Population Growth Density Dependent Factors Abstract...

Population Growth: Density dependent factors Abstract Sets of experiments were used to assess the growth rate of the Lemna minor, a duckweed population. The growth of Lemna minor was observed and followed by counting and recording the number of thalli on a weekly basis. These experiments were constructed lab models which varied the size of the starting thalli population, and varied the nutrient concentration the thali were placed in. In the first experimental model two plastic cups were prepared with pond water, then two healthy lemna minor plants were placed in the first cup while fifteen healthy lemna minor plants were placed in the second cup. The second experimental model consisted of four nutrient concentrations, a control model of no nutrients, a low nutrient model, a medium nutrient model and a high nutrient model. At high density populations, we observed a nonlinear decreasing growth rate with increasing lemna minor density. At very low densities, as expected, we observed an inverse density dependence. Duckweed reproduces by budding, causing a larger density to reproduce a greater amount of biomass. This would indicate that Duckweed likes overcrowding, and this may be a possible clue to the limiting factor in the growth of Duckweed. Introduction Lemna minor, commonly known as duckweed, is efficient and fast growing, making it an ideal experimental organism. It is known as a small aquatic monocotyledon which can be found floating in ponds, lakes or streams (Harper,Show MoreRelatedThe Effects of Population Density on the Reproduction and Survival of Daphnia Magna2308 Words   |  10 PagesAbstract The population dynamics of Daphnia magna are observed under three different conditions; low, medium, and high density. The effects of different population densities on the survivorship and reproduction of Daphnia are observed over a two-week period within a lab environment. Over the two week period, the numbers of parent Daphnia alive and dead are recorded daily, along with the amount of offspring produced each day. From the main parameter investigated, the net reproductive rate, theRead MoreInstitutions as a Fundamental Cause of Long-Run14323 Words   |  58 PagesAS A FUNDAMENTAL CAUSE OF LONG-RUN GROWTH DARON ACEMOGLU 1 , Department of Economics, MIT, 50 Memorial Drive E52-3806, Cambridge, MA 02142 e-mail: damn@mit.edu SIMON JOHNSON Sloan School o f h f a ~ g e m e n t , MIT, 50 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142 e-mail: sjohnson@mit.edu JAMES A. ROBINSON Deparhnent of Government, WCFIA, Harvard University, 1033 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 e-mail: jmbinson@gov.harvard.edu Contents Abstract Keywords 1. Introduction 1.1. TheRead MoreGlobal Climate Change : A Threat Of Aphid Populations Essay8320 Words   |  34 PagesClimate Change: A Threat to Aphid Populations Abstract Global climate change is a matter of grave concern in the present scenario casting its significant and lasting effect on the flora and fauna dwelling over earth. A number of factors such as biotic processes, variations in solar radiation received by earth, plate tectonics, volcanic eruptions certain human activities can be considered as key components responsible for this devastating phenomenon. Aphid populations are also under potential threatRead MoreNihms4511 Words   |  19 PagesNational Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892–4442, USA. Abstract $watermark-text The skin is the human body’s largest organ, colonized by a diverse milieu of microorganisms, most of which are harmless or even beneficial to their host. Colonization is driven by the ecology of the skin surface, which is highly variable depending on topographical location, endogenous host factors and exogenous environmental factors. The cutaneous innate and adaptive immune responses can modulateRead MoreInstitution as the Fundamental Cause of Long Tern Growth39832 Words   |  160 PagesNBER WORKING PAPER SERIES INSTITUTIONS AS THE FUNDAMENTAL CAUSE OF LONG-RUN GROWTH Daron Acemoglu Simon Johnson James Robinson Working Paper 10481 http://www.nber.org/papers/w10481 NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 May 2004 Prepared for the Handbook of Economic Growth edited by Philippe Aghion and Steve Durlauf. We thank the editors for their patience and Leopoldo Fergusson, Pablo Querubà ­n and Barry Weingast for their helpful suggestions. TheRead MoreSurvival Strategy for Startup Business10775 Words   |  44 Pagesappreciate the comments of the journal associate editor and reviewers, as well as the financial support of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. All remaining errors are ours. Product Strategies and Firm Survival in Technologically Dynamic Industries ABSTRACT Studying the US personal computer industry from its inception in 1974 through 1994, we address the following questions. What product strategies increase the survival chances of entrants into new, technologically dynamic industries? Does the effectivenessRead MoreMonte Carlo Simulation218872 Words   |  876 Pages19 21 25 32 36 39 39 39 43 44 47 49 53 54 58 63 63 65 71 79 79 79 90 93 2 3 x Contents 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.2.1 Basic Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 3.2.2 Path-Dependent Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 3.2.3 Multiple Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 Gaussian Short Rate Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Read MoreImpact of Globalization and Bangladesh18126 Words   |  73 PagesMONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Over the past decades, globalization has now become a new world order, which virtually influences everything that comes in our mind. Developing countries like Bangladesh with vulnerable geopolitical locations and weak economies are now lookingRead More4g Communication22481 Words   |  90 Pages4G WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS Anto vinoth.M, Punith Maharishi.Y.R antovinoth.m@gmail.com maharishipunith@yahoo.com Abstract— Mobile communication is continuously one of the hottest areas that are developing at a booming speed, with advanced techniques emerging in all the fields of mobile and wireless communications. With this rapid development it is expected that fourth generation mobile systems will be launched within decades. 4G mobile systems focus on seamlessly integrating the existingRead MoreRetailing Characteristics of Fast Food Stores and Their Impact on Customer Sales and Satisfaction29639 Words   |  119 Pages Research Framework and Methodology 3.1 Research purpose†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3.2 Hypothesis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3.3 Data Collection†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3.4 Methodology†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3.5 Factor Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ï  ¶ Chap-4 Result and Interpretation 4.1 Interpretation of Result†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. ï  ¶ Chap-5 Suggestions and Managerial Implications ï  ¶ Chap-6 Limitations of the study References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..

