Planning in todays organizations in comparison to planning twenty-five Essay

Planning in todays organizations in comparison to planning twenty-five years - Essay Example This essay discusses that organizational planning has been done by top executives, consulting firms or central planning departments. Central planning departments in this case incorporate a group of planning specialists who report to the CEO or president of a company. Their goal is to develop strategic plans and gather data from the organization. This involves a top-down approach where plans and goals were assigned to major divisions and departments after approval from the president. This approach has worked well in companies twenty-five years ago, and it is still used in some companies today. However, despite the longevity of this approach, formal planning is criticised in today’s society with a fast paced environment. Documents from central planning departments may be obsolete to the rapid changes in reality faced by managers and front line employees. People may have to struggle to follow a plan that is not applicable to the customer’s needs or the environment. Moreove r, they may hinder the employee’s innovative and learning skills. These are some of the differences experienced in planning today and twenty-five years ago. Planning has changed and now involves everyone in the organization, plus outside stakeholders as well. It embraces decentralised planning in which experts in planning work with managers in major departments to develop their goals and plans. With this approach, managers come up with creative solutions to problems and become more engaged in following through the plan.

Procurement in Construction Essay Example for Free

Procurement in Construction Essay A basic definition for the procurement is â€Å"the way the building is realised† and â€Å"involves assembling and organising the skills and services of a team of construction professionals†. (the Construction Round Table, 1995). More precisely, the construction industry describes procurement as â€Å"a system that establishes the roles and relationships which make up a project organisation†; hence the overall organisation and communication structure for the management, administration and control of a project is established by the procurement system. (D.C.H Coles, 2010) * Procurement Systems essentiality: Choosing the most suitable procurement method for the specified construction project is a long term hard decision; it is a crucial task â€Å"it is one of the most crucial decisions on any building project† (Gillespie, 1994). Choosing the appropriate procurement system is the determinate for a successful project (Building Procurement, 2006) this statement is supported by the investigation done on 25 National Audit Office (NAO) reports, were it was concluded that choosing the wrong procurement method is a major risk source (covering 29% of the risk source percentage) for public sector project failure. Furthermore, an American study concluded the total project cost can decrease about 5% by choosing the correct procurement methodology. â€Å"Failure to choose the appropriate procurement approach is recognised as the primary one source for project failure (Building Procurement, 2006) * Role of the Project Manager â€Å"The presence within the client company of a Senior Executive willing and able to act as a single point of contact throughout the building process, gives the client a distinct advantage† (Construction Round Table, 1995) Within the last fifteen years, the role of the Project Manager has developed in the construction industry, what is mentioned above proves that having someone to manage and supervise the project is the key for a successful project. The client can appoint a project manager from his company â€Å"in-house† or an external consultant appointment. Overview for the Project Manager’s duties: A project manager can be appointed by the client (especially if it was an inexperienced client in the construction industry where the majority of clients in the UK fall into this category), in order to help him build up his business needs case for the project development, find alternatives and options that are more suitable in order to achieve his business needs, work out the investment appraisals and risk assessments, choose the most suitable procurement method for the project, select the project team, establish and supervise the performance. An important task the project manager must perform before adopting the procurement method is to approach the client, and understand specifically what does he requires and what the outcomes from the new construction building are, more specifically the objectives and the products of the building. After performing this action the project manager will look at all the alternatives if there are any. Comparing the past with nowadays, when the architect and the engineer had the major role in the project during the past, if the client requests a new building to be constructed they will support his case while the project manager will look at all the alternatives that might be better for the client and his business, the alternatives might include: * Building an extension to the client’s existing building or carrying out alterations and refurbishments to it. * Moving the building to a position that might be more suitable to the business of the company. After understanding the needs of the client and finding all the alternatives, it is the project manager’s task then to choose the most appropriate procurement method for the project. As mentioned earlier, choosing the most suitable procurement method for the project is one of the most crucial decisions on any building proje ct. The Construction Round Table (1995) covers a list of priorities that the project manager must take into account referring to the client’s objectives in order to choose the most appropriate procurement system, these include: * Timing For most of the clients, timing is a crucial factor that must be taken into major consideration, especially for clients with a required known completion date. For example, supermarkets such as Tesco, the cost might not be their major concern but time is since the earlier they open the supermarket the earlier they can make profit. Timing might not be an important issue for Public Schools since there will be a predicted birth rate. * Price certainty The price of the project generally includes the total constructional cost (design fees, construction contracts, financing costs and client management costs); it may also include the land costs, sales costs and the associated agency costs together with developer’s margin. Nowadays, with the global credit crunch existing, most of the clients and companies are critically focusing on cost, they simply cannot go over budget, and hence cost plays a major role when deciding the procurement method. * Quality/Performance level Quality must be appropriate to what the client request; it is a variable issue, for example the quality for constructing a five stars hotel in central London is different than the quality from building a seven stars hotel in Dubai, most importantly the quality of the design and materials should be appropriate to the standard and functional use of the building. For shops such as Next or Marks and Spenser, the layouts change every now and then, hence the project manager must make ensure that the layout won’t be designed for more than a considerable period since it will be a waste of money. A basic definition for performance is how the building is going to be used (how the goods flow). * Complexity Within the early life of the project, it should be clear whether the project is a complex one or not. Complexity won’t affect simple projects whereas if the project is technically complex (advanced design and high serviced construction requirement), then this will affect the project could be procured in another way. An example for complexity is the British Library; the temperature for every floor was required not to be more than a half degree different. * Competition Suitable competition methods must be includes in the chosen procurement method for Public projects (publicly funded 50% or more) in order to satisfy the EU Procurement Directives 2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC and the U.K.s Public Contract Regulation 2006. * Controllable variation This mean making decisions as late as possible in the construction process. Some projects won’t have sufficient detail to enable the contractor to prepare a tender, such as high complex projects, hence a procurement method that allows change in a controlled manner must be chosen. An example on controllable variation is Heathrow Terminal five, the client did not make decisions about a number of issues within the terminal design, such as baggage claims, check in online system. Hence what is ideal for the project manager is to have a procurement system (one or more) that can make decisions as late as possible. * The division of the management responsibilities An important procurement assessment criterion involves the clients choice whether he wants to manage separate consultants and contractors or to manage one company (single point responsibility). Furthermore, the project manager must make sure about the client’s objectives for the fact whether he wants to be in charge or not and if so how much does he want to be included. A good idea for the project is to produce a project management handbook for all the parties involved in the project. For the contracts case, recently the ICE7 contract has been withdrawn from the construction industry and so the projects now have to follow the NEC3 contract. * The extent of the professional responsibility/accountability required For the case of accountability, copies of all the variation, money and extension of time must be provided in order to be accounted, this is very important for local authorities and government departments. * Risk avoidance Assigning and managing the risk has an important effect of the procurement assessment criteria. With the aid of a risk register, the project risks can be carried out in three stages: * Name the risks linked with the client’s objectives and priorities. * Sort out the number of times the risks might occur and their impact on the project. * Choose the best party involved to sort out the risk. The client has a major role in this issue, more specifically if the client does not wish to deal with any of the risks that might occur, then the project manager might choose the Design and Build method since it is the ideal procurement method, since the contractor will carry most of risks existing, but the cost of his tenders will increase since he is carrying most of the risks. If the client does not wish to pay more for the contractors tender for carrying out the risks on site and does not mind carrying most of the risks, then the project manager would go for the Management procurement method which might be the ideal solution for the issue. The next step for the project manager is to relate the client’s objectives and priorities with the primary issues by using Diagram1 (shown on page6), this way the choices of the procurement methods suitable for the project will be narrowed down. Diagram 1 shows the relationship between the client’s objectives and the priorities and the various procurement methods. (Source: Construction Round Table, 1995) The project manager can review the reports of similar successful projects from organisations such as Constructing Excellences in order to guide him for the present project. Generally, the focus of the clients is upon time, cost and quality. Most of the clients request their buildings to be constructed in high quality level, in a small period of time and in a low price. This is very unlikely to happen (does not exist) and if the client did not have a priority of criteria even with the aid of the project manager, disappointment and project failure will exist (Building Procurement, 2006). The project manager must understand exactly the client’s objectives and his criteria, in order to relate it to the ideal procurement method. All of the procurement methods provide satisfactory levels of performance in time, cost and quality but each method have different levels of risks and control on the client (as previously mentioned). Diagram 2 below, shows the three common favourable priorities for the clients and which procurement method is best to follow.

The Immigration of Jewish people in USSR Essay -- Politics, Mikhail G

ITRODUCTION The Immigration of Jewish people in USSR under Mikhail Gorbachev administration is generally considered as a response to huge demand of Jews who desperately wanted to leave Soviet Union, and a state policy towards ethnic minority issues. Historically speaking, anti Semitism was rooted for centuries in Russia. Jews had been prosecuting since Czarist Russia, and most recently the prosecution reached peak under Stalin administration. People would think that it was the long existing hostile atmosphere towards Jewish people that primarily led their migration out of USSR. Yet it is a more complicated picture. When Gorbachev came to power as the secretary of general of the Party in 1985, Soviet immigration policy was, to significant extent, adjusted based on Soviet bleak economic conditions and diplomatic relationships with United States and Israel. The transition was not merely a compromise under the pressure of Western powers but also an attempt to reverse economic deterioration such as high unemployment. In the thesis, I shall discuss the outstanding reasons that behind immigration policy transition under Gorbachev administration as well as the consequences and implications. PART I: the Reasons The immigration transition made by Gorbachev administration could be divided into two periods. The first period is from 1985 to 1986, when Gorbachev initiated radical reform known as perestroika, which literally means reconstruction. The stagnating Soviet economy and chilling relationship with the US led him to adopt the concept of glasnost and â€Å"New Thinking†, which can be translated as a series of promotions of openness and liberty in public affairs and flexibility in foreign policies. The decree of Council of Ministers... ...s to migrate to Israel, since costs of accommodation in Israel was much lower than that in America. Despite all that negative consequences, Soviet Jews still brought bright outlook worldwide. From economic perspective, Soviet Jews migrated from Soviet Union where workers were low productive to countries where worker were more productive. Thus, Jewish migration increased production efficiency and living standards on the global scale, as well as individual level of their own. One example would be Jewish immigrants in Israel and United States, where their contributions to economic and social developments exceeded negative impacts like ethnic conflicts and welfare pressure. More importantly, on humanity base, the transition enabled Jews to pursue prosperity and liberty, as well as to fulfill their desires in culture, religion, and politics in the new promising lands.

