Saturday, August 31, 2019

Amazon’s Marketing Strategy Essay

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the marketing process of online retailer Amazon.com, Inc. Amazon.com provides a number of retail services as well as web and storage services. The corporate strategy framework, as discussed in Cravens & Piercy’s Strategic Marketing text, will be used to examine the background of the company and define its current position. The corporate framework includes the following: (1) corporate vision (2) corporate objectives toward vision (3) resources (4) business composition and (5) business design. The marketing strategy of the company will be reviewed using Cravens & Piercy’s suggested marketing strategy process. To assess the current marketing problems and opportunities, this paper takes a closer look at the company’s current SWOT analysis, provided by GlobalData. In addition, strategic recommendations will be made for the company’s prolonged growth. Amazon Inc. A company’s market driven strategy â€Å"mandates more effective integration of activities and processes that impact customer value† (Cravens & Piercy, 2009). As well as a consistent market driven strategy, an organization must be creative and innovative in order to compete in the global marketplace. Amazon, Inc. has developed an inventive marketing strategy through the use of the Internet. By becoming pioneers in the e-commerce marketplace, the company has transformed retail. Amazon Inc. should evaluate their corporate and marketing strategies to make use of all available resources. The company has experienced some marketing failures but can still take advantage of existing marketing opportunities. In the 9th Edition of the text Strategic Marketing, Cravens & Piercy write, â€Å"corporate strategies are concerned with how the company can achieve its growth objectives in current or new business areas† (Cravens & Piercy, 2009). When building the framework for a co mpetitive corporate strategy, an organization must first decide the corporate vision. During the summer of 1994, Internet usage showed promising growth. A reported statistic of 2,300% yearly growth encouraged Jeff Bezos, then Senior Vice President for D.E. Shaw & Co., to quit his job and concentrate on a way to gainfully use this information. His long term vision for his company was to revolutionize retail by creating â€Å"the  earth’s biggest online retail store, where everyone could buy anything and everything† (Kargar, 2003). To achieve this goal, Bezos conducted market research that led him to Seattle and directed him to choose selling books online as his main focus. The company was launched in 1995 and by the first quarter of 1996 reported sales revenues of $110 million. The company soon changed from a virtual bookstore into a virtual marketplace by entering new markets that included music, movies, electronics, toys, apparel, grocery and others. Years later in 2006 Amazon.com had become what some called a model of â€Å"the next-generation Internet-based business† (Isckia, 2009). That same year the company introduced their new endeavor, Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), that offered cheap computing power over the Internet. Many believed Bezos’ unconventional wisdom took the company further away from its core vision. However, a closer examination of Bezos creative mindset reveals more of the organization’s well developed corporate philosophy and structure. Moving beyond book selling, the launch of EC2 and Simple Storage Service (S3) are examples of achievements towards the corporate vision. Amazon has been able to implement objectives in the areas of product quality improvement and new-product targets. Cravens and Piercy note that â€Å"a key strategy issue is matching capabilities to market opportunities† (Cravens & Piercy, 2009). Transforming Amazon.com into more than just a retail operation has given the organization the capability to â€Å"compete in different markets, provide significant valued to end user customers, and create barriers t o competitor duplication† (Cravens & Piercy. 2009). With Bezos’ continuous investments in new technological initiatives, investors were concerned about Amazon’s increasing debt and profitability. Kargar reports, â€Å"the company had a weak balance sheet [and] massive negative operating cash flow† (Kargar, 2004). Throughout the company’s financial history there have been many monetary losses. According to Robert D. Hoff and Heather Green, in 2002, â€Å"the company still carried $2.2 billion in long-term debt† (Business Week, 2002). In International Journal of Cases in Electronic Commerce, Pauline Ratnasingham reports that â€Å"Amazon.com shareholders lost 80% of their value in 2000† (Ratnasingham, 2006). Though sales increase rapidly, losses continue to soar as well. Despite the financial failures, in 2006 Bezos’ still believed that his investments would yield big payoffs in later years and that Amazon.com would be a â€Å"meaningful business†¦one day† (Hoff, 2006). As Amazon.com continued to expand, the company’s strategic business units (SBU) consisted of four key divisions: (1) U.S. Books/Music/DVD/Video (2) U.S. Electronics, Tools, and Kitchen (3) Services and (4) International (Ratnasingham, 2006). This business composition makes it easier to focus on separate specific strategies for each unit. The company’s business model also provides a competitive advantage. Amazon benefits from being able to maintain a virtual store front with distribution centers located in low rent areas. In all, a combination of convenience, speed, reliability, discounted pricing, and a wide selection of merchandise creates a synergistic business design that cannot be easily duplicated. When developing Amazon.com’s corporate structure Bezos clearly understood and defined his business strategy. The organization would now need to design and implement a consistent and integrated marketing strategy. An important aspect of Amazon.com’s marketing strategy is their customer-centric approach. Amazon offers lower prices, free shipping, and customer service available 24/7. Also, the customer experience is enhanced through personalized recommendations and customized web pages. The organization’s strength in customer service has been effective in increasing customer loyalty, website traffic, and repeat purchases. Amazon.com uses various marketing techniques that include online advertising, email campaigns, and their Associates Program. The Associates Program, which allows outside websites the ability to make products available to Amazon customers, has proven to be very successful. In 2001 over 700,000 associates were registered for the program. This marketing tool allowed Amazon.com the ability to â€Å"expand its market beyond its own website and concentrate on its strength of order fulfillment and distribution† (Ratnasingham, 2006). Another key aspect of Amazon.com’s marketing strategy is their established strategic relationships with various traditional retailers. These alliances enhance the value offerings of customers, give the company a competitive advantage, and increase the market share for all companies involved. Some of Amazon’s partnerships include Toys ‘R’ Us for toys and video games, the Gap for clothing and Drugstore.com for pharmacy items. The company also has third party arrangements with Target Corporation, Borders Group, Expedia, and others. Amazon profits by providing customers with a diverse array of products while their allies are able to use the technology, services, and  tools of Amazon.com. A significant detail of any organization’s marketing strategy is creativity and innovation. In her article for The Learning Organization, Verna Allee suggests that â€Å"in order to sustain competitive strength and continue growth Western companies need to build innovation into their cultures and structures as an essential condition for value creation† (Allee & Taug, 2006). In 2008, Amazon.com was listed as number 20 in a list of the world’s 25 most innovative companies (Cravens & Piercy, 2009). The new service offering of the EC2 and S3 digital utilities moves the company into competitive opportunities within the software platform marketplace. Bezos’ innovation strategy for Amazon.com includes these five following rules: 1) Measure everything 2) Keep development teams small 3) Don’t be afraid of weird ideas 4) Open up to outsiders 5) Watch customers, not competitors (Hoff, 2006) Amazon.com’s technological advances and Bezos’ forward-thinking has led the company to create ground-breaking products, such as the Kindle and also compete with top online digital music provider Apple ITunes. By encouraging continued innovation, Amazon can secure their place as leaders in Internet-based businesses. Amazon.com is in a position to gain from the various opportunities they have in the e-commerce marketplace. These opportunities include new trends and technological advances. Amazon competes well and has growth in the digital e-book market thanks to their Kindle product. Amazon can continue to invest in technology to sustain profitability. In general, E-commerce is experiencing growth. Amazon.com is in the position to benefit from this rise. The site currently offers payment security, one-click payments, user-friendly features, and other technologies that new web-based businesses will have to compete with. The company also has the opportunity to expand through strategic alliances and acquisitions. For example, GlobalData reports that Amazon.com acquisition of TouchCo earlier this year, â€Å"is expected to bring about cost reduction in the company’s business† (GlobalData, 2010). Overall, Amazon.com employs strong marketing  strategies. GlobalData reports that the company’s emphasis on marketing can be seen in their increased marketing costs in 2009, in comparison with 2008 and 2007 (GlobalData, 2010). However, Amazon.com is faced with some marketing problems. Because the company has a seasonal nature, more shoppers during the holiday seasons, the number of customers accessing the website at one time could cause system interruptions. This could contribute to fulfillment issues and a delay in deliveries. Also, Amazon.com faces the threat of traditional retail stores like Wal-Mart or Barnes & Nobles who now have an online component. Amazon.com now has to compete with companies who have greater brand recognition and more customers. The partnerships the company has made also pose a problem. For example, in 2004 Toys ‘R’ Us bought a case against the company because Toys ‘R’ Us exclusive items were being sold by competitors through Amazon’s website. Also the company suffered increased costs because of their alliance with Drugstore.com. To offset the problems and threats faced by the company, Amazon can benefit from the following strategic recommendations. First, during the off-season Amazon can do aggressive promotional campaigns to include discounts for students and partnerships with university and college professors to be the exclusive vendor for textbooks and suggested reading materials. Also, Amazon’s fulfillment processes should be evaluated to determine what issues are prevalent during the holiday season. Those issues should be addressed and fulfillment centers should be restructured accordingly. The company should re-evaluate their alliances by doing a cost assessment. By determining which costs are insignificant, expenses can be reduced or eliminated. Through the leadership of Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com continues to be the best and first by thinking outside the box. The company has changed the way consumers shop, the way they read, and the way entrepreneurs run their businesses. Bezos accepts his failures, focuses on what works and continues to support new ideas and hopeful initiatives. An evaluation of their marketing and corporate strategies to assess their failures can allow them the ability to make appropriate use of their opportunities. References Cravens, D. W., & Piercy, N. F. (2009). Strategic marketing (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Hoff, R.D. (2006). Jeff Bezos’ risky bet. BusinessWeek, 52-58. Retrieved December 14 from ABI/INFORM Global. Hoff, R.D., & Green, H. (2002). How amazon cleared that hurdle: to earn a profit, it cut costsand started growing again. BusinessWeek, (3768), 60-61 Retrieved December 14 from ABI/INFORM Global. Hoff, R.D., Neuborne E., & Green, H. (1998 December). Amazon.com: the wild world of e-commerce: by pioneering – and damn near perfecting – the art of selling online, amazon is redefining retailing. BusinessWeek (3608), 106 Isckia, T. (2009). Amazon’s evolving ecosystem: a cyber-bookstore and application service provider. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 26(4), 332-343. Retrieved December 17 from ABI/INFORM Global. Kargar, J. (2004). Amazon.com in 2003. Journal of the International Academy for CaseStudies, 10(1), 33-52. Retrieved December 11, 2010 from ABI/INFORM Global. Ratnasingham, P. (2006). A swot analysis for b2c e-commerce: the case of amazon.com. International Journal of Cases in Electro nic Commerce, 2(1), 1-22, Retrieved December11, from ABI/INFORM Global.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Motivating Middle School Boys Essay