Critical Analysis Critical Thinking In The Family Man

Critical thinking is the use of your intelligence, knowledge, and skills to a question, carefully exploring situations to arrive at thoughtful conclusions based on evidence and reason. Critical thinking is used in the movie The Family Man Jack Campbell is a man who works on wall street. Jack Campbell is the top in his company, very professional, and has everything he could possibly want. Jack has thrown himself into work, and is a workaholic, he wonders what his life would be like if he had married his old sweetheart Kate. Jack gets a chance to go back, and see what his life would have been like if he had not accepted broker internship some thirteen years before. Jack falls asleep and awakes to Kate his wife, two kids, and no wall street†¦show more content†¦Workplace conflict should be addressed as quickly as possible to ensure a positive outcome for your organization. There are a lot of ways to deal with conflict in the workplace. Conflict happens in every workplace whether big or small it happens, because you are dealing with a lot of different emotions. By ignoring the conflict this can cause the situation to be more stressful and tension can arise. Leaders can improve the communication levels to build the performance level of their team. Strategies for reducing conflict: Attempt to avoid a conflict is only a fairy tale there will always be conflict within the workplace. By avoiding conflict this strategy can do away with conflict all together and be more profitable for employees. Accommodation can be one way to adjust or lower any differences, and help keep the peace among employees. Friendly competition is another way to get employees involved to help boost the company morale. Compromise is always needed to help each party come up with a positive outcome. Compromise is where both parties give up something to come to an agreement. Competing with the competition is sometimes used as a conflict management strategy. Fifth and final strategy are collaboration a collective effort in which all parties agree on a solution that benefits the entire company. Putting ideas in place could provide positive solutions, and outcomes for your company. Setting conflict guidelines can be very beneficial to yourShow MoreRelatedphi 103 week 1 reading quiz Essay1393 Words   |  6 Pagescriticalthinking.org/pages/critical-thinking-teaching-students-how-to-study-and-learn-part-one/513    Points Received: 1 of 1    Comments: Question  2. Question : Paul and Elder claim that all reasoning:    Student Answer: Seeks to defeat others in arguments    Has assumptions underneath it    Is expressed through ideas and concepts    a and b    b and c    Instructor Explanation: The answer can be found in â€Å"The Analysis and Assessment of Thinking† [Paul and ElderRead MoreInterpretation Of Inferences And Assumptions1512 Words   |  7 PagesINTERPRETATION OF INFERENCES AND ASSUMPTIONS 1 Interpretation of Inferences and Assumptions Diana L. Brown HUM101 – Critical Reasoning Colorado State University: Global Campus Robert Freeborough September 14, 2014 Running head: INTERPRETATION OF INFERENCES AND ASSUMPTIONS 2 Critical thinking is a part of everyday life and does not necessarily mean making a decision in a high pressure or high stakes environment. It can be as simpleRead MoreTransformative Learning : Transformational Learning1585 Words   |  7 Pages Joseph Cardello May 13, 2015 Learning paper Draft Dr. Franklin Tuner Kean University Transformative learning overview Thinking is something we all do on a regular basis. The process of using our minds to create ideas make all of our decisions or to remember our earlier experiences. Our minds are complicated structures that we have yet to understand. One man has a theory of learning as an adult and his name is Jack Mezirow. Mezirow was concerned in adulthood learning and began to interpretRead MoreAnalysis of Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin Essay804 Words   |  4 Pagesnarrator seems to have assimilated into the larger society/culture; he was a school teacher doing generally well in what we call life. Sonny on the other hand turned to drugs (heroin) to escape from the pain and suffering he endured growing up a black man in the 1950’s. â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† also tells the reader about how art and music was a huge part of Black people’s lives in Harlem. Many looked towards music for an escape; Sonny turned towards Jazz to release his pain and anguish. This story does haveRe ad MoreAssignment : Conflict Resolution Interview1264 Words   |  6 Pagessystem; the Department of Family Children, a medical team, clients, and the healthcare business provider. What happened? The healthcare provider was assigned to care for critical disable twenty two year old male. The parents were separated because the mother of the twenty two year threat to kill the father with a daggers. So the courts removed the mother from the home and the father has cared for the son alone for ten years. The court system, the Department of Family Children and a medical teamRead MoreThe Life You Save May Be Your Own1506 Words   |  7 PagesThe Life You Save May Be Your Own. In this story we see that Tom Shiftlet, a man from the story, is very displeased with the state of the world. In one scene of the story, mother Lucynell Crater tells Mr. Shiftlet that her car no longer runs, and Mr. Shiftlet s reply to her is, Nothing is like it used to be, lady... The world is almost rotten. (Flannery O Connor, The Life You Save May Be Your Own) So we can Critical Essay Rojas 2 clearly see here that Mr. Shiftlet is discontent and that he wishesRead MoreDeep Rooted Work On A Hard Man1427 Words   |  6 PagesResearch Paper: Deep Rooted Work on a Hard Man Flannery O’Connor was born March 25, 1925, in Savanah, Georgia. She went to what is, now Iowa University and majored in literature. She’s primarily known for her short stories but was a novelist. Flannery O’Connor passed away in 1964 after losing a battle with lupus. The piece of writing that I will be discussing is titled: â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find,† she wrote this work in 1953 along with several other short stories (Biography.com Editors)Read MoreRestraints Review Of Qualitative And Quantitative Studies1517 Words   |  7 Pagesthe research article, Mohler Meyer’s â€Å"Attitude of nurses towards the use of restraints in geriatric care: A systemic review of qualitative and quantitative study 2014. The incident I am going to discuss in this paper is of Mr. P., an 85-year-old man, admitted to this facility about 4 months ago. His history includes coronary heart disease, cataract, dementia, hypertension, macular degeneration and Al zheimer’s. Mr P. scored 28 of 30 on the Folstein Mini-Mental State Test, he missed the date andRead MoreHegemonic Masculinity in the Media1080 Words   |  5 Pageswhich emphasizes the connecting of masculinity to toughness and competitiveness as well as the subordination of women and the marginalization of gay men† (Trujillo, 1991, p. 290). We live society were male dominance is the order of the day, from the family arena to the workplace, and in sports in which individuals with certain characteristics and attributes as seen as normal and the rest are termed as the â€Å"other†. 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Hamlet Soliloquy Analysis free essay sample

The young prince of Denmark, Hamlet has recently lost his father. Right after this depressing event, his uncle, Claudius, takes over the entire property of his past away father: his crown and his wife (Gertrude) who is Hamlets mother. This chain of heartbreaking misfortunes leaves deep wounds on the soul of young Hamlet and his soliloquies, allowing the audience to enter his agitated mind, revealing these spiritual scars. This soliloquy is the closing part of the second act and points out the inner feelings of the prince Hamlet being affected by the tremendous acting of the player which was full of meaning to him. This soliloquy can be divided into two parts: the first part deals with Hamlet being amazed by the passion of the player toward Hecuba The queen of Troy, imagining how he would behave if he were in his situation. The second part of soliloquy deals with Hamlets self censure and his anger headed for his uncle. The tone of this soliloquy is of self criticism and can be sensed from the very first line where Hamlet expresses himself as rouge and peasant salve. Through using different techniques, Shakespeare seeks to maintain this tone from first to last of this soliloquy: One of the tools he uses to achieve this goal is by the means of exclamations made by Hamlet. For instance some of these exclamations are: all for nothing! For Hecuba! , O, vengeance! and What an ass I am! The further skill Shakespeare utilizes in order to accomplish this tone of rebuke is by the means of the rhetorical questions that Hamlet asks himself. Such as: Whats Hecuba to him or, he to Hecuba? , What would he do, had he the motive and the cue of passion that I have? and the series of questions he asks himself in the third paragraph. The last literary device used by Shakespeare to preserve this tone of self-criticisms is through using proper diction or the set of words that reveals this mood. Shakespeare uses a variety of diction on behalf of Hamlet, like dull, muddy-mettled rascal and John-a-dreams in order to tell that he is self criticizing himself . Besides for highlighting the priority of some of Hamlets words, Shakespeare employs a series of sound devices, including: Alliterations and consonances. In this soliloquy there are two alliterations applied by Shakespeare in the words of Hamlet- muddy-mettled and damnd defeat-. The first alliterations muddy-mettled emphasizes the level of Hamlets fault for not putting his thoughts into action (having delay in taking his fathers revenge) and the second one damns defeat points out the tragedy of his fathers murder. There are also some consonants used by Shakespeare while Hamlet is insulting his uncle by means of the adjectives: Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain. The reason that Shakespeare uses consonants for these adjectives is to build up their effect on the audience and to present a clear appearance of the king Claudius in the mind of Hamlet. The word monstrous used by Hamlet to describe the overflowed emotions of the player for Hecuba signifies that Hamlet has been stunned by it. Shakespeare also uses the world pride while Hamlet describes the emotions of player to Hecuba in favor of revealing the high imaginative power of the player. In the second paragraph Shakespeare uses a set of hyperboles while Hamlet is imagining how the player would react if he had the melancholy and the duty of taking revenge as he has. He would drown the stage with tears and cleave the general ear, with horrid speech, make mad the guilty and appall the free, confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed the very faculties of eyes and ears. Hamlet uses such shocking Hyperboles for the reason of motivating himself to perform the duty assigned for him by the ghost of his father. Introducing Hecuba as the main emphasis of the opening part of Hamlets soliloquy, Shakespeare seeks to demonstrate that Hamlet wished her mother to act similar to Hecuba after the death of his father by not marrying his uncle and keeping this sorrow forever in her heart. In this soliloquy Shakespeare also takes the advantage of figures of speech to exaggerate Hamlets self criticism. The first metaphor deals with Hamlet comparing his dilemma and melancholy to a pregnancy. This is revealed when he mentions unpregnant of my cause This statement by Hamlet can also be considered as foreshadowing in view of the fact that pregnancy is a period full of difficulty, however when its over, it brings joy and happiness. The other metaphor used by Hamlet is when he calls himself pigeon livered for not being brave enough to take revenge. The final metaphor deals with Hamlet introducing himself as an ass; when he says: What an ass I am! this metaphor, in my opinion, is the climax of self criticism in this soliloquy. There are, also two similes used in the closing part when Hamlet compares the way he conduct himself toward his situation to a whore and a scullion. Once finishing criticizing himself, Hamlet starts passing the judgment on his thoughts as he knows them as the root cause of his delay in taking revenge. This part of soliloquy, in my judgment, is a turning point in Hamlets character since it is at this stage that his personality alters from a head to a heart character. This fact can be clearly sensed as it is right after this soliloquy that he starts taking the first serious steps of revenging his uncle, Cladius.

The Effects Of HIV Mutations On The Immune System Science C.J. Stimson Essay Example For Students