Bilateral Shoulder Dislocation from Weight Lifting Essay -- essays res

While doing seated behind-the-neck military presses, a young man of 22 years, experienced bilateral anterior dislocation of the shoulders. He came into the emergency department complaining of acute bilateral shoulder stiffness and pain. He claimed to have been performing behind-the-neck military presses with a 108-lb (50kg) weight while being spotted by a training partner. While performing the military presses, he suddenly felt that his shoulders were going out of place, and lost control of the bar. Unfortunately, his training partner was unable to prevent injury. The injured man stated that he felt immediate pain and lost mobility of his arms. He was then rushed to the emergency department.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the patient first arrived at the emergency department, his shoulders were in abduction and external rotation. He complained of stiffness and pain. Tests showed bilateral flattened contour of the shoulders below the tip of the acromion. Anterior fullness was present, but luckily, the patient did not suffer from any neurological or vascular injuries. Further examinations showed a bilateral anterior shoulder dislocation but no fracture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The young man was a 22-year-old, right-handed accountant, who had 3 years of weight training experience. He was 5 ft 10 in. (178 cm) tall and approximately 180 lb (83.3 kg). Upon investigation, the patient had no history of any type of injury to either of his shoulders. None of his family had ...

Desires Baby Essay

In past America women did not have the rights that they have today. This is very apparent in History as well as literature. In â€Å"Desire’s Baby† by Kate Chopin, she characterizes Desire by starting her off as being no one, then she becomes something to someone, and throughout everything she is disrespected. In the beginning, Kate Chopin characterizes Desire by being no one. â€Å"The prevailing belief was that she had been purposely left by a party of Texans†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This shows Desire as being no one because nobody really knows where she came from or why she was there. In past American daughters were not important to the family as much as the sons were so the Texans most likely left her because there wasn’t enough food for her to. She had just appeared in Valmonde one day. She had met a guy named Armand. â€Å"He was reminded she was once nameless†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This is a great example of how Desire was no one because she didn’t even have a name. This is how Kate Chopin characterizes Desire as being no one in the beginning. As the story goes on, Kate Chopin characterizes Desire by becoming someone to Armand. â€Å"†¦Armand Aubigny fell in love, as if he had been struck by a pistol shot.† This is a great quote because falling in love means that two people truly care about each other, that means Desire became something to Armand. Back in the day it was a blessing for the Woman to be asked to get married to a man. Armand married Desire and she soon became pregnant with his baby boy. â€Å"†¦the birth of his son had softened Armand†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This shows that Armand cared about Desire and his family. He was softened and proud of her for bringing such a thing into the world. This is how Kate Chopin characterizes Desire as being so one to Armand. Throughout everything, Kate Chopin characterizes Desire as getting disrespected. It all started when they noticed their child was black. â€Å"It means,† he answered lightly, â€Å"that the child is not white; it means that you are not white.† This shows Desire was being disrespected because he wrongly accused her of being black because that was the easy way out for him. â€Å"Moreover he no longer loved her†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This quote shows Desire was disrespected because he just fell out of love with her because of a misunderstanding; it was also disrespect because he was not willing to try to find out anything about the situation. In past America it was no un common for women to get mistreated my men. This is how Kate Chopin Characterizes Desire as getting disrespected. In conclusion, in the story â€Å"Desires Baby† by Kate Chopin, Kate characterizes Desire because she starts off as no one. Desire didn’t know who her parents were and she didn’t even have a name. In early America the daughters were not that important to a family. The Kate Chopin characterizes Desire as meaning something to Armand. Armand fell in love with her as if he had been struck by a pistol shot, that means she meant something to him. Back then it was a blessing to get asked to marry someone. Lastly, Kate Chopin characterizes Desire as being disrespected, because Armand and Desire found out their son was not white and Armand wrongly accuses Desire as being black. She was also disrespected by him falling out of love with her fast. In past America it was common for women to get treated badly. All in all this is how Kate Chopin characterizes Desire as being a round character.

Oligarch Society essays

Oligarch Society essays The Oligarch's disregard for the welfare of anyone or anything but themselves has proven quite hazardous to the environment. The Oligarch corporate heads, however, continue to deny any responsibility for the release of chemicals found to be killing huge numbers of amphibians. They were recently quoted as saying they "strive to preserve a healthy and attractive environment for their families". Nonetheless, amphibians throughout the world are in trouble! Over 200 species have been documented to be in decline in the last decade, 20 species are presumed extinct. Amphibians have been on this earth for over 300 million years and are extraordinary survivors. Why then are they now suffering so many extinctions? Scientists have recently proven the amphibians' immune responses have been depressed due to chemicals in their ecosystems. It is the question of how and where these toxic chemicals have made their way into the environment at the forefront of controversy. Chemicals make their way into the environment via many paths. Environmental pollution has, in fact, become a global problem. Industrial countries produce up to 90 percent of all hazardous waste, which includes industrial sludges, used batteries, toxic incinerator ash, and contaminated medical and military equipment. Illegal dumping, both at sea and on land is a growing concern. Cruise ships account for much hazardous dumping at sea such as garbage and human waste, as well as oil and chemical releases. Serious oil spills and other accidents also occur. Groundwater too has become contaminated. Groundwater lies almost everywhere below the earth's surface. More than two million cubic miles of fresh water is stored in the earth, and half of that is within a half mile of the surface. Because so much of our supply of fresh water comes from groundwater, polluted aquifers are a source of potential threat to the public health. ...

Word Choice Immigration, Emigration and Migration

Word Choice Immigration, Emigration and Migration Word Choice: Immigration, Emigration and Migration Although closely related, immigration, emigration and migration have distinct meanings that you need to understand. This will ensure you can use them effectively in your writing. All three words describe the movement of people (and sometimes animals) from one place to another. However, the correct word to use depends on the situation. Learn more about their usage below. Immigration (Arriving) Immigration is the act of entering or arriving in a new country of residence. It would be used in a sentence like this: Jesse’s family originally immigrated to America in 1621. Emigration (Leaving) The word emigration refers to leaving one country and moving somewhere else. Emigration, like immigration, is usually a permanent, rather than a temporary, move. We would use emigration in a sentence like this: Jesse’s ancestors emigrated from England aboard the Mayflower. Don’t forget that immigration is spelled with a double m, while emigration only has one! Migration (Movement) Migration is the movement of people or animals from one location to another. This covers movement in general, whether leaving or arriving. When migration describes the movement of animals, it is usually from a cold location to a warmer one during winter. We would use it in a sentence like this: American buffalo migrate large distances to find fresh pasture. The same journey can be described using all three words, dependent upon the point of view. To continue the example above, we could say that Jesse’s ancestors migrated when they emigrated from England and immigrated to America. If you would like further advice about word choice or academic writing, the professionals at Proofed can help you today!

10+1 Reasons Why Students HATE College

10+1 Reasons Why Students HATE College This article’s going to bluntly set the record straight and explain why modern students increasingly hate college. Is it just the unwillingness to wake up in the morning and go to classes? Boring lectures? Poor grades? Teacher-student relations? We believe there is much more about the college hating issue and we are going to dig deeper. It’s not going to be pretty so be forewarned. Read at your own risk and enjoy! Reason #1: Students Feel Forced Into It Many youngsters see no other good options, it’s â€Å"student debt or bust.† The workforce seems in rapid systemic decay and the military isn’t their cup of tea. For whatever reason, these folks don’t believe they’re ready to be entrepreneurs. So, while they go through the motions and get decent grades perhaps, their heart really isn’t in it because they feel backed into a corner where college is the only escape. Reason #2: College is Earning a Bad Rap In the Western World â€Å"college† is definitely on the decline. 60% of college graduates are living at home with parents or working minimum wage jobs that don’t technically even require a high school diploma. The central banks high-jacked college educated and turned it into a debt-disbursement mechanism that few students seem to be benefiting from and the overall morale is suffering. Reason #3: The Costs are Getting Ridiculous It’s insane. In America over the last 30 years the price of a general college degree has risen by over 1000%! Interest rates have also gone up, along with the amount of student loans (over a trillion in the student loan bubble so far) bogging down the system. The whole mess wanes on the minds of students†¦ Reason #4: Social Anxiety Awkwardness Some college cultures are awesome beyond words, while others are hell holes for those that aren’t socially proficient or who havent yet matured enough to get along with the general college-going crowd. Reason #5: High School Days are OVER! In high school they were kick ass. In high school they were popular. In high school they rolled with the cool kids. In high school they were someone. Then they arrive on a four year college campus as a freshmen and find out that a) all that’s gone and b) they aren’t nearly as talented as they thought. This happens often in music departments, among thespians, sports, the arts, etc. Reason #6: Most Course Knowledge is Online Now Seriously, the system’s charging outrageous rates for knowledge that can be found via a quick Google search for free. How about all the free and inexpensive e-courses showing up online? How about the increasing library of free and inexpensive e-books containing the same knowledge directly from experts in their fields? The list goes on and on†¦yet still many are compelled by the â€Å"piece of paper† the established route awards (diploma). Reason #7: The Food’s Crummy With the amount of cash flowing into the bank coffers you’d think colleges could afford to feed students nothing but the best. They should be shelling out 5-Star delicacies for these prices! But, alas, dorm food is usually crummy and anything bought on-campus tastes like cheap buffet grubs. Reason #8: Indecisiveness Students get to college and have no idea what to do, what to major or minor in, or why they’re on campus at all. This indecisiveness can be crippling, daunting, and overwhelming to say the least. It causes both social and scholastic paralysis and this does not make their experience all that pleasant. Reason #9: Low Grades and Gargantuan Classes These two things go together because they feed on one another. Low grades obviously suck, but oftentimes the reason behind poor performance has to do with a lack of proper engagement with experts within the major. Being just another face in a crowd, or one in 50-100 students in a classroom, isn’t inspiring. Reason #10: Dashed Expectations Throughout middle school and high school they built up this fantasy of what college would be like, or should be like. Within a couple months of their freshmen year all these expectations are promptly laid to waste. Maybe they aren’t being invited to the mega parties. Maybe they didn’t make the team. Maybe the major they chose turned out to be a bummer in terms of course work. You get the idea. Extra Reason: The Future of College is Uncertain So there’s all of that stuff†¦ coupled with the rise of automation, AI, the digital workforce (no college necessary), and culture-wide disillusionment with â€Å"higher† education. Where will the traditional college institution be in another 4 or 5 years? It’s hard to say. Many will have closed their doors, while others will have transitioned into something else altogether. Speaking of which, when you picture the colleges of the future, what do you see? Do they even exist or has the internet and mobile devices completely taken over? Do you hate college too? Or is there a bright side?