Abstract Middle school is a time of physical, emotional and social change for boys. When students hit middle school, academics tend to take a back seat to all of the new activity in their lives. For boys, middle school is increasingly difficult. In addition to the physical and emotional changes, the academic curriculum becomes more challenging and rigid. This does not align with a typical boy’s learning style. Many boys in middle school are struggling through hard times at home. Situations may include challenges such as little to no parental support, poverty, and malnutrition. With all of the possible circumstances disrupting their home lives, it is hard for these boys to concentrate on how to solve an equation in math class. Teachers need to motivate boys by providing relevant, hands-on curriculum. Three ways that teachers can do this is by including family members in the classroom, using friendly competition in the form of games and contests, and by relating mathematical lessons and material to real-life situations and interests that the boys might have. Introduction By seventh grade, most students have had years of poor attendance, little parental support, and many other issues related to poverty. They simply do not see the importance of mathematics in everyday life and how math can lead to better things for them. Males, in particular, want to continue the lifestyle they were raised in; showing little to no effort when it comes to the math classroom. This paper discusses three reasons why mathematics teachers should incorporate meaningful motivation strategies as a tool to motivate middle school males in the mathematics classroom. Including Family in the Classroom. One way that teachers can help to motivate boys in the middle school classroom is to include their families in the classroom. The relationship between family and school influences the academic achievement of middle school students. These family relationships and parental involvement mold students’ educational development drastically. Murdock and Miller (2003) refer to family as a major influence in how middle school boys deal with learning, peers, and motivation. They state â€Å"families play the most important role in students’ lives as they transition from elementary school to middle school†. The absence of a parent can play a very important role in the success of a student, so when the student sees that there is a connection between the classroom and their family, they are motivated to succeed. Middle school math teachers should try their best to create a sense of family cohesion and teamwork in the classroom. Teachers can do this by always making sure parents are aware of what is happening in the classroom, keeping the lines of communication open, and even incorporating projects that might need the student to work with a member of their family to complete it. Haim Ginott’s theory of congruent communication states that teachers should always use communication that is harmonious with students’ feelings about situations (Charles, 2008). This can be applied to idea of including families in the classroom because teachers need to keep the lines of communication open not only with their students, but with their students’ families. By taking the time to talk to students about situations arising in the classroom, it will be easy for teachers to communicate with parents about similar situations and the lack of motivation within the classroom. When students know that their families are involved in their academics, they are more inclined to succeed in the classroom. Introduce Competition Next, a second way that teachers can help to motivate middle school boys while in the classroom is to include the use of different games and contests. Most boys respond well to competition with their peers. They will force one another to greater speeds, improved accuracy and higher achievement in the name of winning. Boys thrive on competition, so any type of game or activity that allows them to go against a peer in a competitive manner will motivate them to perform. In the following quote, Conti explains why he believes that competitions in the math classroom can spark an interest in math for boys. â€Å"Mathematics competitions are probably the extracurricular academic programs with the widest participation. The most immediate value of these math contests is obvious – they pique students’ interest in mathematics and encourage them to value intellectual pursuits. Boys love games, and many will turn just about any activity into a contest, or in other words, something to get good at. Math contests thus inspire them to become good at mathematics just like sports encourage physical fitness. Eventually, students put aside the games. By then, hopefully an interest in the underlying activity has developed† (Conti, 2001). Teachers should create competitions by having students race against one another to solve math problems or turning a test review into a basketball game, allowing students to shoot a basket for every correct answer. The teacher could also place students in groups and award points based on certain behaviors and completed tasks. A prize would be awarded to the group with the highest score at the end of the week. Jacob Kounin would agree with this point based on his theory of lesson momentum and withitness. Kounin believes that classroom teachers should be able to do a multitude of things at one time, including presenting motivating and engaging lessons, managing the class, and being aware of the classroom surroundings (Charles, 2008). He states that good teachers keep students from getting bored or otherwise frustrated with lessons. By including competition in the form of games and contests in the classroom, the teacher is able to keep the boys motivated with a lesson while still controlling the needs of the class. When boys know they have a chance to show off their skills by winning something, they will immediately become engaged and motivated to participate. Provide Connections to Real-Life Therefore, a third way that middle school math teachers can motivate boys within the classroom is to connect the material to real-life applications. Students, particularly those who come from backgrounds that undervalue education, will benefit from this strategy. Stein (1993) expressed his belief in real-world connections revolving around math lessons by stating â€Å"Because students often feel that mathematics is the subject least relevant to their daily lives, it is an important arena in which teachers can attempt to incorporate students’ funds of knowledge in the context of culturally relevant mathematics instruction†. For middle school boys, school itself is often the least important factor in their lives. Teachers can tap into their focus by relating topics to important interests in their lives. One way for teachers to do that is to use democratic teaching; a theory of Rudolf Dreikurs. Democratic teaching occurs in a classroom in which the teacher and students work together to make decisions about how the class will function (Charles, 2008). This applies to the idea of connecting math with real-world situations. Students want to know how what they are learning will benefit them in their future lives. By brainstorming different topics and careers that the students are interested in, the teacher can then develop lessons that explain how those interests or careers are affected by mathematics. Teachers should show boys how math affects their everyday lives in areas such as: household maintenance, calculating car mileage, budgeting, making larger purchases (cars and houses), or solving problems that are important to them. Connecting math to future careers can also help to motivate boys in math class. Many unmotivated boys do not realize the importance of math for success in college or the role that math plays in careers that are not overtly math-oriented. Stein also claimed that by using problems that interest and excite the students’ curiosity, students are keen to develop important problem-solving strategies. These strategies can be applied in everyday situations, not just in the mathematics classroom. Conclusion The use of meaningful and male-related motivational strategies in middle school mathematics classrooms are a great way to motivate and help boys succeed. Most boys are very intelligent when it comes to numbers and math, however it may seem â€Å"too cool† to get good grades and to apply yourself. Middle school is where students generally begin to find themselves, and a determined teacher can help to motivate students to choose the right path. A teacher’s responsibility is to make sure they have done everything in their power to help their students succeed. This means reaching out to parents, changing lessons to fit the needs of the unmotivated students in the classroom, and changing your classroom management strategies to help engage and excite the students. With little to no parental support or guidance for many boys in the classroom, a male math teacher may be exactly what these boys need. But will these same strategies work with a female math teacher? References: Charles, C. M. (2008). Twentieth-Century Pioneers in Classroom Discipline. Building Classroom Discipline (Ninth Edition). Boston: Pearson. Conti, R. , Collins, M. A. , & Picariello, M. L. (2001). The impact of competition on intrinsic motivation and creativity: Considering gender, gender segregation  and gender role orientation. Personality and Individual Differences, 31(8), 1273- 1289 Grossman, H. (2004). Classroom behavior management for diverse and inclusive schools. (3rd edition). Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. Murdock, T. , Miller, A. (2003). Teachers as Sources of Middle School Students’ Motivational Identity: Variable-Centered and Person-Centered Analytic Approaches. The Elementary School Journal, 103(4), 383-399. Stein, S. L. (1993). Young’s vision. The Mathematics Teacher, 86, 330-333.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Business analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business analysis - Essay Example So any negative traits or behaviour associated with them is hided because of the fear of norms of the society. It is difficult to surpass these distortions. They are found to have a profound effect on the job which is already considered tough in terms of measuring the perception, experience and memory. The worst effect of cognitive bias can result in spoiling or limiting an otherwise solid research design. In conducting qualitative research, it is crucial to be aware of the biases which occur due to cognition. These can be emerging from effects of experiments as well from participants or respondents. Even though these biases are difficult in terms of complete elimination, a combination of these techniques can help in reducing the distortions caused by cognitive bias. A major example of cognitive bias occurs during qualitative research, where the measurement techniques such as questionnaire, focus group interviews are flowed, because of cognitive biases. This is because the objective of asking questions to the comsumers is rooted to their opinions and thoughts. According to Zambardino & Goodfellow (2007), evaluation of advertising and branding is fundamentally rooted fundamentally in questioning individuals regarding their recollections and attitudes. However, the advertising does not operate according to these methods. Advertisements employ a cognitive discourse in order to uncover emotional phenomena during advertisements and thus introduce a cognitive bias into the measurement process. There are various kinds of cognitive biases, which not only affect the consumer but also the researcher. Groupthink, also known as herd behaviour or the bandwagon effect is a behaviour which occurs when members in a group conceal or minimize their personal opinions or beliefs to maintain cohesiveness in the group. In case of group setting, participants may consider they are left out or uncomfortable if the personal viewpoint expressed by them is not accepted (Asch, 1955). The p articipants tend to move along and agree with what the group is concluding, even if they have a different opinion or their viewpoint does not match with the majority. This is a common problem when information is gathered in collective techniques such as focus group and this is a major cognitive bias which results in skewed results. Another form of cognitive bias which influences research is the availability bias. When respondents are asked questions, it is most likely that they recall their more recent experiences or recall only those experiences that come to their mind readily. The problem with this is that much of a participant’s recall is based in cognitive processes that focus on memorable or vivid occurrences. This results in a biased result because the absolute information is not obtained from the respondent. Cognitive biases not only influence the beliefs and opinions of the consumer, but also have the potential to negatively impact the researcher. Confirmation bias ca n be considered as a common form of bias occurring from the viewpoint of the researcher. It is the perception where a researcher opts for information that matches the conceptions already present in the mind and rejects all other new information, so as to avoid any conflict in beliefs and attitudes. Researchers tend