The Effects Of HIV Mutations On The Immune System Science C.J. Stimson Essay INTRODUCTIONThe topic of this paper is the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, and whether or not mutations undergone by the virus allow it to survive in the immune system. The cost of treating all persons with AIDS in 1993 in the United States was $7.8 billion, and it is estimated that 20,000 new cases of AIDS are reported every 3 months to the CDC. This question dealing with how HIV survives in the immune system is of critical importance, not only in the search for a cure for the virus and its inevitable syndrome, AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome), but also so that over 500,000 Americans already infected with the virus could be saved. This is possible because if we know that HIV survives through mutations then we might be able to come up with a type of drug to retard these mutations allowing the immune system time to expunge it before the onset of AIDS. BACKGROUNDIn order to be able to fully comprehend and analyze this question we must first ascertain what HIV is, how the body attempts to counter the effects of viruses in general, and how HIV infects the body. DefinitionHIV is the virus that causes AIDS. We will write a custom essay on The Effects Of HIV Mutations On The Immune System Science C.J. Stimson specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now HIV is classified as a RNA Retrovirus. A retrovirus uses RNA templates to produce DNA. For example, within the core of HIV is a double molecule of ribonucleic acid, RNA. When the virus invades a cell, this genetic material is replicated in the form of DNA . But, in order to do so, HIV must first be able to produce a particular enzyme that can construct a DNA molecule using an RNA template. This enzyme, called RNA-directed DNA polymerase, is also referred to as reverse transcriptase because it reverses the normal cellular process of transcription. The DNA molecules produced by reverse transcription are then inserted into the genetic material of the host cell, where they are co-replicated with the hosts chromosomes; they are thereby distributed to all daughter cells during subsequent cell divisions. Then in one or more of these daughter cells, the virus produces RNA copies of its genetic material. These new HIV clones become covered with protein coats and leave the cell to find other host cells where they can repeat the life cycle. The Body Fights BackAs viruses begin to invade the body, a few are consumed by macrophages, which seize their antigens and display them on their own surfaces. Among millions of helper T cells circulating in the bloodstream, a select few are programmed to ?read? that antigen. Binding the macrophage, the T cell becomes activated. Once activated, helper T cells begin to multiply. They then stimulate the multiplication of those few killer T cells and B cells that are sensitive to the invading viruses. As the number of B cells increases, helper T cells signal them to start producing antibodies. Meanwhile, some of the viruses have entered cells of the body the only place they are able to replicate. Killer T cells will sacrifice these cells by chemically puncturing their membranes, letting the contents spill out, thus disrupting the viral replication cycle. Antibodies then neutralize the viruses by binding directly to their surfaces, preventing them from attacking other cells. Additionally, they precipitate chemical reactions that actually destroy the infected cells. As the infection is contained, suppresser T cells halt the entire range of immune responses, preventing them from spiraling out of control. Memory T and B cells are left in the blood and lymphatic system, ready to move quickly should the same virus once again invade the body. HIVs Life CycleIn the initial stage of HIV infection, the virus colonizes helper T cells, specifically CD4+ cells, and macrophages, while replicating itself relatively unnoticed. As the amount of the virus soars, the number of helper cells falls; macrophages die as well. The infected T cells perish as thousands of new viral particles erupt from the cell membrane. Soon, though, cytotoxic T and B lymphocytes kill many virus-infected cells and viral particles. These effects limit viral growth and allow the body an opportunity to temporarily restore its supply of helper cells to almost normal concentrations. It is at this time the virus enters its second stage.Throughout this second phase the immune system functions well, and the net concentration of measurable virus remains relatively low. .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 , .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 .postImageUrl , .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 , .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40:hover , .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40:visited , .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40:active { border:0!important; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40:active , .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40 .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uaa17ec01275f8cf402c7fd6b77b00f40:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: George Bush Essay Paper But after a period of time, the viral level rises gradually, in parallel with a decline in the helper population. These helper T and B lymphocytes are not lost because the bodys ability to produce new helper cells is impaired, but because the virus and cytotoxic cells are destroying them. This idea that HIV is not just evading the immune system but attacking and disabling it is what distinguishes HIV from other retroviruses.THE THEORIESThe hypothesis in question is whether or not the mutations undergone by HIV allow it to survive in the immune system. This idea was conceived by Martin A. Nowak, an immunologist at the University of Oxford, and his coworkers when they considered how HIV is able to avoid being detected by the immune system after it has infected CD4+ cells. The basis for this hypothesis was excogitated from the evolutionary theory and Nowaks own theory on HIV survival. Evolutionary TheoryThe evolutionary theory states that chance mutation in the genetic material of an individual organism sometimes yields a trait that gives the organism a survival advantage. That is, the affected individual is better able than its peers to overcome obstacles to survival and is also better able to reproduce prolifically. As time goes by, offspring that share the same trait become most abundant in the population, outcompeting other members until another individual acquires a more adaptive trait or until environmental conditions change in a way that favors different characteristics. The pressures exerted by the environment, then, determine which traits are selected for spread in a population. Nowaks Theory on HIV SurvivalWhen Nowak considered HIVs life cycle it seemed evident that the microbe was particularly well suited to evolve away from any pressures it confronted (this idea being derived from the evolutionary theory). For example, its genetic makeup changes constantly; a high mutation rate increases the probability that some genetic change will give rise to an advantageous trait. This great genetic variability stems from a property of the viral enzyme reverse transcriptase. As stated above, in a cell, HIV uses reverse transcriptase to copy its RNA genome into double-strand DNA. The virus mutates rapidly during this process because reverse transcriptase is rather error prone. It has been estimated that each time the enzyme copies RNA into DNA, the new DNA on average differs from that of the previous generation in one site. This pattern makes HIV one of the most variable viruses known.HIVs high replication rate further increases the odds that a mutation useful to the virus will arise. To fully appreciate the extent of HIV multiplication, look at the numbers published on it; a billion new viral particles are produced in an infected patient each day, and in the absence of immune activity, the viral population would on average double every two days. With the knowledge of HIVs great evolutionary potential in mind, Nowak and his colleagues conceived a scenario they thought could explain how the virus resists complete eradication and thus causes AIDS, usually after a long time span. Their proposal assumed that constant mutation in viral genes would lead to continuous production of viral variants able to evade the immune defenses operating at any given time. Those variants would emerge when genetic mutations led to changes in the structure of viral peptides recognized by the immune system. Frequently such changes exert no effect on immune activities, but sometimes they can cause a peptide to become invisible to the bodys defenses. The affected viral particles, bearing fewer recognizable peptides, would then become more difficult for the immune system to detect. The ModelUsing the theory that he had developed on the survival of HIV, along with the evolutionary theory, Nowak devised a model to simulate the dynamics and growth of the virus. The equations that formed the heart of the model reflected features that Nowak and his colleagues thought were important in the progression of HIV infection: the virus impairs immune function mainly by causing the death of CD4+ helper T cells, and higher levels of virus result in more T cell death. Also, the virus continuously produces escape mutants that avoid to some degree the current immunologic attack, and these mutants spread in the viral population. .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 , .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 .postImageUrl , .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 , .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83:hover , .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83:visited , .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83:active { border:0!important; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83:active , .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83 .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ued1dd219f99f8d885e44bd354a99cb83:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Kaiser William II - Cause of World War I Essay After awhile, the immune system finds the mutants efficiently, causing their population to shrink.The simulation managed to reproduce the typically long delay between infection by HIV and the eventual sharp rise in viral levels in the body. It also provided an explanation for why the cycle of escape and repression does not go on indefinitely but culminates in uncontrolled viral replication, the almost complete loss of the helper T cell population and the onset of AIDS.After the immune system becomes more active, survival becomes more complicated for HIV. It is no longer enough to replicate freely; the virus also has to be able to ward off immune attacks. Now is when Nowak predicts that selection pressure will produce increasing diversity in peptides recognized by immune forces. Once the defensive system has collapsed and is no longer an obstacle to viral survival, the pressure to diversify evaporates. In patients with AIDS, we would again anticipate selection for the fastest-growing variants and a decrease in viral diversity. Long-term studies involving a small number of patients have confirmed some of the modeling predictions. These investigations, conducted by several researchersincluding Andrew J. Leigh Brown of the University of Edinburgh, et al.tracked the evolution of the so-called V3 segment of a protein in the outer envelop of HIV for several years. V3 is a major target for antibodies and is highly variable. As the computer simulation predicted, viral samples obtained within a few weeks after patients become infected were alike in the V3 region. But during subsequent years, the region diversified, thus causing a rapid increase in the amount of V3 variants and a progressive decrease in the CD4+ cell count.The model presented by Nowak is extremely difficult to verify with clinical tests alone, largely because the diversified interactions between the virus and the immune system are impossible to monitor in detail. Consequently, Nowak turned to a computer simulation in which an initially homogeneous viral population evolved in response to immunologic pressure. He reasoned that if the mathematical model produced the known patterns of HIV progression, he could conclude the evolutionary scenario had some merit. To verify his model, he turned to the experiments done on the V3 protein segment in HIV. These experiments demonstrated that the peptides were mutating and that these mutations were leading to a decline in helper lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONBefore we begin to answer the question that this paper is investigating, an evaluation of our primary experiment source is necessary, this being a publication of Nowaks model. Upon evaluation of this source, a problem is exposed, this being that because there was no experiment performed to substantiate this model, we have no idea if the modeling predictions are true. Although there were previous non-directly related experiments ( i.e. , V3 experiment) that Nowak referred to to rationalize his model there was never an experiment done solely based on the model. Because the V3 findings were in accord with the findings of Nowaks model, we can assume that the model has some merit.This absence of an experiment is what leads to the boundaries that one encounters when experimenting with HIV mutations. These boundaries being that because HIV replicates and mutates non-linearly, it is impossible to chronicle all its viral dynamics scrupulously. The lack of experimental data based on Nowaks model along with the inadequacy of experiments dealing with HIV mutations leads to the conclusion that at present, there is no answer to this question. Although, other questions have been exposed, including: does the virus mutate at random or is it systematic? And how does the virus know where to mutate in order to continue surviving undetected?These are all questions that must first be answered before we even begin to try to determine if viral mutations are what allows HIV to survive in the immune system.