Economic Chartacteristics of the Airlines Research Paper

Economic Chartacteristics of the Airlines - Research Paper Example Here are some of these characteristics. The high levels of capital intensities are associated with airlines. The range of various equipment required to run an airline cannot be compared to the budgeting of a regular size office. We have basic equipment like the ticketing computers, scanning equipment, and other necessities ranging all the way to the planes themselves and the maintenance equipment (Gordon, n.d.). The industry then proves to be a capital-intensive business when you keep in mind the cost of all these fundamental airline equipment. Therefore, most airliners will end up procuring this equipment through loans or even hiring them from other companies. Airlines are also characterized by a high level of labor intensity. For a standard airliner to function well, it will need to hire a number of highly skilled personnel to make it work. This skilled personnel is inclusive of the pilots, flight attenders, plane mechanics and engineers, baggage handlers, security officers, the catering department, managers, accountants and this list has also included lawyers of late (COMPANY BRIEF: Airlines, 2008). All these laborers, as they might be termed as, require to be paid, and as we all know, skill does not come cheap. This character associated with airlines has a great economic implication in the industry. Airlines are also characterized by their nature to be seasonal. This translates to just that, ‘seasons’. It is known that most of the worlds’ masses travel a lot particularly during the summer season. This is because most of them are going on vacations, which create what can be termed as a ‘good season’ in the airline industry (Borenstein, 2011). The winter season, on the other hand, does not involve a lot of traveling leading to a notable decrease in the market of the airline industry. These seasons create an

Biomes and Diversity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Biomes and Diversity - Assignment Example This big shift with the invention of farm implements and tools enabled Man to vastly increase his food supplies, stabilize food sources, made food production a secure and predictable undertaking and this incidentally also allowed the arable land to support a much higher population density. Increased food availability made the entire human population grow exponentially. It has also put pressure on the other species of plants and animals, as there is a growing competition for the available food, space, and other requirements for life. Ever since Man burst unto the scene, so to speak, a good number of species had become extinct due mainly to Mans prolific activities. It is a dangerous development, as biodiversity is necessary for ensuring survival of the remaining species. There are strong ancestor-descendant links between various species and their biomes, so the main concerns should be both conservation (wise use) and preservation (leaving untouched). The past century saw the extinction of about 100 species of birds, mammals, and amphibians (Hassan & Scholes, 2005, p. 105) but this background (natural) extinction rate is expected to be 10,000 higher in the next two centuries if based on ancient fossil records, current trends, and computer modeling of extinction rates (M iller & Spoolman, 2011, p. 191). The loss in genetic diversity becomes a serious threat to Mankinds survival as well, because of the links that was mentioned earlier. There are still many undocumented species, in addition to those already well known, which can provide ecological, economic, and medicinal benefits to Man. People can help to slow down the extinction rate by avoiding environmental degradation, reducing their carbon footprint, minimize pollution, mitigate climate change, refrain from introducing invasive or harmful species to a biome, prevent over-exploitation of open common

Teaching Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Teaching Philosophy - Essay Example Our goal as teachers is to help children learn. However, not all children learn in the same manner. Therefore, we should be able to adjust to them. There is never a wrong way to learn things and there is never a stupid question or a dumb opinion when it comes to children. Children will always experiment. They will always discover something new in the process. They will want to try out their new ideas and experiences with other people. Provided that they do not hurt themselves or others, and provided that the teacher is able to guide them towards the proper understanding of what they have just discovered or learned, there is no reason for them not to share it with others. After all, that is how we evolved as a society. The goal of education has always been to help others learn more about themselves and the world around them. To help them realize that the world we live in is not perfect and that there is always room for improvement and change. Education is vital in the occurrence of th ese changes because it is the educator's job to help the students, the learners realize these shortcomings and encourage them to correct what is wrong or invent ways to improve the world. A reconstructionist education will concentrate mostly on helping the students ask the right social questions that will, in turn, help them create a better society in the future. This is of the utmost importance as technology has begun to show signs of taking over the real world by encouraging people to engage in virtual relationships. A mode of interacting that does nothing to help improve our society because people hide behind the cloak of anonymity in it. At present, technology stands as the enemy of education as people tend to misuse the available technology in an effort to undermine others in our society. But a reconstructionist educational platform will be geared towards using technology in the advancement of the brotherhood of men. It will in effect, create a new school of thought that will a llow people to create a more peaceful and open minded society in the future.

Kodak and Fujifilm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Kodak and Fujifilm - Essay Example In 1965, Fujifilm descended into the US, establishing its quarters in New York, in 1966 it set itself up in Dusseldorf to manage business in Europe, in 1987 it introduced itself to Germany, and so on until it had its industries scattered across the globe, from Japan, to the Middle East, to North America (Fujifilm Global, Corporate History). According to Shigetaka Komori and Shegehiro Nakajima, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer respectively, of Fujifilm, "Once, our overwhelming core business was photographic film, but we have now evolved into a company which is continually growing in a number of new strong business fields." These "new" fields that Fujifilm is expanding into include studying the "fine chemistry which controls elaborate chemical reactions, mechatronics, optics, electronics, software and a wide array of manufacturing technologies." Fujifilm is not just a photofilm industry that deals with only camera related products, rather, as Komori and Nakajima cont end, Fujifilm even caters to producing "highly functional materials such as LCD materials; medical/life sciences such as pharmaceuticals, functional skin care cosmetics and nutritional supplements; graphic arts such as printing materials and equipment; optical devices such as camera phone lens units; digital imaging such as digital cameras, digital printing, and Photobook." For Fujifilm, the ultimate goal is to "make a broad contribution to society through products and services using our leading-edge, proprietary technologies," and "aim to be a company which can respond to any changes with corporate excellence on a global scale," (Fujifilm Global, Message from the Chairman and President). Moving onto Kodak, American inventor George Eastman founded his photofilm company in Rochester, New York in 1982 (Sparkes, Kodak: 130 years of history). In 1900, Kodak launched its Brownie camera, bringing the camera into the hands of the masses of society, and in 1969, the Appollo 11 mission even made use of Kodak film. Sparkes also mentions that in 1975, Kodak was the first to build a digital camera and in 2005 it was "the largest seller of digital cameras in the US, with revenue reaching $5.7bn." Kodak's plan was to "make photography as convenient as the pencil," and the official US Kodak website further states that Kodak is "known not only for photography, but also for images used in a variety of leisure, commercial, entertainment and scientific applications. Its reach increasingly involves the use of technology to combine images and information--creating the potential to profoundly change how people and businesses communicate." Rupert Neate in his "Kodak falls in the 'creative destruction of the digital age," makes a very poignat statement that now "it is the end of the "Kodak moment." Michael Krigsman in his piece on "Goodbye Kodak, Hello Fujifilm," also makes a similar comment that "After 131 years great American photographic icon, Eastman Kodak, filed for bankruptcy w hile Japanese FujiFilm rises toward greatness." Clearly, there has been a sharp decline in the success of Kodak despite

Zinc and immunity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Zinc and immunity - Research Paper Example iciency also manipulates development of the acquired immunity by averting the outgrowth along with some functions of T lymphocytes like production Th1 cytokine, activation and B lymphocyte aid.2 Similarly, development of B-lymphocyte and production of antibody, mainly immunoglobulin G, is tampered. The macrophage, which is an essential cell in most immunologic roles, is negatively affected by the zinc deficiency. It can deregulate cytokine production, intracellular killing, and phagocytosis. The impact of zinc on the main immunologic mediators is based in the myriad duties for zinc in essential cellular duties like RNA transcription, DNA replication, cell division, as well as cell activation. Zinc deficiency potentiates Apoptosis. Zinc as well acts as an antioxidant and is able to alleviate membranes.1-2 In people suffering from trivial zinc deficiency, the clinical signs are impaired smell and taste, depressed immunity, impairment of memory, onset of night blindness and reduced spermatogenesis in males.2 Rigorous zinc deficiency has the characteristics of frequent infections, rigorously depressed immune function, bullous pustular dermatitis, alopecia, diarrhea, and mental disturbances.3 Comparable effects of mild as well as rigorous zinc deficiency occur in laboratory animals that are zinc-deficient. An uncommon genetic disorder, called acrodermatitis enteropathica, happens in humans and cattle, resulting in reduced zinc absorption followed by attribute hyperpigmented skin lesions, deprived growth, and low concentrations of plasma zinc.2-3 This research investigates the features of zinc ecology of the immune system and tries to offer a biological foundation for the changed host opposition to infections seen in zinc deficiency as well as supplementation. Am J Clin Nutr 1998;68(suppl):447S–63S. Many human and animal studies show that zinc shortage reduces resistance to infectious diseases. Animals that are Zinc deficient have concealed immune responses. They