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

What would you say to a comment that Romeo and Juliet is irrelevant to Essay

What would you say to a comment that Romeo and Juliet is irrelevant to the modern world - Essay Example After all, issues dealt with by young people of the Middle Ages could hardly have known the various pressures and issues facing the youth of the modern world, complete with dangerous drugs, significant family problems or gang violence. However, anyone remotely familiar with the play will quickly recognize these very modern issues within the action of the play. The play opens with a sense of gang wars as the men of Capulet meet with the men of Montague in the streets of Verona. As Gregory and Sampson talk among themselves, it is clear that they have nothing but evil intent for anyone associated with the house of Montague: â€Å"When I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids, and cut off their heads† (I, i). As the conversation continues, it becomes clear that a play on words is intended here in which Sampson promises to fight, and kill if possible, the men of the rival ‘gang’ and rape their women, or kill them, depending upon how the mood strikes him. When they see two servants of the Montague household, the scene quickly escalates into a fight, which eventually draws in the younger members of the family, the citizens of the street and eventually summons the heads of household as well as the prince of the city to the scene. This sequence of events sounds very similar to the escalation of gang wars in wh ich murders are committed on either side, with guns rather than swords, until the gang leaders and the community are involved and the police attempt to restore order. Family problems are also illustrated throughout the play. Although Juliet isn’t raised in a single family household, she is isolated from her parents and the rest of her community. The nurse’s ramblings at the beginning of Act 1, scene 3 reveals that Lady Capulet didn’t nurse her own child. As was the practice of the day, Juliet had a wet-nurse, who has served her in the capacity of a mother

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Western Civilization. History and Background of Evolution Research Paper

Western Civilization. History and Background of Evolution - Research Paper Example Darwin always had an interest in nature from his early childhood years. In the years between 1823 and 1913, Russell Wallace too discovered this idea of natural choice (Kemp, p.12). Darwin’s book â€Å"The origin of species† introduced the scientific theory that stated that the people did evolve through the ages through a process of natural choice. Background of evolution In the year 1859, Charles Darwin wrote a book with the title ‘The Origin of Species’. In this book, the author stated that all the living things in the universe live in a complex web of survival where all the things have connections to one another. The source also states that hereditary disparities begin occurring in all the living creatures and this make all the species to begin reproducing in extra ordinary ways. The book describes the key to evolution as the ability to make natural choices implying that the fittest will survive through any situation. In the year 1871, Charles Darwin wrot e a book on the origin of human nature according to the issue of sex. The author attributed the way man looks and acts to the appearance and actions of chimpanzees. He says that if man looks and acts like chimpanzees then he must have come from where they live. In the year 1863, Thomas Huxley came up with evidence as to the segment of man in the natural world (Kemp, p.43). He claims that the chimpanzees and man are close and act similarly thereby implying that they come from the same ancestors. Another author by the name of Ernest Hagkel came up with the missing connection theory that suggests that man must have come from something. In the year 1924 Dr. Raymond Dart, an Australian from the University of Oxford went to South Africa to become a teacher. He described the evolution process as consisting of five stages. This are the stages one to five of the evolution process. The first stage analyses the characteristics of the fossil and dates it to be as old as 2.5 million to six milli on years old. The killer ape theory of Darwin however suggests that apes only grow to four feet and do not live past the age of four years. In an effort to verify this claims, Louis and Mary Leakey carried out archaeological discoveries in Tanzania in the year 1931. They managed to find a complete skull of a sixteen year old at The Old Dubi George. Stage two of the evolution process states man is to live for a period of twenty five years and grow to five feet tall with a brain capacity greater than 700CC. They referred to this creature as the homo habilis since they had 100 teeth and a big toe. The creatures features were almost similar to the man of today. Stage three of the evolution process makes the discovery of a creature they call Java with a brain capacity of 1,000CC, is six feet tall and can live up to 35 years of age (Kemp, p.76). It has the ability to stand straight and can also speak. They can also build better tools, start fires and raise families. The name that the crea ture gets is the name homo erectus. Stage four describes the discovery of a creature living in the Neanderthal valley in Germany and France. It has a brain capacity of 1,500 CC, teeth that are identical to those of man and stands at five feet tall. They adapt to their harsh environments by growing body hairs and having thicker bones. Stage five of this process dates back to the period between 1868 and 1928 and states that the man did live about seventeen million years ago. They described the species as having a brain similar to that of the modern man, wearing clothes and building settlements (Kemp, p.94). 2) History of Ancient Egypt from 10,000 BC to the end of the 2nd intermediate period The pre historic Egypt had a cover of ice measuring two blocks in the northern and central areas. The ice did melt down by the year