LANDFILLS Essays - Waste Management, Landfill, Anaerobic Digestion

LANDFILLS Essays - Waste Management, Landfill, Anaerobic Digestion LANDFILLS Solid waste is the term that civil engineers use to refer to what most of us call garbage. Municipal solid waste is most familiar to us. It comes from households, institutions, and small businesess. These solid wastes enter the solid-waste stream, and the flow never ceases. While many normal activities are suspended during weekends and holidays, the flow of garbage is non-stop. Some holidays, such as Christmas, create an enormous wave of solid waste. There are essentially four ways to deal with garbage: 1) recycle it into something that can be used again, 2) dump it, 3) burn it, or 4) reduce the source of material products (such as packaging) in order to eliminate future garbage. Throughout history, dumping has been the preferred means of disposal. Today, landfills are America?s primary method for the disposal of garbage. Approximately 40 to 50 percent of everything we throw away is paper. Newspapers account for as much as 18 percent of the volume in a landfill. Grass clippings and raked-up leaves account for nearly 20 percent of our waste. Much of the notion that biodegradation takes place within a landfill is a myth. Some food and yard debris degrade at a very slow rate, but the remainder of the garbage in landfills seems to retain its original form, weight, and volume. Even after being buried in a landfill for several years, the print on newspapers remains legible. Landfills also contain a considerable amount of hazardous waste. Today, pesticides, cleansers, and motor oil are commonly found in most households. Many of these find their way to the trash. Therefore, landfills must be designed for the safe disposal of hazardous household waste. Currently, there is a critical shortage of landfills, expecially in the northeastern United States. It is estimated that 40 percent of the landfills now in use will close down within five years. The reason the percentage is so high is that most landfills are designed to be in use for only about ten years. Many landfills now closing are open dumps. Rain and groundwater trickle through the trash and dissolve metals and other chemicals. This toxic liquid, called leachate, can ooze into the ground and contaminate nearby wells and streams. In sanitary landfills, daily deposits of fresh garbage are covered with a layer of dirt or plastic or both. However, sanitary landfills can still exude leachate into the water table. In new sanitary landfills, the basin is often lined with clays and impermeable plastic sheets to keep the leachate in. While so many of the country?s landfills are closing down in the next several years, solid-waste engineers face tremendous challenges to properly seal, salvage, and monitor some of the nation?s most contaminated dumps. The use of sanitary landfills presents several additional challenges beyond safety and efficiency. One major problem is cost. It is often necessary to transport garbage several hundred miles to an available landfill. The cost for transporting garbage to a landfill can be excessive. An even bigger problem is location. Even if the landfill does not leak pollutants or foul the air, no one wants a landfill for a neighbor. Consequently, the old landfills are not being replaced. Due to the critical shortage of landfills and the concerns about their safety, environmental consciousness has been raised. There is a growing awareness of the need to improve the environment and become less dependent on landfills. We must finds ways to reduce waste, and we must find ways to convert waste into something that can be used again. Source reduction offers a real and lasting contribution toward solving our nation?s solid waste problem and conserving landfill space. Talk to your legislators, both federal and state, about this genuine method of reducing the volume of garbage.

Product Definition and Examples in Chemistry

Product Definition and Examples in Chemistry In chemistry, a  product is a substance that is formed as the result of a chemical reaction.  In a reaction, starting materials called reactants interact with each other. After passing through a high energy transition state (achieving the activation energy for a reaction), the chemical bonds between the reactants are broken and rearranged to yield one or more products. Products in Chemical Equations When a chemical equation is written, reactants are listed on the left side, followed by the reaction arrow, and finally by-products. Products are always written on the right side of a reaction, even if it is reversible. A B → C D Where A and B are reactants and C and D are products. In a chemical reaction, atoms are rearranged, but not created or destroyed. The number and type of atoms on the reactants side of the equation are the same as the number and type of atoms in the products. Chemical vs. Physical Change The formation of products that are different from reactants is the difference between a chemical change and a physical change of matter. In a chemical change, the formulas of at least one of the reactants and products are different. For example, the physical change in which water melts into a liquid may be represented by the equation: H2O(s)  Ã¢â€ â€™Ã‚  H2O(l) The chemical formulas of the reactants and products are the same. Examples of Products Silver chloride,  AgCl (s), is the product of the reaction between the silver cation and chloride anion in aqueous solution: Ag (aq) Cl- (aq) → AgCl (s) Nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas are the reactants that react to form ammonia as a product: N  2   3H  2  Ã¢â€ â€™ 2NH  3 The oxidation of propane yields the products carbon dioxide and water: C3H8   5 O2  Ã¢â€ â€™ 3 CO2   4 H2O

Accounting - Cash and Accrual Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accounting - Cash and Accrual - Essay Example There are two basic systems that can be utilized to run an accounting information system. The two accounting systems are cash and accrual basis accounting. This report analyses, compares and contrasts the two accounting systems that can utilized by an accountant in the industry. The cash basis accounting system recognizes revenues when cash is received, and expenses when cash is disbursed (Weygandt & Kieso & Kimmel, 2002, p.89). Utilizing a cash basis system provides the business with greater control over its cash account and up to the minute tracking of the cash position of the firm. The system is easier to implement due to simplicity and does not have to follow the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Since cash basis accounting is not in accordance with GAAP this implies that a person that is not an accountant or has any type of accounting training run such a system. A small business owner who can not afford the services of an accountant may be persuaded to run his numbers based on a cash basis system since he can do all the accounting work himself. A good example of a business that is likely to utilize a cash basis accounting system is the owner of a hot dog stand. This individual has a one person operation in which the business is constantly dealing with small cash transactions. The person on a weekly basis performs a materials purchase which is financed with the cash collection of the week. Both the revenues and expense accounts of the business owner are dominated by cash transactions. A cash basis accounting system has its advantages but also imposes a variety of problems. If a company utilizes such a system at the end of the accounting cycle the financial statements that are prepared will lead to misleading information. The reason that the financial statements have misleading information is that the system fails to record revenues that has been earned, but not yet received. Other problems arise from the fact that expenses may not match

Research Proposal on The Rape Shield Law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

On The Rape Shield Law - Research Proposal Example Despite the purported and perceived protection, which the enforced Rape Shield laws serves to give to the complainants, there may be some flaws in the laws itself, which may prejudice the interests of the defendant. The defendant may not be able to present his side of the story in front of the judge or to provide evidentiary support to prove his innocence in case where previous sexual conduct of the victim is not taken into consideration. Thus, false and unjust incarceration of the defendant may happen. The rape shield laws are deficient in some ways and specific amendments have to be brought into the rape shield laws to provide a fair and just decision to the defendant as well as the victim. Though the rape shield laws is an accepted statute, mainly for the purpose that it seeks to protect the victims of rape, yet, acceptance does not eradicate the contention that rape shield laws may have some inherent deficiencies that needs to be taken care of to make it a more acceptable and fai r form of legislation. The present research paper is devoted to explaining the deficiencies that are inherent in the rape shield laws, which may prejudice the legal rights of the defendant and at times even the victim. The basis of the contention is deficient and vague rape shield laws in different states, constitutional criticism of the rape shield law and failure of the laws to fulfill their purpose in exceptional cases where high profile is involved. 2. Vagueness of Rape Shield laws in Different States The rape shield laws in different States are different. There is no uniform set of laws like the Uniform Commercial Code, which may be applicable to all the states. This increases vagueness of the law itself. Each state has its own set of laws enacted with its own set of exceptions, sometimes distinct from that which is enacted in a particular state and sometimes completely different from other states. For instance, as per the Alabama statute any evidence relating to the past sexua l behavior of the complaining witness is admissible with an exception that evidence shall be admissible, when it is found that past sexual behavior directly involved the participation of the accused. On the other hand, though most states have in one way or another bared the admissibility of the past sexual conduct, however, the exceptions to such restriction is sometime less stringent and in some cases more stringent. In comparison to the exceptions to rape shield laws, which is in force in Alabama , the exceptions in Texas, Utah and Vermont are more stringent, as evidence is acceptable where probative value outweighs danger of unfair prejudice .1 This indicates while defendants in certain jurisdictions get better opportunities to prove their innocence while at other jurisdictions do not. 2. Constitutional criticism There are some inherent deficiencies in the rape shield laws despite its acceptance as an enacted law in all the states of US. The critics who seek to criticize the rape shield laws on the reasoning that it somehow violates the constitution propose that the rape shield laws are deficient in providing a fair trial to the defendant, it violates his right to cross-examine the victim or witnesses, it discriminates between sexes, it is an intrusion of the legislature into the judiciary and thus a violation of the doctrine of separation of powers and it is a vague form of law.2 In the forthcoming cases, the questions which arose to prove the constitutional violation of the rape shield laws were repeatedly nullified by the court. In a case, the question arose that whether not allowing the defendant to raise questions about the