Kodak and Fujifilm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Kodak and Fujifilm - Essay Example In 1965, Fujifilm descended into the US, establishing its quarters in New York, in 1966 it set itself up in Dusseldorf to manage business in Europe, in 1987 it introduced itself to Germany, and so on until it had its industries scattered across the globe, from Japan, to the Middle East, to North America (Fujifilm Global, Corporate History). According to Shigetaka Komori and Shegehiro Nakajima, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer respectively, of Fujifilm, "Once, our overwhelming core business was photographic film, but we have now evolved into a company which is continually growing in a number of new strong business fields." These "new" fields that Fujifilm is expanding into include studying the "fine chemistry which controls elaborate chemical reactions, mechatronics, optics, electronics, software and a wide array of manufacturing technologies." Fujifilm is not just a photofilm industry that deals with only camera related products, rather, as Komori and Nakajima cont end, Fujifilm even caters to producing "highly functional materials such as LCD materials; medical/life sciences such as pharmaceuticals, functional skin care cosmetics and nutritional supplements; graphic arts such as printing materials and equipment; optical devices such as camera phone lens units; digital imaging such as digital cameras, digital printing, and Photobook." For Fujifilm, the ultimate goal is to "make a broad contribution to society through products and services using our leading-edge, proprietary technologies," and "aim to be a company which can respond to any changes with corporate excellence on a global scale," (Fujifilm Global, Message from the Chairman and President). Moving onto Kodak, American inventor George Eastman founded his photofilm company in Rochester, New York in 1982 (Sparkes, Kodak: 130 years of history). In 1900, Kodak launched its Brownie camera, bringing the camera into the hands of the masses of society, and in 1969, the Appollo 11 mission even made use of Kodak film. Sparkes also mentions that in 1975, Kodak was the first to build a digital camera and in 2005 it was "the largest seller of digital cameras in the US, with revenue reaching $5.7bn." Kodak's plan was to "make photography as convenient as the pencil," and the official US Kodak website further states that Kodak is "known not only for photography, but also for images used in a variety of leisure, commercial, entertainment and scientific applications. Its reach increasingly involves the use of technology to combine images and information--creating the potential to profoundly change how people and businesses communicate." Rupert Neate in his "Kodak falls in the 'creative destruction of the digital age," makes a very poignat statement that now "it is the end of the "Kodak moment." Michael Krigsman in his piece on "Goodbye Kodak, Hello Fujifilm," also makes a similar comment that "After 131 years great American photographic icon, Eastman Kodak, filed for bankruptcy w hile Japanese FujiFilm rises toward greatness." Clearly, there has been a sharp decline in the success of Kodak despite

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Globalization - Essay Example The government should assist in enlightening the masses on the projects it plans to undertake. In addition, it should provide budget literacy so that the public could understand their role and that of the government in allocation. Government has a problem of ensuring that globalization spreads in all countries in the world. The process is difficult since outreaching to the huge population is a cumbersome and expensive exercise. The government plays a major task when it comes to doing away with the stereotypes concerning globalization .Most third world countries believe that globalization leads to instability. Dealing with the menace caused by financial crises is an issue that the government cannot evade. The government has to encourage young people to go for quality education so as to be able to compete worldwide. Individuals who have low levels of education find it hard to secure jobs due to competition by the learned. Those who were employed have lost their jobs over the years. In addition, the current employment wages

Claptons recording Essay Example for Free

Claptons recording Essay A distinct genre of music originated between 1890 and 1910 drawing from elements of African American music, and emerging ragtime and jazz and this genre came to be known as the blues. The main instruments of blues music are the guitar, piano, harmonica, along with violin, mandolin, string bass, trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, and the drum set. From the late 1950s, following the incorporation of electric bass and keyboards into blues ensembles and the ascendancy of electric lead guitar and soul blues singing, blues experienced a slowdown in its evolutionary development within the American black community. This halt also coincided with the growth of white interest and involvement in the blues. And soon a few white solo performers, such as John Hammond, Jr. , began to emerge as blues specialists (Moore, 2002). This provided great impetus in the growth of blues popularity among American whites and internationally. Most of these performers continued to work within established contemporary blues parameters or explored and re-created historical sounds, creating new songs, sometimes developing new themes to reflect a more modern lifestyle, and maintaining a high level of instrumental virtuosity (Moore, 2002). While rock and blues have historically always been closely linked, blues-rock as a distinct genre did not arise until the late 1960s. The genre was originally British, with artists like Alexis Korner and John Mayall forming bands. John Mayall started a band called The Bluesbreakers in 1963, and he was able to recruit a young British guitarist named Eric Clapton in 1965. Eric Clapton is a British guitarist, singer, and songwriter, specially noted for his virtuoso guitar playing and whose style is based on American blues as played by T-Bone Walker, B. B. King, Muddy Waters, and particularly Robert Johnson. Clapton was influential in the development of rock music in the 1960s, playing with the Yardbirds (1963–65), John Mayalls Bluesbreakers (1965–66), Cream (1966–68), Blind Faith (1969), and Derek and the Dominos (1970–71). His first solo recording, Eric Clapton, featuring the hit After Midnight, was released in 1970. In seclusion from 1971 while battling heroin addiction, he resurfaced in 1974 with 461 Oceanside Boulevard, which included a version of Bob Marleys I Shot the Sheriff. (Where’s Eric, 2006). Eric Claptons influences and upbringing played a huge role in his evolution as a blues musician. As a teenager, he was drawn to such blues masters as Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson. Jamming in pubs and clubs, Eric soon joined the Yardbirds, a commercially performing group marked for great success. Eric Clapton left the band in 1965 and seeking a purer avenue to the blues, he briefly joined John Mayall The Bluesbreakers. Eric stayed for just one album and decided to break away mainly because the work rate imposed by Mayall left little time for fun. Moreover, Eric got bored of simply copying his blues heroes in John Mayalls band and felt it was time to turn his artistry into creativity. He also recognized a kindred spirit in Jack Bruce. In 1968 that Clapton formed Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. This group showcased his talent at potent, extended guitar improvisations and produced vastly different original music including the hits White Room, Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love (Roberty, 1995) Eric Clapton, over the years has recorded many blues songs. But he always made it a point to provide benefit and credit to the original artists of blues music. Claptons recording of Skip James â€Å"Im So Glad†, was recorded when Clapton was a member of the power trio Cream. The credit obtained through this song was a huge help for original blues artist James; royalties from the recording paid Jamess medical expenses at a time when he was virtually destitute (Weissman, 2004). Cream folded two years later when Clapton left to form Blind Faith with Steve Winwood, Rick Grech and Ginger Baker. This group too did not last over a year and soon Clapton, in search of further freedom and expression recorded his debut solo album in 1970, joining forces with the American team of Delaney and Bonnie. It was then that he began to actively develop his vocal skills simultaneously working on the state of rock guitar, as part of Delaney and Bonnie Friends. He also worked with Derek and the Dominos, where, in the company of Duane Allman, he fashioned such enduring classics as Layla (Roberty, 1995). The early and mid-seventies was a time of great struggle for Eric Clapton as he battled with drug addiction. He had huge solo hits such as 461 Ocean Boulevard and also traveled a lot during this period. Albums in the mid-to-late 70s, such as ‘Theres One in Every Crowd’, E. C. Was Here and No Reason To Cry, were all Top 20 chart hits. It was an era defined by such Clapton-classics as Wonderful Tonight, I Shot the Sheriff,† Lay down Sally and the 1978 release â€Å"Slowhand†. Clapton began an amazing run of gold and platinum successes that continue to this day. Claptons place in music history had long since been assured but it is important to note that his popularity was largely due to his strong adherence to total musical integrity, which brought him, time and again, back to the basics of the blues. Recently Eric Clapton on the success of his blues album â€Å"The Cradle† has said: The bones of this thing are coming from inside me and my need to pay back all these people that I heard from Day One†. In this latest album, he has paid tribute to blues gurus such as Robert Johnson, Lowell Fulsom, Elmore James, Willie Dixon and the inimitable Muddy Waters. Thus, whether playing electric or acoustic, Eric Clapton remains the quintessential blues guitarist. Bibliography: Wheres Eric! (2006), A Brief Biography of Eric Clapton. Issue 39. http://www. ericclaptonfaq. com/biography-ecs-life-career/clapton-biography-mother-father-grandparents-wife-children-son-daughter-addiction-. html Moore, Allan (2002). The Cambridge Companion to Blues and Gospel Music. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, England. 2002. Weissman, Dick (2004). Blues: The Basics. Routledge Publishers. New York. 2004 Eric Clapton: Blues You Cant Loose. http://www. iem. ac. ru/clapton/ Roberty, Marc (1995). The complete guide to the music of Eric Clapton. Omnibus Press. 1995.