Monday, August 26, 2019

Nuclear Energy disasters and the effects on the Environment Research Paper

Nuclear Energy disasters and the effects on the Environment - Research Paper Example This notion continued until 1803 when an English chemist John Dalton revitalized the old notion and used it to explain various problems, which chemists at that time were struggling with. Rather than any of the experiments resulting to the idea, it surfaced from analysis of several experiments involving chemical reactions and properties of gases. Daltons theory became popularized and established experimentally in the course of early 19th century (Rogers, 2013). Most of the points mentioned above are still recognized by most current scientists, except for some few points. First, the radioactivity and nuclear fusion/fission discovery resulted to revision of point (b). Isotopes confirm that atoms of a similar element can in reality exhibit small disparities because of a diverse number of neutrons (Mara, 2011). In addition, the ions’ existence with unreliable electrons’ numbers also contradicts this point. Point (e) has also been nullified by nuclear physics, because atoms can certainly be destroyed in the nuclear chain reactions. Moreover, point (d)’s second item, is somewhat incorrect, as, for example, water is H2O, but not HO (Mara, 2011). Dalton’s assertion that atoms merge in equivalent amounts to create compounds delayed acceptance of the theory for a long time. In spite of today’s perspective, Dalton remarkably contributed for his time and since then his name continues to receive honor from its association with the theory. In nuclear power, nuclear accident means events, which emit certain amount of radiation that are likely to be of harm to the health of the public and also to the environment (Bortz, 2012). Normally, the nuclear accidents are categorized as nuclear incidents and accidents by severity. In addition, while the radioactive accidents and nuclear accidents are included for perfect understanding, nuclear accident can result from the failure of a reactor of a nuclear power plant radiation. Regardless of the fact that some

Sunday, August 25, 2019

The Impact of NAFTA on Mexico Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Impact of NAFTA on Mexico - Essay Example NAFTA was established as a free trade agreement between Mexico, Canada and America and it has become one of the most debated free trade agreements in the world. While the Mexican economy has suffered when it comes to agricultural sector, it has made tremendous gains in other sectors which have made the overall affect of the agreement to be positive for Mexico. As more studies are made into the topic, the picture is likely to get clearer for all concerned parties but as of now, the NAFTA has been a blessing for the Mexican economy rather than a curse. The North American Free Trade Agreement is commonly known as NAFTA and it is an agreement to promote free trade amongst the countries of America, Canada and Mexico. The agreement was signed into effect on the first of January in 1994 and it now has remained in effect for more than thirteen years ro date (World Bank Group, 2001). An understanding of the economic effects and the benefits of this agreement is important for all students of economics, sociology and business since it affects all those fields of study. As an agreement between a developing country and two countries which are considered economically developed, the first beneficiary of the agreement seem to be large American corporations that choose to deploy a part of their operations in Mexico or Canada (Hill, 2006). This benefit comes from the economic advantage of lowered recruitment and Human Resource Cost for skilled and unskilled labor as compared to the uneconomical labor market in America (Sayre & Morris, 2004). Additionally, American operations managers and executives of companies working in Mexico have the advantage of a higher standard of living in Mexico since the cost of living is lower.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Jamaica Kincaid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jamaica Kincaid - Essay Example Antigua and Barbuda is country located north of Guadalupe in Caribbean. Being country of around hundred thousand locales, there are not many countries in the world with such smaller population. St. John's which has a population of around 25000 is the largest city in the Island (Financial Standards Foundation 2009). Elaine Potter Richardson (the childhood name of Jamaica Kincaid) had lived with her stepfather who was a carpenter till she was sent to work as an au pair at Westchester in New York. By then, she had done her secondary education in the elegant British education system. Antigua continued to be a British colony until 1967 before it achieved the status of an independent nation within the Commonwealth until 1981. The obvious detest about the white power and colonialism seems to be cultivated in her since her childhood, along with an intense love and appreciation for the English literature (Vorda 1993) She felt first-hand the negative effects of British colonialism as the colonists attempted to turn Antigua "into England" and the natives "into English" without regard for the native culture or homeland (Kincaid 1988). The anger that Kincaid has in her for a long time towards English and the Antiguans is expressed through and as the main thread of 'A Small Place'. ... In her attempt to bring out the social, cultural, educational and infrastructural issues of Antigua, Kincaid undermined the sovereignty of Antigua as a free nation. The exaggeration to a great extent helped the reader to understand the intensity of 'colonial, postcolonial and neocolonial myths, thereby interrogating the tourists' perspective and unraveling the continuing colonizing construction of a place legitimized only by its visitors' (Corinna McLeod). The following are some of the realities of Antigua as a nation. 'Antigua and Barbuda has no indigenous sources of oil, natural gas, coal or hydropower. It is largely dependent on imported oil to generate electricity. Oil imports are around 4,500 barrels per day. The IMF estimated the external public sector debt at US$520.4 million at the end of 2008, which was equal to 46.3 percent of GDP. Agriculture is a very small part of the economy with crop production accounting for just 0.9 percent of GDP in 2006. There are 1,165 km of roads (723 miles) of which 33 percent are paved. Traffic moves on the left. The US State Department's Travel Advisory for April 2, 2008 noted that the "major roads are generally in good condition." Drug trafficking has become a major illicit activity. According to a March 3, 2009 article on the St. Maarten Island Time. The largest individual investor and employer was Sir Allen Stanford. The billionaire financier had extensive real estate holdings and also owned the Stanford International Bank, the Bank of Antigua, two restaurants, a cricket ground and the Anguilla Sun newspaper. In February 2009, Stanford's financial empire disintegrated when it was

Friday, August 23, 2019

Marketing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing research - Essay Example Australian population statistics report indicated that population density was 2.9 people per square kilometer, in June 2010, compared to 2.6 people per square kilometer in 2005 (Anderson, 2011). Reports also indicated that Australian Capital cities had the highest population density of 150 people per square kilometer, in June 2010. The city of Canberra had the largest population followed by Victoria with 24 people per square kilometer (Anderson, 2011). The Northern region had the lowest population density of 0.2 people per square kilometer. Low population density in the Northern Territory is as a result of its large arid and semiarid areas, distance from earlier settlements, and more recent settlements. Australia’s Capital cities and their population include Sydney (3,502,301), Melbourne (3,160,171), Brisbane (1,508,161), Perth (1,176,542), Gold Coast (376,533), Canberra (309,799), Newcastle (279,975), Central Coast (255,429), Wollongong (228,846), Geelong (130,194), Hobart (1 26,048), and Townsville (119,504) among other cities (Anderson, 2011). Australia’s economy is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. According to nominal GDP, it is ranked a 13th largest economy and the 17th according to GDP (PPP) (Anderson, 2011). Australia is rich in natural resources, therefore; most of the imports are usually manufactured products such as computer accessories, telecommunication equipment, aircrafts, vehicle parts and accessories, and medicinal and pharmaceutical equipment. China is Australia’s leading source of imports. Major imports from China include computers, communication equipment, clothing, games and sporting gadgets, televisions and furniture (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Other sources of import include New Zealand, United States, Japan, European Union and Singapore. Import of commodities usually require the involvement of Customs authorities in both Australia and the source of import, and these goods are subject to trade agreements, import quotas and tariffs (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Rich in mineral resources and fertile land, Australia is the world’s leading exporter of mineral ores such as gold and iron-ore, agricultural products such as wool and wheat, and energy in the form of coal and natural liquefiable natural gas (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). Other exports include gold, beef, meat, alumina, live sheep, diamonds, mineral sands, lead, uranium, refined zinc ores, bauxite, and transport and machinery equipment. The mining and agricultural sectors account for 57 percent of Australia’s exports. Its exports were valued at AUD 24166 million, in September 2012 and averaged AUD 8217.4 million per every financial year. China became Australia’s largest export market, in 2009. Australia exported about 266.2 million tons of gold and iron-ore to China, in 2009 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011). This represented a 45.2 percent increase in export ov er the same period. Other leading export markets include European Union, Japan, United States, and South Korea. Economists have established that, over the past two decades, Australia has enjoyed continuous economic growth. In 2010, Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was estimated at US$882.344 billion. This represented a 3.94 percent increase from 2009. According to the World Bank reports, in 2011, Australian GPD was worth US$1371.76 billion (Australian