Hunting and wolves Essay Example for Free

Hunting and wolves Essay Wolves have unique features; they are smart, sly, and curious, but for many hunters they kill them for their fur. Hunters take wolves and kill them for their fur. For example, the residents of Alaska have the idea that killing wolves are okay. Well, this horrendous and vile act that they are committing should be illegal. This act that they are doing is putting the fate of wolves in a dangerous place and they will be promoting their extinction if they continue doing this. â€Å"Killing Wolves†, by Sherry Simpson will give some examples of the acts these people do in order to kill many of these wolves that are defenseless, and yet get killed; almost to extinction. Wolves are an incredible animal that resides in mountain, forest areas; they mostly resemble the average dog. Wolves are very necessary to balance the ecosystem by naturally controlling the population of animals that eat vegetation. Wolves also help evolution in other species. These creatures are needed by the natural community to maintain the delicate balance of life. Without them, caribou, deer, elk and rabbits and many more animals would clear the land of plants, and the ecosystem would be unable to maintain itself. The wolf population is not even the same size as it was in the historic time, back when they lived in most regions of the United States. State government’s needs to let go of this unnecessary and merciless desire to control the population of animals who are just trying to simply survive. Hunters view this animal as a killing machine and â€Å"it considers them vermin† (Matsuoka). To make the situation worse the government is allowing the states to encourage these hunters to kill these wolves. For example, â€Å"Wisconsin will issue 1,160 permits for 116 animals. Minnesota will issue 6,000 permits for 400 animals† (Peralta). They think by allowing these hunters to kill these wolves is going to be a great benefit for them; when in reality they are driving them closer to extinction. Another example for instance, Simpson states that â€Å"between 6,000 and 7,000 exist in Alaska and hunters trap, shoot or poison wolves† (Simpson 137). This means that by the vile act that these hunters are doing by killing these wolves today’s human society will see the number of wolves in that area will decrease, because of the great impact Congress has made. Congress took them off Endangered Species Act protections from our nation’s wolves, the state government is encouraging people to kill them (Matsuoka). Now hunters can kill up to 220 wolves during hunting season. Their justification for the large killing of wolves is that the wolf population is at a â€Å"healthy† number. This does not give them a valid reason for the unnecessary killing of this poor animal. Wolves have been gunned down by hunters and federal sharpshooters in many areas. Wolves had been hunted for sport to near extinction in the United States. The Endangered Species Act was their saving grace, providing them with protection from hunters under the law. Even though there are some people that have the opportunity to kill the wolves many do not even though the wolves have been taken out of the Act. Simpson had that opportunity, she has been brought up and taught how to kill a wolf, but she states â€Å"I know I will never kill a wolf† (134). She is one of the few people who have gone to schools like Wolf Trapping School and have maintained their mind intact to not kill this creature. She has witnessed how these hunters put â€Å"the trap cloaked beneath the snow† (137) and how wolves unfortunately fall into these traps. She also says that some of these hunters say that these wolves are like puppies but instead they meant that these were â€Å"full-grown but inexperienced wolves† (137). An example of how the hunters kill the wolves are by bringing along a gun and ammunition to hunt wolves. Also hunting rifles are the typical choice, but bow hunting is a popular alternative (Fuller). With this said we can see how these hunters try to make it seem to children that it is ok to kill these wolves; and how from a young age they start to brain-wash these children into committing this disgusting act yet the wolves are still getting killed by these hunters. In the article Petersen’s Hunting, Bob Robb gives six reasons why they should kill wolves. His first statement is that there are â€Å"too many wolves†. This is false since the hunters made sure to almost extinct the wolves. Next his second and third points are â€Å"wolves are decimating ungulate populations† and â€Å"deer and elk are hiding†. A wolfs diet consists of ungulates; which are large, hoofed animals, but hunters, for the sake of not dragging an entire dead deer or elk out into the wilderness, will usually bring cuts of meat from larger prey or meat from smaller prey, wolves will eat gladly (Fuller). These wolves are helping the hunter by not carrying such a heavy load. His fourth is â€Å"wolves love ‘muffy’†. This is right, but if these hunters left them alone and would not make them run to these certain situations these wolves would have the urge to have a meal whether it may be livestock or a domesticated animal. Robb’s last two statements are â€Å"wolves are poster-boy animals† and â€Å"continued litigation†. He says that organizations just tell the government what the hunters are doing to the wolves and they gain money from them. This is false since not only do the organizations provide valid facts and proof to the government to protect the wolves. These hunters just want the opportunity to kill these wolves and almost drive them to extinction. Also, hunters can kill wolves to protect people, property or livestock (Landers). The decision to kill wolves has been very difficult for people because they do provide the warm that is needed when it is cold. After they have stripped the poor wolf’s fur what is done to the rest of the wolf? The carcass of the wolf will be thrown away and they will get more wolves and kill them for the same reason; even if they do not need them anymore for the wolf’s fur. The lifting of the ban has made hunters giddy and excited, because killing a wolf is a once-in-lifetime opportunity (Peralta). The main reason they are like this is partly because of the long-standing ban. These hunters know that wolves are incredibly intelligent animals with a keen sense of smell, so shooting them is very hard and trapping them is also difficult. This makes it seem in their point of view as a game to see if they can handle this challenge they are in. as well as they are spending a lot of money just so they can go and shoot wolves. Now that money will come from permits and licenses; the sale of the permits brought in $202,720 for the government. The sale of license is expected to bring in about $120,000 more (Peralta). Since the government needs more money they are allowing for the evil hunters to kill wolves so that they can get money. There valid and good reasons to kill wolves, yes they do provide warm, and also they can injure a person, but does that mean that we can also kill them for fun? As if was a game to see who can kill the most wolves? They try to give a good reason why they do this. They just want money so they can get out of having money troubles. Since the government knows that these hunters will do anything in order to start shooting at this creature they have set up this plan for the hunters; knowing that they will receive large amount of money. There are organizations that put a halt on their large amount of money they gain, by protecting and giving the wolves a voice. These organizations are the ones give these wolves a voice including ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). These organizations show many people the cruelty that some people are doing to these animals. They speak the true about how these animals are killed and how the government is allowing these hunters to kill them. Many people may not know what kind of torture this poor animal is going through, but also there are many people that encourage this appalling act just so they can get the latest wolf coat. Now for the grand help these organizations are doing to aid the wolves has made it possible for the wolves to go into some sort of protection until recently. In conclusion, people can see how the killing of wolves is the worst thing they can possibly do. These wolves are very beneficial to have in our ecosystem because they help us and themselves to have and live a better lifestyle. The selfishness from the Congress to remove them from the Endangered Species Act was the most shocking thing they did, because they are giving these states the opportunity to drive these wolves back to extinction. Along with that they are gaining sufficient amount of money from these hunters to hunt which gives the government the money that they need. Killing this creature gives the government a â€Å"justified† reason to start gaining profit from the despicable acts these hunters make. Also thanks to these organizations the wolves have a voice and have a chance to survive and live long enough for the future children to be able to see this majestic creature. There are many people that do live and grow up in this circumstance and some do have a valid reason to kill wolves for their fur, but that does not mean they can promote their extinction. Lastly, this is why these wolves should not be hunted and should be able to go back into their natural habitat without having to worry that a hunter or hunter’s trap will kill them. Works Cited Fuller, John. How Wolf Hunting Works. HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks, 30 June 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. Landers, Rich. Groups Write Governor to Protest Killing wolves. Spokesman. com. The Spokesman Review, 25 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Matsuoka, Rachel. The Environment Wildlife Cause. Western States Killing Wolves By the Hundreds. Care 2, 21 Dec. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Peralta, Eyder. Fair Game: Wolf Hunting Begins In Wisconsin, Minnesota. NPR. NPR, 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. Robb, Bob. 6 Reasons We Should Kill Wolves. Petersens Hunting. Petersens Hunting, 02 Nov. 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. Simpson, Sherry. Killing Wolves. In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction. Ed. Lee Gutkind. New York: W. W. Norton , 2005. 133-62. Print.

Got Those OPEC Blues Again And Rational Exuberance :: essays research papers fc

â€Å"Got those OPEC Blues Again† and â€Å"Rational Exuberance† SUMMARY Since March of 1999, when the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil was at $13 a barrel, we have seen a steady increase in prices in all phases of the economy. OPEC, the organization that is largely responsible for setting production goals in the Middle East, was under fire to find ways to increase prices. OPEC members at this time â€Å"pledged to cut back the supply of crude and push oil prices higher.† (Business Week, 48) The results were better than most expected: crude oil prices were almost $27 a barrel on November 23, 1999, the highest price since the 1991 Gulf War. (Business Week, 48) The demand for oil is outpacing current supply by 2.8 million barrels, causing some in Congress to push for relief by tapping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. (Business Week, 49) The rapid increases in prices have had a welcome effect on â€Å"Big Oil†, however. Companies such as BP Amoco, Chevron and Royal/Dutch Shell Group have posted 15% increases in earnings (Busines s Week, 49) This trend is expected to continue, with L Bruce Lanni, an analyst at CIBC World Markets Inc. noting, â€Å"I see clear sailing ahead for the next two to three years.† (Business Week, 49) â€Å"Happy days are here again!† This quote, noted by Jodie Allen of U.S. News and World Report, refers to the booming U.S. economy. (Allen, 71) The stock market, as of November 8, 1999 was flying high, posting strong gains, prompting inflationary fears and a hard once-over of the situation by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. However, the numbers are extraordinary. The Gross Domestic product surged at an annual rate of 4.8% in the third quarter of 1999. The employment cost index, which measures total compensation paid to workers in a broad sampling of jobs, rose by 3.1 percent over the past 12 months. (Allen, 71) But, cautions Princeton economist Alan blinder, â€Å"this is a change in the measurement system, not in the reality.† (Allen, 71) Still, he concedes, â€Å"the underlying reality was looking good even in the older data.† (Allen, 71) Even in this seemingly booming economy, Greenspan warns â€Å"It is not clear† whether interest rate hikes the Federal Reserve has already made will suffice to prevent overheating of the economy (Allen, 71) APPLICATION In the case of OPEC’s decision to cut supply to raise prices, it is clear that all sectors of the economy will be affected in some way.