Kiliani-fischer Synthesis of Monosaccharides

Kiliani-fischer Synthesis of Monosaccharides Teoh Shi Hao Sean Introduction Monosaccharides are the most basic unit of carbohydrates, playing an essential role in the biochemistry of life. The most important and commonly occurring form is glucose, used as an energy source in cells (Solomon et al., 2011). Monosaccharides have the chemical formula (CH2O)n (where n 3) but those with eight or more carbons are uncommon due to their inherent instability (Solomon et al., 2011; McMurry, 2008). In a monosaccharide molecule, each carbon atom has a hydroxyl group bonded to it, except one which has an oxygen atom double bonded to it instead thus forming a carbonyl group (Solomon et al., 2011). The monosaccharide is an aldehyde if the carbonyl group is located at the end of the chain, and a ketone if the carbonyl group is located at any other position. Monosaccharides can exist in acyclic or cyclic forms, and usually switch between the two forms (McMurry, 2008). The Kiliani-Fischer synthesis is a technique for lengthening these important biomolecules. Mechanism Figure 1 below shows the reaction equation of the technique. A starting sugar is first reacted with sodium cyanide to form cyanohydrin, and subsequently hydrolysed through the application of heat to form two diastereomeric aldonic acid lactone intermediates. These intermediates are later separated through separation techniques, such as chromatography, and the desired lactone is reduced using a sodium amalgam to form a resultant sugar that has one carbon atom more than the starting sugar. In this written review, the starting sugar will be a aldopentose and the resultant sugar will be a aldohexose. Figure 1 – Reaction equation of the Kiliani-Fischer synthesis (Kilini-Fischer synthesis, 2014; Fischer, 1890). Nucleophilic addition of aldehyde to form cyanohydrin The first step in Kiliani-Fischer synthesis involves nucleophilic addition of the starting sugar, an aldehyde. NaCN and H2O are used as reagents (McMurry, 2008). Figure 2 below shows the mechanism of the reaction. A lone pair on a CN ion initiates the reaction by attacking the nucleophilic carbon atom at the carbonyl group, forming a tetrahedral intermediate. The O then attacks the H atom of a H2O molecule, forming a cyanohydrin. Figure 2 – Reaction of starting sugar to form cyanohydrin. Hydrolysis of cyanohydrin to form aldonic acid The second step in Kiliani-Fischer synthesis involves the hydrolysis of the cyanohydrin to form aldonic acid (McMurry, 2008). H2O is used as the reagent, with heat applied. Figure 3 below shows the mechanism of the reaction. The lone pair on the O of OH, formed by the auto-ionization of water, attacks the nucleophilic C of the cyanohydrin forming a trigonal planar structure. The lone pair on the N then attacks an H of a H2O molecule, followed by the double bond of C=N attacking the H atom bonded to the OH group. The resultant molecule is an amide. An OH ion then attacks the nucleophilic carbon at the carbonyl group, forming a tetrahedral intermediate that collapses with NH2 leaving as a leaving group. An aldonic acid molecule is formed. Figure 3 – Hydrolysis of cyanohydrin to form aldonic acid. Esterification of aldonic acid to form lactone intermediate and subsequent reduction to form resultant sugar With the same reagent of H2O and conditions of heat, the aldonic acid produced from the hydrolysis of cyanohydrin undergoes esterification to form lactone intermediates (McMurry, 2008). Figure 4 below shows the mechanism of the reaction. A lone pair on the O at the carbonyl group of COOH attacks a proton produced by the auto-ionization of water. The tautomer of the resulting intermediate has a nucleophilic carbon, C1, which is attacked by a lone pair present on the OH group on the other end of the aldonic acid chain. The electrons from the O-H bond of the attacking OH group is withdrawn by the O+, and the resulting proton is attacked by a lone pair on the OH group attached to C1. The lone pair from the O of the other OH group attached to C1 forms a second bond between C and O, and a H2O molecule leaves as a leaving group. The electrons from the O-H bond then forms a second bond between C and O, and a proton leaves. A lactone intermediate is formed. Finally, the lactone intermediate is reduced using a sodium amalgam, Na(Hg), to form the resultant aldohexose monosaccharide (McMurry, 2008). Reagents used are sodium amalgam and sulphuric acid, in cold solution (Fischer, 1890). Figure 5 below shows the reaction equation. The exact mechanism of reduction by sodium amalgam is unknown at this point in time (Keck et al., 1994). Figure 4 – Esterification of aldonic acid to form lactone intermediate. Figure 5 – Reduction of aldonic acid to resultant sugar. History and development The Kiliani-Fischer synthesis is named after German chemists Heinrich Kiliani and Hermann Emil Fischer. Its original purpose was to elucidate all 16 stereoisomers of aldohexoses, as achieved by Fischer. Key discoveries that to the development of this technique included: (1) Louis Pasteur’s insight that the â€Å"molecule of tartaric acid came in two forms that were mirror images†, or isomers, of one another, and that each of these isomers rotated polarized light in different directions (Wagner, 2004, p.240), (2) Jacobus H. van’t Hoff’s and J. A. Le Bel’s insight of the â€Å"concept of an asymmetric carbon atom†, that isomers of compounds exist despite identical chemical formulae because of asymmetric carbon atoms, and the relationship between stereochemistry and optical activity (Wagner, 2004, p.240), and (3) Fischer’s creation of phenylhydrazine, a reagent that reacts with sugar molecules to form osazones. Prior to the discovery of this technique, relatively little was known about the structural properties of monosaccharides. It was difficult to study monosaccharides because of their â€Å"tendency to form syrups rather than solids that could be dissolved and crystallized easily† (Wagner, 2004). However, Fischer discovered phenylhydrazine which when reacted with aldonic acids (formed by oxidation of sugars) forms osazones (Kunz, 2002). These carbohydrate derivatives could be isolated easily through crystallization, and had physical forms that could be distinguished from one another (Kunz, 2002). Their subsequent analysis allowed Fischer to identify and segregate isomers of the monosaccharides (Wagner, 2004). The aldonic acid can be regenerated by addition of baryta water, or aqueous solution of barium hydroxide, to the segregated osazone (Fischer, 1890). The then purified aldonic acid can be evaporated to transform into welling-crystallizing lactone for further study (Fischer, 1 890). Using this technique, Fischer discovered that two distinct monosaccharides, D-glucose and D-mannose, yield the same osazone because osazone formation destroys the asymmetry about C2 without affecting the rest of the molecule (Wagner, 2004). Furthermore, the lactones of D-glucose and D-mannose turned polarized light in different directions. As such, he concluded that D-glucose and D-mannose have identical structures but were mirror images of one another (Wagner, 2004). However, their exact structures were still unknown. In 1886, Kiliani discovered a method to lengthen the carbon chain of an organic molecule, using cyanide as a reagent to form cyanohydrin (McMurry, 2012). Fischer realized the potential of this discovery in advancing the study of carbohydrates, adding on an additional step to convert the cyanohydrin nitrile group into an aldehyde (McMurry, 2012). Thus, the Kiliani-Fischer synthesis was created. This new technique allowed Fischer to research further into the stereoisomerism of monosaccharides and continue off where he last stopped – that D-glucose and D-mannose were stereoisomers but of unknown structures. Applications Elucidation of aldohexose stereoisomers Figure 5 on the right shows the general structure of a aldohexose. In order to apply the Kiliani-Fischer synthesis in the elucidation of aldohexose stereoisomers, Fischer had to first make a starting assumption that the –OH group of D-glucose at C5 was on the right side (Wagner, 2004). L-arabinose is an aldopentose having five carbon atoms. Its exact structure had been deciphered by Fischer, and is asymmetric at C2, C3 and C ­4 as shown in Figure 6 on the right. Fischer discovered that the Kiliani-Fischer synthesis converted L-arabinose into both D-glucose and D-mannose (Wagner, 2004). This therefore implied that D-glucose and D-mannose shared the same configuration about C3, C4 and C5 as the analogous carbons in L-arabinose (C2, C3 and C4 respectively) (Wagner, 2004). This insight led Fischer to use L-arabinose in conjunction with D-glucose and D-mannose as materials for further research. Fischer discovered that oxidizing L-arabinose created a product that was optically active (Wagner, 2004). If the starting assumption made by Fischer was true, then this implied that the –OH group at C2 in L-arabinose (and thus C3 in D-glucose and D-mannose) must be on the left side or the product would be optically inactive (Wagner, 2004). Next, Fischer determined that oxidizing D-glucose and D-mannose resulted in dicarboxylic acids that were optically active (Wagner, 2004). This implied that the –OH group at C4 in D-glucose and D-mannose (and thus C3 in L-arabinose) must be on the right side or the product would be optically inactive (Wagner, 2004). Finally, Fischer found that oxidizing D-gulose resulted in the same dicarboxylic acid as that of D-glucose (Wagner, 2004). Through logic, Fischer realized this implied that the –OH group at C2 in D-glucose must be on the right side. Piecing together all the information, Fischer finally determined the exact structure of D-glucose and D-mannose, as shown in Figure 7 below. Problems and improvements The Kiliani-Fischer synthesis is a commonly used technique in preparing aldoses. However, the last step in the reaction process, reduction, produces â€Å"mixtures containing product aldoses, unreacted lactone, aldonic acid salts, and alditols† (Serianni et al., 1979; p.71). Reduction by sodium amalgam allows the production of acylated aldoses in high yields but the subsequent removal of the acyl groups often degrades the product aldose (Serianni et al., 1979). An improvement to this method would be to reduce the nitrile over a palladium catalyst (Serianni et al., 1979; McMurry, 2012). This would yield an imine intermediate instead, that can be hydrolysed to an aldehyde. References Fischer, E. (1890). Synthesis in the sugar group. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 12(8), 400-409. Fischer, E. (1902). Syntheses in the purine and sugar group. Nobel Lectures, Chemistry 1901, 1921, 21-35. Keck, G. E., Savin, K. A. Weglarz, M. A. (1995). Use of samarium diiodide as an alternative to sodium/mercury amalgam in the Julia-Lythgoe Olefination. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 60(10), 3194–3204. Kiliani-Fischer synthesis (2014). Wikipedia. Retrieved April 2, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiliani%E2%80%93Fischer_synthesis. Kunz, H. (2002). Emil Fischer – unequalled classicist, master of organic chemistry, and inspired trailblazer of biological chemistry. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 41(23), 4439-4451. Magner, J. A. (2004). Emil Fischer (1852-1919): The stereochemical nature of sugars. The Endocrinologist, 14(5), 239-244. McMurry, J. (2008). Organic Chemistry (7th edition). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. McMurry, J. (2012). Organic Chemistry (8th edition). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole Serianni, A. S., Nunez, H. A. Barker, R. (1979). Carbon-13 enriched carbohydrates: Preparation of aldonitrile and their reduction with a palladium catalyst. Carbohydrate Research, 72, 71-78. Solomon, E. P., Berg, L. R., Martin, D. W. (2011). Biology (9th edition). Singapore, CA: Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd.