RFID Tags Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

RFID Tags - Assignment Example The pivotal reasons behind the adoption are high operating costs and numerous stakeholders for the delivery of services. One way to overcome these challenges is the effective use of RFIDCovered cost-benefits of the RFID are labor cost savings, reduction of inventory, reduction of capital expense, increase patient management and reduce operating cost. RFID provides accurate inventory. The replacement cost of the lab supplies can be reduced by RFID. Unnecessary rush orders and lost equipment can hamper the cost-benefit of the healthcare. The cost of the RFID technology is higher. The stolen or misplaced equipment means lost data and time-consuming. The access of lost clinical and financial records can be expensive. The use of RFID applications in the healthcare makes the process of tracking equipment and inventory quite easier (McDonnell & Sheard, 2012). It helps to provide accurate information of each item that is being tracked. The tracking of medical instruments is much more secure and efficient. The possibility of human error is reduced by the use of RFID. It is an automated technology that can quickly capture multiple assets with a single pass. Some problem in hardware can lead to lost financial and clinical data. The use of RFID can be expensive for small enterprises. The use of RFID in the healthcare helps to provide better protection to the vulnerable patients. RFID wrist bands are provided to patents to track their movement in the facility. The privacy of the consumers is recorded in the RFID tags. The common problem of RFID is tag collision. All the information of the patients is stored in the RFID chip and can only be viewed through company scanners. Some of the RFID tags that are used in the healthcare can be readable approximately to 100 meters. This eventually raises the privacy concern. Sensitive information can be collected by any unwilling source. The use of RFID technology can be highly adaptable

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Alternative minimum taxable income Essay Example for Free

Alternative minimum taxable income Essay In 1969, Congress had noticed that 155 people with high incomes were legally using so many deductions and other tax breaks that they were virtually paying nothing in federal income taxes. This angered many tax paying citizens and embarrassed the government. In an effort to fix the system Congress came up with the alternative minimum tax. At the time the tax only affected the high income class but not so today. The alternative minimum tax was never adjusted for inflation and now affects more and more middle income taxpayers. Now a day the AMT affects people with an income over $75,000 and some large deductions. Most vulnerable are taxpayers with several children, interest deductions due to second mortgage, capital gains, and incentive stock options. The question I know you may be having is if you will be subject to the alternative minimum tax. A simple way to see if you are subject to paying AMT or how close you are to paying it. We can look at your Form 6251 from last year. We can compare the tentative minimum tax to your regular tax. Your change in income can leave you with an AMT liability. It could be because of a big item on your tax return or a lot of small items that would make you pay AMT. One of the best ways to understand the alternative minimum tax it to look at it as a separate tax system. This system has its own set of tax rates and its own rules for deductions. Let me explain how the AMT works. The AMT is reduced by an exemption amount to arrive at net alternative minimum taxable income. This income is then multiplied by 26% or 28% alternative minimum tax rate. If your income was to exceed $175,000 it will be subject the 28%. The first alternative minimum tax income of $175,000 will be subject to 26% tax rate. These rates are for individual returns. Corporations figure their tax under the regular system, which taxes corporate profits at a top rate of 35 percent. Then they figure it under the AMT system, which tosses out some deductions allowed under the regular system, and taxes the resulting profit at 20 percent. The corporation then pays whichever tax is higher. This amount then can be reduced by the alternative minimum tax foreign tax credit for the taxable year. For the last few years Congress has approved of temporary patches to increase the amount of income exempt from the AMT. Many AMT adjustments apply to businesses operated by individuals or corporations. The adjustments tend to have the effect of deferring certain deductions or recognizing income sooner. Depreciation deductions must be computed using the straight line method and longer lives than may be used for regular tax. (See MACRS) Deductions for certain preferences are limited. These include deductions related to circulation costs, mining costs, research and experimentation costs, intangible drilling costs, and certain amortization. Certain income must be recognized earlier like long term contracts and installment sales. Corporations are also subject to an adjustment (up or down) for adjusted current earnings. In addition, a partner or shareholders share of AMT income and adjustments flow through to the partner or shareholder from the partnership or S corporation. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. A corporation does get an exemption amount, which means that they can deduct $40,000. Furthermore, small corporations with average annual gross receipts less than $7,500,000 for the prior three years are exempt from AMT, but only so long as they continue to meet this test. â€Å"The tentative minimum tax of a corporation shall be zero for any taxable year if the corporation’s average annual gross receipts for all 3 taxable year periods ending before do not exceed $7,500,000.† (26 USC  § 55) If such taxable year is the first taxable year that such corporation is in existence, the tentative minimum tax of such corporation for such year shall be zero. Other than this Congress did a good job of making this tax difficult to avoid. The alternative minimum tax is a powerful and complicated tax system that is not easily avoidable. It was specifically made to not be avoided and to make up for the loopholes in the system. Given the company’s revenues exceeding $12,000,000 you can expect some form of alternative minimum tax. The best bet is to minimize the effect it has on you be being prepared. That means tax planning is essential in reducing or even avoiding AMT liability. I recommend we sit down and go thru all the different sections of AMT and look where we can maximize your deductions or how we can prepare you for future deductions.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Overview Segmenting B2c Markets Marketing Essay