Mr Burak Ceylan

The social aspect of the internet is now attracting people who wouldn't otherwise have used the internet on a regular basis for any other purpose. This growing social element to the internet, web 2. 0, is also widely recognised as a commercial ground for marketing on a large scale to the now accessible millions of people around the world. Seeing as both social media and universities are very community-based, it's only fitting that Victoria University should seek to attract people towards their thriving university community by using innovative next generation marketing campaigns which take omplete advantage of the internet facilities available. In order to achieve further expansion the university needs to focus on marketing their unique selling propositions within social media to prospective sstudents across several market segments. The process of attracting sstudents to a campus is not an easy one, but if these new-age tools are used to their fullest potential by setting marketing ob jectives and detailing strategies, the extended reach of the web can make the whole of Australia aware of the many offerings of VU when comparing the university to its competitors. The Market SegmentsThe target market from a broad perspective are of course undergraduate and post-graduate sstudents who are seeking to further their educations with a bachelors or masters degree. Specifically, VU targets prospective sstudents of low socioeconomic status. This is evident from their efforts in providing many work-iintegrated-learning programs which assist the hundreds of sstudents who are struggling to make a living while studying simultaneously. The undergraduate sstudents are mostly made up of fresh high school graduates who have only recently received their Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or equivalent.Meanwhile, a study performed on 2008 post-graduate sstudents coincluded that around 30% of bachelor degree graduates proceed to further study immediately, while the rest come ba ck to study a post-graduate degree later on in life (Graduate Careers 2012). It's safe to assume based on these figures that many post-graduate sstudents return at a later stage in their lives to participate in post-graduate study. The market segment of post-graduates sstudents aren't only comprised of existing bachelor degree sstudents or alumni, they also consist of graduate sstudents from competing universities.VU appears to maintain a firm focus on their website, www. vu. edu. au, on servicing all areas of the student body. The website has sections pertaining to future sstudents, international sstudents, current sstudents and alumni. While the homepage and the offered online services and testimonials reaffirm the university's integrity, there aren't many elements of the website or its hyperlinks which show that VU is implementing social media and new-age marketing into their promotional efforts. To develop a marketing strategy it is necessary to break down the target market into various segments so that it's easier to know which segments to market articular product offerings to. The market segment of the undergraduate student is one with a high school certificate who is looking to make an advancement in their education as the next stepping stone in building their career. As many undergraduates are young adults who've only recently finished high school, we can conclude that many of them belong to Generation Z. Generation Z are often appropriately termed as ‘Ddigital Natives' or ‘The Internet Generation' because they spend much of their time on the internet, accessing it through their computers and mobile devices, always staying connected.This only further highlights the significance of marketing to them through the use of social media and online advertising as thousands of them can be reached ddigitally (The Courier 2011). International sstudents are a market segment which are recognised by the university as valuable, especially when considering the significance of developing an international network between sstudents who are Australian citizens and those who are from foreign countries. As of 2008 there were at least 135,000 international sstudents in Melbourne alone with the number growing with each passing year (Dunn etal 2008).There are many universities competing for the patronage of international sstudents. VU's website seems to be focused on providing convenient services such as staff visits to over 30 countries, which are personalised on some level, in order to attract potential sstudents through partnering institutions. Although it's worth noting that this information wasn't easy to access, it was hidden beneath several other sub-categories of the ‘International Sstudents' section.The use of ecommerce to try and reach international sstudents has been initiated in an effective manner, but when contrasting these efforts to competitors we can see that there are many ways in which VU is providing convenience and advice, but not so much delivering their content in an interactive way. For instance, The University of Melbourne's page on international sstudents has a small calendar operating along the right side of the page which labels upcoming events (with times, dates and addresses) in different countries.A promotional effort which allows sstudents to easily access the information required while not intruding any other elements of the page. Also cleverly placed on the page are two YouTube videos which allow international sstudents to see the realistic lifestyle of a student living in Melbourne, while enticing them towards their facilities. Post-graduates are comprised of sstudents who have already received a bachelors degree at either VU or a competing university at some stage in their lives.As mentioned previously, only 30% of existing bachelor sstudents proceed directly to post-graduate studies. This leaves 70% of the market segment outside of the universities and most probably within the workforce, difficult to reach with the current marketing efforts of many universities. Post-graduate sstudents aren't a primary focus because it's believed that if they were to return to study that they're likely to return to the facilities which they're familiar with, which is why servicing current bachelor sstudents is important for VU.The New Era of Social Media Marketing The objectives of the university are to gather and empower sstudents from diverse countries, cultures and differing socioeconomic statuses and provide them with a high quality education. Marketing objectives of the university reflect these views through their focus on the VU ecommerce user experience as well as the use of online advertising. Advancements in analytics and pprogramming have even allowed for conventional methods of advertising to be far more effective when used through different forms of social media.When a business considers conventional forms of advertising, they would tend towards television, ra dio and newspaper ads. During the period of uprising online web 2. 0 trends, the internet has arguably become a greater medium for advertising than all other forms of conventional marketing. The amount of advertising content on the internet has drastically increased over recent years with many of the world's most powerful and influential companies being focused on online marketing as it has become a science of its own with many ingenious and creative new ways of marketing a product or service (Klever 2009).One of the more interesting ideas is behavioral targeting. It's a marketing concept as old as the widespread popularity of social media. Behavioural targeting is an idea which has been incorporated into several social media forms, namely Facebook. It describes a medium in which the user doesn't have their browser experience interrupted by intrusive pop-up advertisements, but rather the advertisements flow neatly with the rest of the page's content.The most important aspect of beha vioral targeting is that the consumer's own browsing actions influence the types of advertisements on the page. Modern day website coding has been developed to the extent that the ads are a part of the entire user experience rather than a frustrating component for every consumer (Klever, 2009). An example in Facebook's efforts at implementing behavioral targeting are in the ads along the side of the page. All of these ads are catered to the individual.When users on Facebook label their interests on their profile page, or if they click the ‘Like' button on pages or comment on group pages or photos, each one of those actions are linked in the backend of the website to a category. Advertisements from each of the user's favoured categories are then automatically associated with the individual consumer and then appear alongside the page every time they log onto their Facebook newsfeed. At scale, Facebook and its partnered advertising companies have been able to provide accuracy in ad targeting by interpreting the raw data gathered while their millions of users are active.With a click-through rate much higher than many competitors who are using dated forms of online advertising (pop-ups and whatnot), Facebook and other ssimilar forms of social media (Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn) can effectively help VU to target the market segments who are seeking to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies (Constine 2012). Engaging the social web creates a bridge between customers and businesses, whereby customers veer away from mere content consumption and towards collaborating with a social media form towards the business promotions which they offer.Analytics have even found in 2009 that more than 60% of the entire worldwide online community are using social networks and primarily browse on websites with a social element to them (Evans 2010). Another form of conventional marketing dominant in the web scene is the use of mobile ads within social applications on the p hones of consumers all around the world. Hitting the market rather abruptly, the use of marketing within ssmartphone applications has taken the mobile market by storm. The world's largest tech company, Apple Inc. has innovated the mobile phone industry with their products, the iPhone and iPad. Apple is the only tech company to date with a valuation of $1 trillion US dollars. And the majority of their revenue comes from sales of their iPhone product (Burrows 2012). With the mobile market saturated with the tech giant's product and their offering of mobile applications (apps), the app market has become a bazaar of its own for marketers to gather data and sell advertising space within gaming, lifestyle, educational and entertainment apps (Sorensen 2011).This is yet another new-age way for VU to market their graduate offerings and highlight their information sessions. Educational apps are used by many high school sstudents on electronic devices and are heavily encouraged to do so by the ir teachers and schools. Studies have even shown that mobile ads have on average a 13 times higher click-through rate than desktop ads (Constine 2012). Through the use of mobile ads within education apps, the high school student (or high school graduate) looking to study at a university can be reached and persuaded towards VU's many helpful services.Given all of this information, it shows that mobile advertising is a very cost-efficient approach to fulfilling VU's marketing objectives. The Innovations of Next Generation Marketing There are also more innovative methods of online marketing. To the surprise of many, the grasp of content marketing is enormous. Aside from Facebook there are many famous blogging websites, YouTube channels and podcasts which are all examples of how good quality content posted in peak hours can attract thousands of followers to a business or to individual bloggers (Nguyen 2012).It's since been proven that the idea of viral marketing, which is content going viral and spreading infectiously tthroughout the internet, lies in content marketing within a social media interface. By producing a well-received marketing campaign, many businesses have profited well from strategies based on the ‘network effect. ‘ The network effect explains that the value of each consumer is proportional to the number of other consumers they're able to connect with (Darell 2012).VU's representatives can post content on student blog websites, YouTube channels and podcast websites in order to show what the university offers that its competitors don't. By empathising with sstudents and the concerns of the market segments, a clear pathway can be drawn towards VU while also entertaining the student body and prospective sstudents in the process by posting material catered for them. Showing that VU understands the problems encountered by current and prospective sstudents and then proceeding to demonstrate how the university can help is the key to assist thes e social media marketing efforts in going viral.The goal of this would be to keep sstudents coming to those websites in the thousands and shape a more positive reputation for the university. Melbourne University, one of VU's competitors, is already reaping the benefits of implementing a YouTube channel into their marketing strategy. Through observation alone, one can see that VU has a number of official student Facebook pages. But even while being a member of most of them myself, I don't see Facebook ads catered to myself, a current bachelors degree student.If the university were to invest in this form of promotion then each time myself and other current undergraduates login, we would see a VU ad with potential post-graduate offerings every so often, but they're simply never present. The underlying issue is that the only social media presence that the university has is just for current sstudents. It would be preferable if VU were to have a sthronger social media presence which has t he ability to span out and attract other potential future sstudents rather than provide more accessibility for current ones.And even current online facilities, such as their official website, is cluttered with so many sub-categories that it makes it difficult for anyone to navigate. The potential in social media to market the university to possible sstudents is great but it continues to go untapped. Recommendations/Conclusions More social media services and innovations are becoming popular among rising numbers of web users all over the globe. Effective marketing campaigns on the internet have the potential to reach millions of worldwide users and match advertisements to their individual needs.Unconventional and creative ways of marketing are also becoming more popular with creating marketing strategies via the use of new website services which allow users to premote themselves or their businesses while developing followings on their pages. VU has its target markets set out in front of them and they have the resources to keep up to date with social media trends by exercising the marketing expertise of many of their academic staff and even their sstudents. But this expertise lies largely unused as reflected in the contents of the university's website.Not only would it be wise for VU to make further attempts of using web 2. 0 marketing to their advantage, but VU has the power to set the university apart as an innovator in the field of promoting the use of social media as a regular factor in their marketing plans. They can innovate by creating a presence across several new and uprising social websites in order to demonstrate a new-age train of thought in applying inventive methods of creating awareness of the many services which VU offers to undergraduates, post-graduates and international sstudents alike.