Pablo Picasso Essay -- Essays Papers

Pablo Picasso "Yet Cubism and Modern art weren't either scientific or intellectual; they were visual and came from the eye and mind of one of the greatest geniuses in art history. Pablo Picasso, born in Spain, was a child prodigy who was recognized as such by his art-teacher father who ably led him along. The small Museo de Picasso in Barcelona is devoted primarily to his early works, which include strikingly realistic renderings of casts of ancient sculpture. "He was a rebel from the start and, as a teenager, began to frequent the Barcelona cafes where intellectuals gathered. He soon went to Paris, the capital of art, and soaked up the works of Manet, Gustave Courbet, and Toulouse-Lautrec, whose sketchy style impressed him greatly. Then it was back to Spain, a return to France, and again back to Spain - all in the years 1899 to 1904. "Before he struck upon Cubism, Picasso went through a prodigious number of styles - realism, caricature, the Blue Period, and the Rose Period. The Blue Period dates from 1901 to 1904 and is characterized by a predominantly blue palette and subjects focusing on outcasts, beggars, and prostitutes. This was when he also produced his first sculptures. The most poignant work of the style is in Cleveland's Museum of Art, La Vie (1903), that was created in memory of a great childhood friend, the Spanish poet Casagemas, who had committed suicide. The painting started as a self-portrait, but Picasso's features became those of his lost friend. The composition is stilted, the space compressed, the gestures stiff, and the tones predominantly blue. Another outstanding Blue Period work, of 1903, is in the Metropolitan, The Blind Man's Meal. Yet another example, perhaps the most lyrical and mysterious ever, is in the Toledo Museum of Art, the haunting Woman with a Crow (1903). "The Rose Period began around 1904 when Picasso's palette brightened, the paintings dominated by pinks and beige, light blues, and roses. His subjects are saltimbanques (circus people), harlequins, and clowns, all of whom seem to be mute and strangely inactive. One of the premier works of this period is in Washington, D.C., the National Gallery's large and extremely beautiful Family of Saltimbanques dating to 1905, which portrays a group of circus workers who appear alienated and incapable of communicating with each other, set in a one-dimensional space... ...ods. This paperback version is the smarter buy. Also available: A Life of Picasso: Volume II, 1907-1917, which covers the critical Cubist Period. Picasso : The Early Years 1892-1906 This is the catalog to the blockbuster show of 1997, featuring the Blue and Rose Periods. The graphics are of exceptional quality, and the accompanying essays are enlightening, focusing on less well-known aspects of this period of Picasso's career. Picasso and Portraiture : Representation and Transformation William Rubin (Editor), Anne Baldassari, Pierre Daix This is the catalog to the blockbuster show of 1996, featuring portraits from the beginning to end of Picasso's long career. The graphics are again of exceptional quality. Rubin's essay in particular is critical in art historical writing on the Spanish master. Picasso's Variations on the Masters : Confrontations With the Past Susan Grace Galassi This is an extremely interesting look at Picasso's series paintings based on masterworks from the past, from Velazquez to Delacroix to Manet. It was as if he could not find sufficient competition among contemporary artists, and looked to outdo the masters of the past in their own works.

Habitat for Humanity: I Helped Make A Difference :: Community Service, Service Learning

Habitat for Humanity’s goal is to provide affordable homes for low†income families. This requirement surprisingly fits many of the residents of Midland and as a result needs more volunteers to help build these homes. One can assist by painting, clearing lots, aiding in the construction, and much more. I was fortunate enough to meet some of the homeowners and those in process of obtaining one. These people were so uplifting and encouraging to one another that it made my days of volunteering more enjoyable then ever imagined. Working beside them I really got to know them and learn about their situations and future goals for their families. I can recall one instance in which I met a lady who was a single mother trying to provide a better home for her daughter who had severe allergies. When the home we were building came closer to completion, I wondered if we’d place grass on the front and back yards. Continuously questioning our team leader, I finally received my answer. No. It turned out that the lady whom I mentioned earlier would sacrifice having a yard full of grass in order to help her daughter’s allergies, she would also have no carpet due to the dust. After learning of this wonderful deed for the sake of her daughter, I looked up to this woman who was truly unselfish and caring for her daughter’s well being. This home would not only be a representation of her countless hours but also an extension in the preservation of her daughter’s health. Day after day I would apply my skills in painting these homes alongside others who deeply wanted to provide the best quality in their workmanship for those that would soon be moving in. I can’t even express how many times I tried to make a straight line when outlining the frames of the windows and doors in paint. However, their desire to make things appear the best made me want to try harder. After completing a home a dedication ceremony would be held in honor of the family moving in. All that work would be expressed in a single reward, a deserving family with a new home.