Overview Segmenting B2c Markets Marketing Essay Over the years, the traditional face of marketing has changed. Whilst organisations recognize that they can no longer take their customers loyalty for granted, and need to adopt ongoing marketing strategies to stay ahead of their competitors (A general review, 2006, p. 23-25). Consequently, the target and strategy are crucial for a companys marketing. The company aims to bring a new brand of multivitamins called Supreme to the market. The product range includes Multivitamin and Iron, Multivitamin and minerals, Zinc, Cod Liver Oil, Effervescent Vitamin C, and Evening Primrose Oil. These different Multivitamins were identified through initial market research undertaking with the proposed target market. Indeed, it needs a detailed analysis for the segmentation and targeting process in order to reach the affluent end of the market. Therefore, it must be focus on the strategy such as segmentation, the differences between B2C and B2B for segmentation processes; the marketing phrase of targeting and how to make a segment and target market for the new range of products. Market segmentation is the process through, which consumers needs and desires, purchasing behaviour and buying habits are identified in order to divide the overall market for certain products into several consumer group market segments. Mass production, mass communication, technology, globalisation has helped create larger and lucrative potential markets. Organisations do not have the resources to or the inclination to be a single force within a loosely defined market (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006, p.193). The whole market can be seen as an orange, each segment of the orange represents a different market based upon geographic, demographic, Geodemographic, psychographic and behavioural similarities. According to the geographical factors for consumers segmentation, is where the geographical position and geographical environment variables to segment the market. Because in different geographic environments customers may have different needs and preferences for the same kind of products. According to statistics, personality factors subdivision is by age, sex, occupation, family income, family, life cycle, race, religion, nationality, variables, thus the market will be divided into different groups. Additionally, geodemographic combines demographic and geographic information together to help organizations know where the customers are and how many people there are. And then, the psychological factors, groups consumers according to their life style, personality, purchasing motivation, attitude, on different variables subdivided into the different groups. At last, the behavioural factors subdivision is that according to the consumers to purchase or used a commodity of time, purchase quantity, purchase frequency and the brand loyalty variables to segment market. segmenting B2B markets Business to business (B2B) segmentation is focused on the organization and the individual buyers. Macro Segmentation is based on the characteristics of organisations and the broader purchasing contexts they operate within. It assumes organisations will exhibit similar patterns and needs, reflected by their same buying behaviour. Bases used for macro segmentation are easily obtained from secondary information and grouped into two main categories which are organisational characteristics and product or service application. There are three organisational characteristics which are size, location and usage rate. Generally, the size of an organisation can make a difference in suppliers and purchasing. Organisations may sell according to the geographic concentration of the industries to serve. Additionally, the quantity of product purchased can categorise the difference in potential customers. Product or service application is the second group of segmentation based on acknowledge that the sa me goods can be used in many different ways. Looking at customer groupings within specific industries defined by standard industrial classification (SIC) codes. The SIC codes help identify sectors with a greater propensity to use particular products for particular applications. For example, glass has many uses to the motor industry.furthermore, Micro segmentation within macro segment a number of smaller micro segments may exist (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006, p.195).To focus on these, the organisation needs to have a detailed knowledge of individual members of the macro segment; while their management philosophy, decision-making structures, purchasing policies and strategies and their needs and wants. Much Information on these can come from published sources, past experience of potential buyer, sales force knowledge and experience, word-of-mouth, or the first hand from potential buyer. Overall, it has a number of ways to be able to segment business to business market to relate the n ature of product sold and the buying organisation. segmenting B2C markets In B2C (business to consumer) markets, there are five main categories of segmentation which are defined geographic, demographic, geodemographic, psychographic and behaviour based. Between them, they cover the full range of characteristics, such as descriptive, measurable, tangible or intangible, relating to the buyers lifestyle and the relationships with the product (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006, p.220). Geographic segmentation, it can be defined as the location for the consumer and based on the regional variables like region, country, city, climate, population density, and traffic. Demographic segmentation variables include age, gender, race, income, family lifecycle, occupation, education, religion, socioeconomic and nationality. Many of these variables have standard categories for the consumers values. Geodemographic segmentation is based on the analysis of people by where they live (Sleight, 1997, p.16) and combines geographic and demographic information together. Psychographic segmentation involves intangible variable such as lifestyle, activities, attitude, interests, values and opinion of the potential customer. Behavioral segmentation is based on actual customer behavior or the individuals relationship with the products. Some variables include benefit sought, end use, usage rate, brand loyalty, buyer readiness, price sensitivity and occasions. All the relevant characteristics from these five categories are suit for the market to segment. 2.4 targeting The target market is identified through market segmentation organisations provide appropriate products and services to meet the needs of customer or several sub-markets. There are three types of targeting for marketing mix strategies which are undifferentiated strategy, differentiated strategy and concentrated strategy. Firstly, the undifferentiated strategy approach is the demanding of the three approaches that assume the whole market is one great homogeneous unit without differences individuals in the market. Secondly, the differentiated strategy contains the development of a number of individual marketing mixes, each of them serve the different segment (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006, p.212). Finally, the concentrated strategy is the most focused approach and involves serving one specific segment. It can lead to detailed understanding of the target segments needs and wants. Discussion The differences between B2B and B2C on the segmentation The B2C markets have some similarities with B2B segmentation. However, the main distinction between both approaches is that a consumer purchases on emotion and a business purchases on logic, although they both selling a product or a service to the individual or groups, the marketing is difference for business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C). The B2B market relies on very different sales strategies to be successful than the business to consumer market because the B2B sales market very relies on relationship selling