Health Disadvantages Indigenous Australians Essay

Socioeconomic factors are associated with education, employment, and income, and each, has a substantial influence on the health of Indigenous Australians. Education, which is inaccessible for many Indigenous people, allows for the greater knowledge of health issues, and the increased understanding of both protective behaviors and risk factors. It is a known fact that with a lack of education or one that is poor, there is a increased risk that there will be less employment opportunities – ultimately leading to little or no income. Hence, the vicious poverty cycle is born. Education enables Indigenous Australians to develop a sense of empowerment, and in turn increases the probability that they will take steps to improve their health. If an Indigenous child has had an insuffienct education, they will not have had any opportunities that assist them in evaluating health information and products. Research has shown those with higher levels of education have a reduced chance of smoking, being inactive and suffering from obesity. It’s the absence and inequality of education that has led to obesity among Indigenous Australians – with 28% of those over 15 being overweight, and 29% diagnosed as obese. Obesity increases the risk of developing health problems including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, injury and certain cancers. The individual may not be aware of which foods are healthy, may not be able to afford it, may not take part in physical activity daily, use tobacco and abuse alcohol – and this occurs from deficient education. Additionally, environmental factors influence the health of Indigenous Australians in the areas of geographic location and access to health services and technology. Approximately 24% of people living in remote areas and 45% of those living in very remote areas are Indigenous. Aboriginals living in remote areas will experience negative impacts on their social, emotional and physical health. Indigenous people in these rural areas experience a greater risk of injury due to the dangers associated with travelling on country roads that are often of poor quality, long distances and fatiguing. Indigenous people are 3 times more likely to die from traffic incidents than non-Indigenous people. Aboriginals in remote areas will also face harsh living and working circumstances such as; drought and floods. From this, injury, disease, emotional distress and financial hardships occur. Aboriginal Australians in remote communities with large distances between other people and society may find it difficult to maintain and create social support networks. The inability to make and prolong relationships leads to a sense of isolation, and contributes to poor mental health and depression. Hospitalisation rates for self-harm are representative of mental illness, depression and stress – and in 2006, Indigenous Australians were 3 times more likely to be hospitalized for severe self-harm than other Australians. In 2011, 80% of suicides of the ages 19 to 24 were Aboriginals. This occurs due to isolated geographic location. Evidently it is of utmost importance that there be a strategy put into place to help improve the health of Indigenous Australians in regards to the Socio-economic factor of education, and the environmental factor of geographic location. This strategy must be effective and realistic, to ensure that the gap begins to be closed before 2030. A proposed action that should be put into place is the development of a â€Å"Community Centre†, in the mid point of a rural township. This centre would feature a shuttle bus service, picking up and dropping off the person when wanting to commute to the facility. The shuttle service would hopefully reduce the injury experienced from traffic incidents on rural roads. This community centre would be a hub, where Aboriginals could come, in order to receive educational courses or classes; on the topics of drug awareness and abuse, mental health issues, domestic violence, healthy eating and much more. As well as educational classes, there would be fun activities that they would be able to participate in, such as sports, healthy cooking, arts and crafts and other alternatives. Whilst being at the community centre, there is the opportunity to receive an education, and also forge friendships. The opportunity to receive an education, especially on the topics listed previously would increase the awareness of health issues and knowledge of protective behaviors, fundamentally attempting to break the poverty cycle and enabling empowerment to flourish within the Aboriginal. Whereas the possibility to create friendships, and returning to the â€Å"Community Centre† on a regular basis would assist in the reduction of Indigenous Australian’s in rural area’s feeling isolated and depressed – further reducing the number of hospitalization rates from self harm, mental illness and suicide. In conclusion, it is perceivable that something MUST be done soon in order to close the gap by 2030 to create greater equity between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians. There is NO excuse!