The Mystery behind the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker

Perhaps the most impossible situation that a person could be into is be imprisoned in a haunted castle housed by weird people and be caught in a situation wherein there is no way out but maybe in the end, believing that you can will be a great help to strengthen your will to survive. Jonathan Harker’s experience in Count Dracula’s castle did not simply end it in escaping from the Count and from his wicked castle. Instead, it was the start of a much more serious talk about the society and about life.Despite being a horror novel, Dracula gave a clear view of a life that a person should have involving transformation, religious beliefs and even sexuality and its boundaries thus, the novel holds a clear issue of several aspects in life pointing in four major topics. The novel Dracula did not simply talked about the horror of being with the vampires but it showed a society in its near transformation, erasing every mark of innocence and purity.The novel Dracula did not support just any myth or legend but, it made a new way to discover and pin point critical issue happening in the society and the every normal day of a human being thus it leads us into analyzing the whole novel and figuring out what is the hidden message behind the horrific story. Thesis Statement: Bram Stoker’s Dracula did not just retell a story of people affected by Count Dracula, instead, he told a story of a changing society and the effects that it will give to the rest of the humanity.With Count Dracula in the story, Stoker told a story of transformation and a battle between the good and the evil. Literature Review: Bram Stoker: The Author of a legendary vampire story On the eight day of November 1847, Bram Stoker was born in Clontarf, Ireland (Miller, n. pag). Son of a civil servant and a charity worker, his mother, also a writer, he enjoyed every story she told her. He was a sickly boy although his childhood but an intelligent one (Douthat and Hopson , n. pag. ).In 1867, he graduated in Trinity College majoring in Mathematics and later on joined the Irish civil service. He also worked as a freelance journalist and wrote drama critics (Miller, n. pag. ). He became a good friend of Henry Irving and he managed the Lyceum Theatre owned by the English Actor until his death in 1906 (Encarta, n. pag. ). Aside from Dracula, Stoker’s first stories were children stories. His stories were not given much appreciation at that time but when he released the novel â€Å"Dracula† in 1897, It became the great hit as time goes by.Bram Stoker, Abraham Stoker (Encarta, n. pag) by birth died in 1912 (Douthat and Hopson , n. pag. ). Dracula: Backgrounder Bram Stoker’s Dracula was not his first novel but it is his greatest literary achievement even if it was not a big hit on its first release (Douthat and Hopson , n. pag. ). The continuous printing of the novel up to the present reveals its success to readers all around the world. Thus, the success of thi s novel showed that the people are really interested with horror stories. It marked the coming of the â€Å"horror† genre in the novels.Although it was focused in telling a horror story, Bram Stoker emphasized some points necessary in our lives thus giving the readers a hint of what it could be if something like in the story happens in real life. The novel was about Count Dracula, the king of the vampires and the group of young noble men who chases him and kills him in the end. It was a horror novel included in the gothic genre written in 1891 to 1897 in London England and was published by Constable in 1897 in an English language (Douthat and Hopson , n.pag. ).. The whole paper is mostly made up of journals written by the characters in the novel. From the first person perspective, the conversation shifts into several people with the tone of melodramatic, righteous and dark. Set in the nineteenth century Eastern Europe and England, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mina, Lucy, Jon athan, Quincey, Arthur, Val and John tried to stop the Evil Count Dracula from transforming people into vampires and killing more and more (Douthat and Hopson , n. pag. ). Dracula: SummaryThe story of the novel â€Å"Dracula† started in a journal entry of Jonathan Harker in one of his business travels in Transylvania for a real state transaction with a person named Count Dracula. On his way to the Eastern European country, he decided to write down his travel in a journal and later share it to his girlfriend and fiancee named Mina. Although he as warned by the people and was even given protection such as crucifixes, he was determined to continue the transaction and did not pay too much attention with the warnings of the local peasants (Stoker, 1-26).When he reached Count Dracula’s castle, his suspicions disappeared when he was welcomed by a man but during his stay in the castle, he was frightened by some circumstances which drew him investigating. When he determined tha t he was already a prisoner in the castle by no other than Count Dracula, he attempted to escape but all he found were locked doors all over the castle (Stoker, 29-51). In his sleep, he removed the crucifix given to him and was somehow â€Å"Attacked† by three voluptuous and seductive women who were also vampires like Count Dracula.Before they were able to have him, Count Dracula came and saved him (Stoker, 68-73). On the other hand, his fiancee was having a continuous exchange of letters with her friend named Lucy who was talking about her marriage proposals from three men named John Seward, a doctor, Arthur Holmwood, a noble man and the one she choose to marry and lastly was from Quincey Morris (Stoker, 98-109). The whole adventure started when Mina visited Lucy in Whitby and was saddened by the fact that her fiancee haven’t arrived yet. In her stay with Lucy, she found out that she was sleep walking mostly at night.To help her, she talked to Dr. Seward and they trie d to help Lucy but in hopelessness, Dr. Seward asked for the help of his mentor Van Helsing who also tried his best to revive Lucy (Stoker, 113-170). Jonathan who already reunited with his fiancee after having brain fever asked Mina to hide his journal and open only if it is needed. Upon knowing the situation of her friend through Steward, she gave him the journal and Jonathan started a new one after knowing that something like his experienced happened to Lucy. In hopelessness, the older doctor tried to save Lucy through Garlic powers.The latter mixed tradition, belief and modern science to save Lucy but in the end, she died and belong to the â€Å"Un-dead† (Stoker, n. pag). Now chasing Count Dracula, Van Helsing created a group to chase the Count in exemption of Mina who will later on become the Count’s next target. Although it was hard for Holmwood to kill his beloved Lucy, they killed her to save her soul now that she is also a vampire killing children. Mina on the other hand was attacked by the Count in her sleep, unaware that she was already a victim of Count Dracula’s goal to turn a person into a vampire (Stoker, n.pag). The band travelled miles over seas and land to capture the Count and when they did, they killed him and Mina became human again while Quincey Morris died of a fatal wound (Stoker, 653-684). Women in the Victorian Society When it comes to the status of women in the society, there is a big debate on their existence. Although they were mostly treated with respect, it is also visible that men do not look at them as equal. There are several stories about the women of the past centuries and how they live up their life being just a second class citizen in the world made only for man.There are also a lot of historical contexts about the women suffrage and the movements which fought hard enough to have a fair and equal treatment between the men and the woman. Now, there is a difference between the women of the past and the Vi ctorian women. Hearing the word Victorian would made one think that it is such a glamorous and social word created for the members of the higher society, the rich and the famous but what is in there with the Victorian women that made them famous? Victorian era lasted for 64 years and there were numerous changes both in the society and the women’s attitudes right before the century ended.Victorian era was a very long year or moment of prosperity thus there were several strict laws or perhaps moral codes (Thomas, n. pag). Victorian women were women of good qualities. At a young age, the Victorian women are being groomed and taught of certain things to prepare them before they enter courtship and get married. They are expected to be weak and incapable of making decisions. She is the man of the house, only in the house. Her major role is to bear children, prepare the food and maintain a smooth atmosphere in the family (Thomas, n. pag).Although the above paragraph states the gener al status of Victorian women in the society, among their race, there are still some differences between the classes. Victorian women or wife of a wealthy man is her husband’s social representative and spends most of her time either writing or reading or sewing and many more while the poor women are not as lucky as the Victorian women (Thomas, n. pag). The greatest detector of differences was the clothes worn by the women. While wealthy wives wear the traditional Victorian clothes made up of high quality materials, the poor women do not share the same luxury (Thomas, n.pag). Social Issues visible in the Novel Although the novel focused more in the story of Count Dracula and his plans to take over humanity and turn each one into vampires, there are slight attachments in the social situation that is visible during those times in the Victorian society. Stoker touched a important aspect of the Victorian society, the Victorian women who were commonly house people thus in his novel, he characterized them as a typical women of the Victorian era, heroines of the novel, Mina and Lucy possessed the attitudes of a typical women of their time but with a twist.The transformation of women of their time is one of the great issues in the novel. With the fast changing prosperity and development of the era, there are also several changes both in the society, the women and the men alike. With just this issue of transformation, it opens the issue of sexual boundaries and sexuality. While men were considered as strong individuals, women are considered as weak people with no power to make decisions except when it comes to daily meals for the family.They are not expected to work outside of the house, especially the rich ones and at the same time, they practice etiquette in the right and proper way. Treated as second class citizens with respect, the women were precious gems of the era (Thomas, n. pag). Thus it matters the most if these women who practiced innocence and purity t urned into someone different perhaps turn into a seductive and sexually starve women, there is a big debate of the idea that these precious gems will turn into a destroyer of innocence. At the same time, the seal boundaries talked more on the gender bias issue that there is in the society.Perhaps, there is no need to explain further why this one is mentioned because while reading the book, one will understand that the women of that time do not have the same rights as the men. Even Van Helsing does not want Mina to join them in their chase with the Count. This one is enough evidence that the women are treated with a different way than the men. While men are heroes, women are damsels in distress. Drawn Conclusion Bram Stoker’s Dracula talked more on vampires and Count Dracula’s evil plans, each part of the novel symbolized the people of the society particularly the Victorian women.The transformation of a Victorian woman to a seductive and sexually active woman is one of the transformations that are very threatening to the humanity. Not that women should remain tame but because it erases innocence that one holds. At the same time, the sexual attraction that a woman can exercise could make a man down for her thus making him just a follower. The novel simply talked transformation in a way that it will not be seen directly except of keen observance in the characters and the flow of the story.Although there is a little bit unclear instances, the mere fact that Count Dracula chooses to victimize women means that there is an on-going transformation with the Victorian women and in order to somehow state the transformation or the changes, Stoker probably thought that using them as characters in the novel, preferably as heroines, Mina and Lucy stood for the Victorian women, an image of class, wit and elegance while the three vampire women who attacked Harker in the first chapter showed the drastic change of the women of the Victorian era being seductive and sexually attractive to the eyes of the men.The battle between the good and the evil is shown by the characters of Count Dracula and the group of Van Helsing. While Count Dracula wanted to changed humanity into vampires and makes the human beings as the primary source of food instead of humans searching for foods, in the Count’s dream, men will be the food and the vampires will be the killers. Although this is such an impossible thing, we must take it into account that the vampires are part of legends and myths which can somehow be considered either true or not.While we are stressing the reality that the novel wants us to see, there are certain issues that must be given more attention. The horror that the book brings to the readers and the chills it gives and the shivers it lets to run down in our body, there is a much more important idea and issue that should be given a tougher concentration. The massacre and the killings that the vampires give us are already present in the s ociety. Although it does not actually look like the vampire killings, the murder that there is in the society is part of the horror.The evil deeds of the evil people who can do crimes are characterized by Dracula’s evil plans for the humanity. We must take it into account that the crimes are evil things and evil deeds to thus we experience horror almost everyday, When it comes to sexual boundaries, this is focused in gender bias because in the Victorian era, there were no justified rights for the women and no one treats them as their equal. As women of the society, they have less rights and equality is out of reach. Although some would consider these women as precious gems, not all will give them the same attention thus this leads to inequality and gender bias.The third issue is the sexuality. In Victorian era and most of the time, men are the only ones who can make indecent proposals or ask for sex, women on the other hand practices innocence when it comes to sex thus they w ere trained to be glamorous and innocent starting from and as they grow up. The actuations of the vampire women do not belong to the women of the Victorian era. Aside from being timid and shy, these women do not need to be sexually attractive because in the first place, they are already beautiful and well trained individuals.The Count Dracula stands for evil while the women vampires stand for the near transformation of the Victorian women because of the development of the society. From being a timid and shy girl, the Victorian women could turn into someone who can lure men and deceive them. The novel did exactly a great job in painting a futuristic image of women and the society thus; Stoker provided an initial statement of the future women. Works Cited â€Å"Bram Stoker,† Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2008 ahttp://encarta. msn. comâ€Å"Count Dracula,† Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2008. http://encarta. msn. com Douthat, Ross and Hopson , David. SparkNote on Dracula. 11 Jul. 2008 . Miller, Elizabeth. â€Å"Dracula’s Homepage†. 2006. http://www. ucs. mun. ca/~emiller/index. html SFReader. â€Å"SFReader Book Review†. 2000-2008. http://sfreader. com/Home/BookReview/tabid/55/Default. aspx? book=463 Stoker, Bram. â€Å"Dracula†. 1897. Constable, England Thomas, P. W. â€Å"A Woman's Place in C19th Victorian History†. 2001-2008. http://www. fashion-era. com/a_womans_place. htmaga