and the sales can obtain in a longer term sales cycle than B2C(business to consumer) sales. The main difference is that consumer segments always much larger in terms of number of potential buyers. Consumer segmentation also bases on the buyers lifestyle and context because of most consumers purchases fulfill high-end needs rather than simply functional ones (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006, p.197). Certainly, they also have the difference segmentation for their different marketing. By the previous analysis of B2B segmentation, its divided into macro and micro variables or bases. Macro segmentation is the whole market share common general characteristics which have three characteristics are size, location and usage rate; micro segments based on differences in specific buying characteristics. In contrast, in consumer markets, in other words, it is B2C market; five main categories of segmentation are defined as geographic, demographic, Geodemographic, psychographic and behaviour. Thus they can divide into different aspects to segment the B2C market. For example, age, according to the age level to segment the market because these different kinds of multivitamins for different age level have different efficacy. Such as children need iron and zinc, multivitamin and minerals for teens and young, effervescent vitamin C for middle and cod liver oil and evening primrose oil for elderly. In addition, the gender and education level as target. Like high school, college and university, on the different level of studying they need different nutrients to supplement. Furthermore, not the same level of income for the individuals also can decide the different markets. Such cod liver oil and evening primrose oil is much expensive than the other multivitamins. Additionally, ethnic or religious background also can act as a basis to segment a market. Like as some religions cannot consume cod. Moreover, the family life cycle also is a point to have the market. For example, newly married, married for 10 20 years, with or without children. Overall, they both have different property to have the way to segment the market they needed for B2C and B2B. At the end, all the multivitamins products will have the appropriate market in the small groups to sale because of the market have segmented different layer based on the market segmentation standards. segment the market for the new multivitamins It is suggested that two main strategies to segment and target the market for the new multivitamins. One is the brand strategy and another one is the pricing strategy. Firstly, As Ruvalcaba and Elkes (2008) suggest: we have to find a way to diverge from others, to differentiate your offering through your branding work so that the offering stands out as relevant and superior in value to a clear target market. The brand is to give owner produce value-added of intangible assets, it could be used to separate with other competitors products of name, terminology, symbols or design and their combination, value-added source from the products impression of consumer heart formed. Businesses that are at the top of consumers minds have a high market share. Consistent, creative advertising will get the business top of mind awareness (TOMA RESEARCH, 2010). Brand awareness refers to the strength of a brand presence of a brand in the memory of a consumer. Brand awareness can create a reason to buy as well as a basis for a customer relationship (Aaker McLoughlin, 2007). For example, according to the brand awareness and radiation region, the new products can be divided into areas brand, domestic brands and international brand thus the new products have the different market in the geographic area. For multivitamins, the key proposition of the supreme brand is healthy. The main elements of the proposition include the kinds of multivitamins that different populations needed and keep healthy. Moreover, supreme follows a strategy of product innovation, in order to achieve a long term objectives. It takes the form of timely new product launches to enable the brand to more closely meet the needs of different types of consumers in different areas. Secondly, pricing strategy is another popular strategy which utilize for marketing. The limited use of pricing as a strategic tool to gain and hold competitive advantage has created an opportunity for companies willing to redesign their competitive portfolios and go with unorthodox strategy mixes (Thompson Coe, 1997). Cutting price of the products can be considered as an easiest way to absorb the customers. Therefore, pricing control also can be used to segment the different suitable markets. For example, the actions for the new product market can be cutting down the price to open the new market for new products in order to make more consumer known about these products, like have a small gifts if buying a bottle of multivitamins, buying one more than getting another free one or special discount for different type of multivitamins that have different kinds of efficacy, in particular date are very popular in sales industry to obtain more benefit. These actions also can execute in the center of city or the town center to segment the market. The effect of cutting price may increase the quantity demanded, however, a major barrier to the use of value pricing has been the belief that industrial markets are largely inelastic, therefore, price will not be a major determinant of quantity demanded (Barney, 1991). The reason for that is for the company, it is difficult to find the exact right price that matches the expectations of customers. Besides, blindfolded cutting price will lead an unhealthy competition environment with competitors. The result of conflicting on sale  is all companies losing profits at the end. For short term, it could be suitable, acceptable and feasible, but for long term, for example, once the customers have get used to buy the product on a sale price, it is difficult to raise the price again. Then it is unacceptable, the risk is too high. The customers would not consider the price seriously again. Therefore, the pricing strategy is not suitable for long term. Focus on fits the two main criterions of a good marketing strategy. The key of marketing is value, which can be defined as a ratio between benefits and costs between the customer gets and the organizations gives. The suitability of target is obvious, no matter improves the brand awareness, the quantity of product or the price control to share the same purpose, which is to gain profit. It is the mission of marketing. All these two aspects help the supreme to reach the goal, thus brand positioning and price consideration is suitable. Although there are risks, such as investment in advertising and building sponsor relationship with other organisations will cost, it is deemed worth the risks. Overall, continual segmentation is vital to fully understand consumer needs and changing habits. This will help provide appropriate produces to satisfied their needs and wants. Conclusion Segmentation is the tool that enables supreme to identify different groups of customers and markets, and provide the best possible products to meet individual or groups requirements. It also brings a number of benefits to both the consumer and the organization. The new multivitamins market consists of different consumers with differing needs. Focusing on branding positioning is a comprehensive strategy for the new multivitamins products to achieve a successful marketing. Whereas, as a diversified product, it should use many ways and the marketing segment strategies to sale in order to get the profit. In other words, the multivitamins still needs to focus on the different segmenting market. Alluring more consumers and keeping the regular customers in main areas to build brand loyalty are the main missions at present. They are still the primary objects for multivitamins to make profit and sustain operation.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Hofstedes cultural analysis framework and explores