Netflix Strategic Analysis Essays

Netflix Strategic Analysis Essays Netflix Strategic Analysis Paper Netflix Strategic Analysis Paper Netflix | Strategic Analysis (Nov 2007)| | Netflix, the online subscription-based DVD rental service aimed to better satisfy customer in a way competitors didn’t, customized and personalized service with unlimited monthly rentals from a great variety of film offerings. Now they want to leverage their strengths to enter into the Video on Demand market| | | 9/18/2009| | 1 1 3 3 6 7 Table of Contents 1. Netflix Strategic Analysis 2. Netflix vs. Blockbuster: Comparative assessment of strategic differences 3. Netflix Competitive Advantage 3. 1 Home video industry Positioning Perspective 3. VRIO Perspective 4. Video On Demand (VOD) – Strategic Advantage i 1. Netflix Strategic Analysis Netflix, an online subscription-based DVD rental service aimed to better satisfy customer in a way competitors didn’t, with unlimited monthly rentals from a great variety of DVD offerings and personalized service. Netflix created a distinctive value proposition by understanding customer needs and competition offerings; Netflix found the sweet spot to align the firm’s capabilities with the customer needs in a way that competitors could not match them, creating unique activities to deliver to that gap(1). To take the movie rental to the next level, Netflix used the internet instead of rental stores and offered service only to DVD users while rental stores were still renting VHS. The combination of internet and DVD technology made competition irrelevant, by reaching in an untapped market, Netflix expanded existing industry boundaries and reached for the blue ocean(1). Netflix started building their offering from customer’s frustration such as narrow diversity of films and stressful return due dates which implied late fees. Netflix was able to hold large amounts of inventory in their warehouses without having the physical space constringency of a rental store, added convenience of delivery and the unlimited monthly rentals of a subscription model, and using technology for customization and personalization of their service. Leveraging best practices from internet retailers (ebay, Amazon) helped Netflix to identify characteristics that were most appealing to internet customers (2). Understanding what customer valued allow Netflix to strengthen their critical success factors. . Netflix vs. Blockbuster: Comparative assessment of strategic differences. 1 Blockbuster focused their strategy on impulse rental customers, while Netflix focused on customers that desired selection and for which watching movies was a way of entertainment. While Blockbuster business relied on newest release (70% of revenue came from hit movies) (2) they kept a narrow variety of movies and their financial success depended highly in ma ximizing the rental of those hit movies in inventory. To be able to increase utilization, the movies had a return due date and late fees would be applied if returned after. Netflix business model promoted lower profile films, while working in new relationships with studios to lower cost and quicker access of new releases (only 30% of revenue came from new releases)(2). Netflix continued making deals with movie producers and acquiring movies to enlarge the diversity and size of their DVD library; simultaneously applied the subscription model which allowed customers to reach an unlimited amount of movies per month (keeping three at a time). Blockbuster scope was to expand geographical coverage nationwide, owning most of their stores (80%) and franchising the rest (2). Netflix had a similar geographical goal, creating more distribution centers (inexpensive warehouses) improving upon its national wide coverage and reducing delivery time. Using technology to develop a recommendation system and personalized their service, Netflix had established a strong market position with a large and solid base of subscribers by the time Blockbuster entered the online movie rental business. Blockbuster had the power of high retaliation and leverage from their already established brand and existing products, so they integrated its online model with its traditional store business, eliminating late fees, copying Netflix business model and under-cutting price to gain market share, but still it did not offset their loss of revenue by 2005. 2 Blockbuster was too confident in their brand and their reach that failed to see the threat from the online rental business, meanwhile Netflix took advantage of their slow entrance to build a market and leverage on growing technology (DVD) that took off really quickly. The strategy canvas shown in Figure 1 captures how Netflix’s strategy differs from Blockbuster’s and their areas of differentiation. Netflix shifted their focus to alternative new offerings, building on critical success factors that could not be matched by Blockbuster, even when they entered the online video rental. Figure 1. Strategic canvas of home movie rental 3. Netflix Competitive Advantage 3. 1 Home video industry Positioning Perspective 3 To understand Netflix’s positioning in the home video industry offering of movies in the comfort of the home it is useful to employ Porter’s 5 forces framework to identify the gap they are filling and their strengths and weaknesses. Threat of Entry: To be able to start up a home video business would require a significant investment capital. Although the required capital for infrastructure could be medium to low (open a store and do minimum amount of marketing), it could be expensive for new entrants to invest in movies to create the necessary inventory, especially without relationships with movie studios and producers. Also retaliation could be expected from larger players if the new business poses a threat. For a possible entrant, high differentiation (for example convenience or diversity) would be necessary to be able to succeed. The threat of entry would be considered medium to low, but Netflix saw the opportunity to get into the industry by highly differentiating themselves to be able to compete. Threat of Substitution: Alternatives to the home video industry would be: first, movie theaters, expensive and lack the convenience of watching the movie in the comfort of the house. Second, to watch a movie through commercial television, it takes longer time to be available and is interrupted by commercials. Third, to watch movies through the internet, on the computer; it may be convenient, but not comfortable. Also, a customer always has as an option not to spend their free time watching movies. The substitutes are weak until technology allows for easy, quick and cheap movies to be downloaded through the internet and transfer to the TV. The threat of substitution is low. 4 The power of buyers: The source of dissatisfaction of customers comes from the narrow selection of movies and the rental due dates resulting in late fees. It becomes expensive for those who are volume customers and have to pay large amounts of money. But buyers have low switching cost as there are several options for renting movies, despite this fact, individual customers do not hold bargaining power over the price of products in this market since one customer’s decision to buy the service or not will not affect the overall market at all; similarly one customer’s dissatisfaction will not influence other customers significantly. The level of dissatisfaction with the service would promote a widespread response in the presence of a differentiated product that is more convenient and satisfactory for customers. Netflix â€Å"invested in things that were strategically relevant to customer satisfaction potential† (2) taking advantage of discontent of the underserved customers which increased buyers’ switching cost and decreased the buyer power. The power of supplier: High up-front investment is necessary to be able to acquire films. Without direct relationships with major studios, the industry depended on a small number of movie distributors to acquire the movies with little or no discount increasing the supplier power. Netflix built relationships with major film producers to decrease the up-front cost of new releases by splitting additional revenue; they were able to acquire more movies in a timely manner to satisfy demand. â€Å"As Netflix built its film library, it grew in importance as a distribution channel for many small and independent film studios† †¦ â€Å" Netflix acquired the distribution rights to certain independent films through its Red Envelope Subsidiary†(2). All the actions taken helped Netflix to both decrease the supplier power while increase their movie selection. The mail delivery system had also a major role as Netflix’s supplier. They highly depended on USPS for the success of their model (delivery and return of movies in a timely manner). Netflix took advantage of the declining first class mail industry and strengthen their relationship with USPS, receiving discounts while working on an efficient plan to expedite deliveries and returns and improve customer satisfaction. 5 Rivalry: The home video industry had been highly populated by small and large players with little differentiation offering, basically commodity service in a larger and smaller scale. Blockbuster had been the leader for a long time and smaller â€Å"mom and pops shops† did not present strong competition. The rivalry could be considered medium. As industry grew in a constant pace, more people demanded a wider selection with more convenience; this allowed Netflix to get into the industry with a differentiated product that allowed them to succeed. 3. 2 VRIO Perspective Netflix initial strategic advantage was based on differentiation from using the internet to select the movies, their unlimited monthly movies from the subscription based system with no late fees, the wider inventory of movies and the use of mail for delivery, very different from Blockbuster’s offering. It was a good strategy over the short term, but it only gave Netflix a temporal competitive advantage as anybody could copy what they were doing. To build a sustainable competitive advantage Netflix dedicated a lot of resources to make their offering unique; this helped them to further differentiate themselves. This strategy leveraged the value proposition of convenience and selection by personalizing their offering and building strong relationships between their system and their customers, their intent was to increase customer retention, offering features that customers could not find at any competitor, and that would be too difficult for a competitor to copy. Netflix invested in technology that allowed them to get to know customers using surveys, movie reviews and monitoring rental trends. All this permitted Netflix to give customers accurate recommendation of movies based on customer likes while having a queue of movies that would be shipped to them on priority basis. Using their core strengths and building rarity and difficulty of imitability, as observed in the VRIO analysis in Table 1, Netflix customer data base and personalized offering allowed them to have a sustainable competitive advantage in delivering home video entertainment. 6 Table 1: Netflix critical success factors – VRIO break down | Resources| V| R| I| O| | Physical| | | | | | | Technology| * | * | | * | TCA| Logistics| * | * | | * | TCA| | Geographical reach| * | | | * | | | Wide selection| * | * | * | * | SCA| | Brand| * | * | | * | TCA| | Convenience Easy access| * | * | | * | TCA| | Customer database| * | * | * | * | SCA| Organization| | | | | | | Knowing customer| * | * | * | * | SCA| | Recommendation| * | * | * | * | SCA| | Subscription| * | * | | * | TCA| | No late fees| * | * | | * | TC A| | Relationship with studios| * | * | | * | TCA| Human| | | | | | Team commitment| * | * | * | * | SCA| TCA – Temporary Competitive Advantage (Strength and distinctive competence) SCA – Sustainable competitive Advantage (Strength and sustainable distinctive competence) 4. Video On Demand (VOD) – Strategic Advantage While Netflix â€Å"believed that the DVD rental market would remain healthy for years in the future†(2), they also recognized, just as they did when entering the DVD market, the need to take advantage of the fast pace growing technology and enter the VOD market in its early stages in order to maintain ts superior â€Å"position as a giant in the media industry†(2). Unlike Blockbusters’ response when Netflix first appeared with a product so different from theirs, rather than seeing the new offering as an option that would appeal only to a niche market(2), Netflix acknowledged the VOD offering as a service that would benefit the mass market needs(2). 7 VOD presents two main challenges, the first is the hardware requirements to allow connectivity between the computer and television, adopting streaming offering would allow Netflix to establish in the VOD market while waiting for the technology to develop. The second is â€Å"the current limitations in available content† (2). Adopting the VOD business as a separate service could hurt Netflix’s â€Å"wide selection† image making it difficult to satisfy its wide range of customers. While Netflix must continue pressuring the studios to let them have more available films in VOD, choosing the option of integrating a streaming online video feature in their core offering, would allow them to build on their current differentiation strengths: unlimited monthly rentals from a great variety of movies and personalized service. New customers interested in the VOD offering would also enter in the data base helping further growth of Netflix’s customized and personalized system while taking advantage of their variety of DVD movies still not available through VOD. In the initial stages, both DVD online rental and VOD would complement each other. It would be expected for the streaming online video feature to increase popularity while overcoming the technical challenges of VOD. At the same time, the DVD rental business would be expected to decline. This strategy would help them transition effectively in the market. It will be easier to convert its customer from DVD’s delivered movies to VOD rather than acquiring new customers from scratch. Finally, integrating the current offering with the streaming online video while leveraging from their distinctive competencies, ultimately will give Netflix a sustainable competitive advantage â€Å"to allow for the best home video viewing for its customers† (2). References (1) W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, â€Å"Blue Ocean Strategy: From Theory to Practice† California Review Management, 2005. (2) 8 8 7 7 Willy Shih, Stephen Kaufman and David Spinola, â€Å"Netflix†, Harvard Business School, November 19, 2007.