Questionnaire on fashion brands Essay

Factors Affecting Consumer Preference of International Brands over Local Brands Zeenat Ismail1âˆâ€", Sarah Masood2 and Zainab Mehmood Tawab2 1 Department of Social Sciences, Institute of Business Administration – Karachi 2 Students of Institute of Business Administration – Karachi Abstract: This study was conducted in order to determine the consumer preferences of global brands instead of local ones. It is also designed to find out the buying behavior patterns of young Pakistani consumers Consumer evaluates products based on information cues, which are intrinsic and extrinsic. A number of factors affect the consumer purchase decisions. The results suggest that most important factors that influence a consumer’s final decision are the price and quality of the product in question. Since the consumers usually associate the price of the brand with its quality, a brand priced too low is generally perceived as a low quality product. Similarly, a product priced too high may not be affordable by many. Other factors that have an impact on the consumer preferences are: consumer ethnocentrism, country of origin, social status, price relativity with the competing brands and family and friends. The research was conducted in Karachi and the samples selected included 200 people of age 16-24. The data collected for the research was through a questionnaire and was conducted in two popular shopping malls of the city and two universities since the target audience was largely the youth. Calculations were then analyzed and interpreted using a percentage of respondents and through frequency distribution tables and charts. Keywords: Consumer preference, International brands, Local brands 1. Introduction Globalization is an inevitable phenomenon that is leading the entire world towards becoming one market, a global village. Not only has the process of globalization aided immensely in the exchange of goods and services, information and knowledge through the reductions in international barriers, but it has also led the world into becoming a real single universal community comprising of people from different cultures, thus resulting in the shrinkage of the world. With the world becoming a single market, globalization has had a major contribution in enabling the organizations worldwide to step out of the restricted domestic markets and to set up their operations across the globe with confidence. This has largely led to a decline in the importance in national borders and a greater emphasis on what the consumers actually demand; be the consumers located in the very country in which the organization exists or an entirely different part of the world. Moreover, with the rapid increase in global competition, companies that strictly adhere to and cater to the needs of the local markets are finding themselves at a disadvantage and gradually loosing the competitive advantage that they so much strived to achieve. However, for some products and services â€Å"the tastes and preferences of consumers in different nations are beginning to converge on some global norm† (Holt 2002). From a consumer perspective, however, reactions to the prevalence of global brands seem to vary among the different customers. On the one hand, consumers seem to value and admire global brands and regard such brands as a status symbol. On the other hand, global brands are often criticized for threatening the local differences and imposing the western cultures on our society, leading to a loss of cultural identity. 2. Purpose of the study: âˆâ€" Email: zismail@iba.edu.pk Tel #:+92(333) 3775545 Fax #:+92(21) 38103008 54 This study is aimed at determining consumer preference of the youth of international brands instead of national or local brands in Pakistan. There are various factors which influence consumer purchase decision. Such as  Country of origin, price of the brand fashion, family and friends, brand name, availability, advertising campaigns, consumers’ ethnocentrism etc. The study is also designed to find out the buying behaviour patterns of the young Pakistani consumers, attitudes towards global and local brands and the preference for foreign brands. 3. Literature review Brands have been constantly reviewed and redefined in the marketing literature and there are numerous definitions for ‘brand’. A definition of a brand by The American Marketing Association (AMA) in the 1960s (Keller, 1998:2) is â€Å"a name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and differentiate them from those of competitors.† For consumers, when deciding between brands which are in the marketplace will include brands as an element to determine the qualities of the product rather than employing their time to enhance their knowledge of the product in information searching activities. Therefore, consumers use brands as cues to make decisions to purchase or try products (Ger et al., 1993). 4. Quality Perceived quality is defined as the consumers’ judgment about an entity’s (service’s) overall excellence or superiority (Zeithaml, 1988 and Rowley, 1998). Research also indicates that consumers value global brands especially for their assumed high quality and prestigious image (e.g., Nguyen, Barrett and Miller 2005; Steenkamp, Batra and Alden 2003). An internationally well-established brand name can act as a â€Å"halo† constructs that effects quality beliefs (Han 1989). If a brand is perceived as globally available, consumers are likely to attribute a superior quality to the brand, since such quality is thought of as a prerequisite for international acceptance. 5. Country of origin The country of origin effect has been defined as â€Å"the positive and negative influence that a product’s country of manufacture may have on consumers’ decision making processes or subsequent behavior (Elliott and Cameron, 1994). 1991). Infact in the words of Nagashima (1970), COE can be defined as  Ã¢â‚¬Å"the picture, the reputation, and the stereotype that businessmen and consumers attach to products or brands of a specific country. This image is created by such variables as representative products, national characteristics, economic and political background, history, and traditions†. The literature on country-of-origin effects is quite rich and covers the topic from different perspectives in different countries. Some studies have shown that country of origin also has symbolic and emotional meaning to consumes, and it plays an important role along with other attributes such as quality and reliability in shaping consumers attitudes toward products. Moreover, attitudes and perceptions of consumers toward brands and products will depend on categories, for instance, electronic goods from Italy may be perceived as a poor quality but Italian clothing would be perceive as fashionable and high quality (Bikey and Nes, 1982). This would be differently perceived with Japanese brands as Japanese electronic goods would be perceive with positive attitudes and Japanese clothing will be negatively perceived. 6. Price Researchers found out that once consumers perceive a price difference between local-owned and foreignowned brands, price dissimilarities begin to affect their preference for local-owned brands. Therefore, since price is also one of the most important extrinsic cues that consumers use when evaluating the product/brand (Hansen, 2005), we test the impact of price against consumer’s ethnocentric tendencies to determine at what point consumers are willing to forsake preference for local products for a greater price discount with foreignowned products. 7. Social status 55 Authors have stressed that consumers may prefer global brands because of associations of higher prestige (Schuiling & Kapferer, 2004; Shocker, Srivastava, & Rueckert, 1994; Steenkamp, et. al., 2003). Global brands may have a higher prestige than local brands due to their relative scarcity and higher price. Furthermore, global brands may also stand for cosmopolitanism. Some consumers prefer global brands because they enhance their selfimage as being cosmopolitan, sophisticated, and modern. Conversely, according to Ger (1999), local brands tend to be targeted and positioned based on a deep cultural understanding and therefore create â€Å"a sustainable unique value and offer the symbolism of authenticity and prestige†. Still, consumers have been found to have no intrinsic preference for global brands (De Mooij, 1998). 8. Friends and family Reference groups include groups or people whom one can look up for guidance and ask for opinion. These are important source of influencing the brand purchases. Reference group include friends and family who influence ones buying decisions due to special skills, knowledge, personality. If a friend had a bad experience with a product, it is more likely that one will refrain from buying it. However many studies found out that, knowledge that consumers obtain through direct personal experience will be perceived to be more trustworthy than information from other communications. This results in more strongly held beliefs (Swaminathan et al., 2001). 9. Research Questions The reasons for consumer preference of global brands over the local ones. The product attributes that are mostly considered by consumers when buying a brand. The demographic characteristic of consumers who buy foreign brands more frequently. 10. Research methodology This study is a descriptive study and more of a qualitative nature and was conducted to identify and analyze the reasons why consumers prefer international brands to national brands when purchasing consumer goods. The sample for this research included the 200 consumers whose ages ranged from 16-24 years from Karachi. Simple random sampling was used for this study. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data. The questionnaire included closed ended questions and Likert scale is used in most of the questions. These questionnaires were distributed to collect data from the students of  Institute of Business Administration itself as well as the students of Institute of Business Management. Apart from this, we also visited Park Towers shopping mall and The Forum, the two leading shopping malls in Karachi, with the aim of collecting data for our research from the shoppers there. 50 questionnaires were distributed to each of the universities and shopping malls in equal proportion to males and females. We mainly classified our population according to gender. Frequency distribution and bar charts have been used to evaluate the results. In addition to this, the means of different factors that influence consumers’ preferences of the local and global brands were used to determine which factors are considered the most by consumers when purchasing different brands. 11. Findings and Discussion 11.1. Question 1: Do you use international brands products? 56 According to the data collected, 72.5% of the people used international brands of which 60 were male and 85 were females. 18.5% of the people questioned claimed to use international brands occasionally, whereas, 9.1% of the people claimed not to use global brands at all. As indicated in the pie charts above,18.5% of the people who used the global brands sometimes included 28 males and 9 females, and those who did not use the global brands consisted of 12 males and 6 females. 11.2. Question 2 If an international brand and a national brand are priced same, would you prefer the international brand? The purpose of this question was to evaluate and discover how important a factor such as price is in determining whether the consumers would go for the domestic brand or stick to the global one if both the products were in  the same price range. The results found out that 76% of the consumers would go for the international brands whereas 24% would still purchase the domestic ones. 11.3. Question 3 Do you consider where a product is manufactured when purchasing it? F r e q u e n c y d i s Responses This question was asked to discover how much importance the youth lay on the country of origin as a factor when making a purchase. The results revealed far different results compared to what had been stated by the review of previous researches done. As indicated in the graph, the youth was found to be mailnly ignorant of the country in which the brand was manufactured. Majority of the consumers (76% males and 88% females) did not consider it as significant a factor as to affect his or her purchase decision. 11.4. Question 4 It is said that people buy international products so that they can be accepted in a particular social group. Do you agree? 57 The results to these two questions confirmed the general perception that exists in our society, that is, the global are purchased as a status symbol. The youth mainly bought foreign branded products to be able to fit in a particular social group. This occurs largely because peer pressure tends to be high at this age, and most of the people find themselves being victims of inferiority complexes. The results to the first of these questions indicated that on average 75% of the youth (71 males and 79 females) purchased the international and local brands as a status symbol. These results were further enhanced by the results to the next question, which showed that 72% of the males and 68% of the females did, infact, believe that the people purchased the international brands to be able to fit in a particular social group. The table above compares the means of the different factors in influencing consumer preferences of the global brands over the local ones. The means, expressed in percentages, indicates that amongst all the factors, the quality of the branded product was considered the most important factor in shaping the consumers’ purchase decision. The current trends and fashion were found to be just as important, but the price of the product was not found to be more important than the prevailing fashion and styles. The reason why 85% of the people decide to buy a particular brand was mainly because it was reflective of the ongoing fashion and there were only 5% people on average, who did not give importance to the ongoing fashion when purchasing a product. The results revealed that price was rated as the third most important factor in influencing consumer choice, whereas the quality of the product was considered the most significant, followed by the current trends and fashion. Mean number of people ( in percentages) Yes Sometimes 76% 16.5% Price of the product 4.5% 13.5% Country of origin 87.5% 7.5% Quality of the product 75% 15.5% Status symbol 85% 10% Current fashion and trends 64.5% 17.55% Family and friends 60% 20.5% Ethnocentrism No 7.5% 82% 5% 9.5% 5% 18% 19.5% Country of origin, as a factor in influencing consumers’ choice of the brand was hardly a significant factor, since 82% of the people, on, average claimed that they did not consider which country a product is manufactured in when making purchase decisions. Only 4.5% people, on average, claimed that they do consider the country of origin when purchasing a brand. The ethnocentrism factor was considered by 60% of the people questioned. This indicates that most of the people believed that as a Pakistani we should buy our local brands rather than giving preference to the global brands, however, this was what they believed to be the ideal scenario. In practice, our people, especially the females were found to be extremely prone to the global brands. According to our findings, 78% of the females were not willing to even substitute the global brand with a domestic if the foreign  brand is not available. The males, however, were not found to be that prone to the foreign brand. The results also show that status symbol is also perceived to be a major factor in shaping consumer purchase decisions. The above table reveals that 75% of the people linked the branded product with their social status when actually purchasing it. The table provides a summary and ratings of the factors influencing consumer preferences of the national or international brand. 12. References 58 [1] Balabanis, G., Diamantopoulos, A., Mueller, R. and Melewar, T.C. (2001), â€Å"The impact of Nationalism, patriotism and internationalism on consumer ethnocentric tendencies†, Journal of International Business Studies, Volume 32, pp. 157-75. 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(1994): Challenges and opportunities facing brand management: an introduction to the special  issue. J. Marketing Res., 31(2), pp. 149-158. [19] Steenkamp, J-B., Batra, R., & Alden, D. L. (2003): How perceived brand globalness creates brand value. J. Int. Bus. Stud., 34, pp. 53-65. [20] Summer, W.G. (1906), Folkways: The Sociological Importance of usages, Manners, Customs, Mores and Morals. New York: Ginn & Co. [21] Wang, C.K. and Lamb, C.W. (1983), â€Å"The impact of selected environmental forces on consumers willingness to buy foreign products†, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Volume 11(2), pp. 71-84. http://amcy5.com/projects/marketing/amcy20.htm