of knowledge (Barone 2012). On the other hand, a strategy refers to the science and art of marshaling and planning resources for an efficient and effective use (Menon 2010). Six Sigma                It involves monitoring, designing and improving process that eliminate or minimize waste while increasing financial stability and optimizing satisfaction. The performance of a process is applied in measuring improvement through comparing the process capability with the capability of baseline process after the potential solution piloting for quality improvement. It uses two primary methods. One method is responsible in inspecting process outcome and counts on the defects, calculates the rate per million of a defect, and applies a table of statistics in the conversion of defect rate per million in relation to a sigma metric. The second estimates the variation of the process to predict the performance through calculating a sigma metric from the observed variations of the process. It uses a five-phased process that is disciplined rigorous, referred to as DMAIC approach. It begins by identifying the project, reviewing the historical data, and lastly defining the s cope of the expectations. Next, the standards of continuous total quality performance are selected objectives of the performance are defined, and definition of sources of variability. Data are collected for assessment of how well the process was improved by changes as a new project is implemented. Customer inspired quality methodology                It concentrates on the process as well as the results of an organization. This methodology needs the service to be thorough as it focuses on the customers’ perspective. It identifies customer measures, reviewing and improving processes and getting the feedback of customers. This methodology enables the organization to realize the customer needs and works towards integrating them to the customer services. The methodology becomes continuous as the patients’ needs change with time. The organization sets down procedures which act as a reference to the organization. This calls for regular training of the staffs so as to enhance better services delivery to the customers. Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA)                Studies and projects based on QI aimed at bringing positive changes in the processes of delivering health care services can apply PDSA for favorable outcomes. This method has been widely used by healthcare institute for rapid cycle improvement. The model has a unique feature that is the cyclical nature of assessing and impacting change. It is most accomplished effectively through frequent and small PDSAs instead of using slow and big ones before wide changes are made in the system. The aim of PDSA efforts in quality improvement is to establish a casual or functional relationship between outcomes and changes in processes specifically capabilities and behaviors (Provost 2011). Three questions are proposed before applying the PDSA cycles: what is the aim of the project? How will it be revealed that the set aims were achieved? What is going to be done to achieve the aim? The cycle starts by with determining the scope and the nature of the problem, what is to be measured in order to understand the effect of change, and where the strategy is to be targeted. A change is implemented, and information and data are collected. Results from the study are interpreted and assessed through reviewing several key measurements showing failure or success. Lastly a change on QI is implemented based on the results obtained. Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS)                It occupies a significant part in the field of management technologies of clinical knowledge through their capacity to support the use of knowledge and the clinical process, from investigation and diagnosis through treatment and long-term care. These support systems are â€Å"systems of active knowledge using two or more patient data items for the generation of case-specific advice (Danniels 2010). CDSS is designed typically to integrate a medically based knowledge, an inference engine and patient data for case specific advice generation. IT applications                For health care providers to meet the increasing quality demands of their patients, they are required to focus on innovation technology. Examples of IT that can be applied include object oriented technologies, use of specific components of IT, and the computerized system records (Qi 2013). Object oriented technology ensures all different systems in the organization are connected to a unified system of management. Patient’s records are computerized to prevent damage or loss. For specific IT components, it ensures easier monitoring of quality performance in the organization. IT applications in improving performanceObject oriented technology                Links the components of quality management system to the entire management system of the enterprise, it is obtained through connection of these components via interface of a standard framework. It ensures that medical records are not lost, and there is faster delivery of services. Computerized system of patient records                It has great effects on the profitability of the organization. It minimizes time and labor that is used during data entry. The stored data is easily propagated once it has been keyed into the system (Clancy 2003). Specific IT components                It helps in sufficing the demands of the diversified population of patients. It ensures consistency in the organizations operations. It enables the organization to achieve the safety of patients and have fast service delivery. Nurses and other health workers learn fast on how to use such systems as they are specific. Use of milestones and benchmarks in quality indicators management                In quality improvement, quality indicators are used as a guide to the performance evaluation in an organization. Walshe et al (2001) stated that performance should be continually evaluated and at the end of the organizational projects. Benchmarks are operations and programs that are set out in order assess the organizational performance (Catalano 2008). This is achieved through running some trial tests and standards. It ensures a review of information technology performance of an organization. Milestones mark the end of a stage or a project. Performance is continually monitored, improved and evaluated through this process. Potential benchmarks                For the plan of QI, future event, benchmarks system level and application benchmarks will be applied. Benchmarks help the organization in achieving the set goals. The benchmarks system level is meant in evaluating how computer programs and applications are performing in overall. According to Obadiah & Boudriga (2009), use of information technology improves the organizational computer programs and systems. The application of benchmarks applies actual application programs. In the delivery of health care services, the aim is ensuring that each patient gets quality health services. The vision, mission and strategic plan of the health organization are to give satisfactory services to patients. The organization also plans to be the leading store and drug suppliers. Improvement of performance is in line with the organizational plans as they facilitate achievement of patients’ satisfaction and quality improvement. This results to increased sales, competitivene ss and revenue (Walshe et al 2001). Conclusion                Performance and quality improvement are very essential in an organization. It is achieved through the use of improved information technology system, and methodologies of performance improvement. Improvement of performance being a continuous process leads to increase in the organizational profit and customer loyalty. References Barone, S., & Franco, E. L. (2012). Statistical and managerial techniques for six sigma methodology theory and application. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley. Chiarini, A. (2013). Lean organization from the tools of the Toyota Production System to lean office. Milan: Springer. Daniels, R., Grendell, R. N., & Wilkins, F. R. (2010). Nursing fundamentals: caring & clinical decision making. (2nd ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning. Dou, R. (2013). Proceedings of 2012 3rd International Asia Conference on Industrial Engineering and Management Innovation (IEMI2012). Berlin: Springer. Harrington, H. J. (2013). Performance acceleration management (PAM): rapid improvement to your key performance drivers. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Menon, R., & Kumar, R. (2010). The long view from Delhi: to define the Indian grand strategy for foreign policy. New Delhi: Academic Foundation in association with Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations. Provost, L. P., & Murray, S. K. (2011). The health care data guide learning from data for improvement. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Qi, E. (2013). The 19th International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management: engineering management. Berlin: Springer. Source document