Hofstedes cultural analysis framework and explores Executive Summary This report briefly explains the main concepts of Hofstedes cultural analysis framework and explores the ways in which it helps to understand different cultures. Using a simple analytical style it applies the main concepts of Hofstedes theory to the two different countries of Saudi Arabia and UK. From this analysis it attempts a comparison between the two cultures and tries to suggest some modest advice for a UK based manager who is going to work for a local organization in Saudi Arabia. This report is not a very detailed research and uses some limited secondary research from the internet and the books to attempt this analysis. The resulting conclusions and recommendations are therefore in the nature of broad generalisations and not a detailed training module on cultural adaptation which could require much more detailed and rigorous research. Introduction This paper attempts to apply Hofstedes analytical framework to the two countries of Saudi Arabia and the UK to determine the main differences and similarities between them. Cultural differences make a significant impact upon business styles and processes in any country and therefore studying these allows a business to enter and function successfully in a new country. Therefore, a model of the type evolved by Hofstede is extremely useful to help in understanding and implementing any businesss strategy in a new country. This paper is organized into 4 main sections. Section 1 is the discussion of the theoretical contents of Hofstedes model. It describes the main features of the model, explains their application and also critically analyses them. The section further suggests the utility as well as the limitations of the model. Section 2 of the paper describes and evaluates the culture of Saudi Arabia using the model framework as a basis. Each element of Hofstedes model is applied to the Saudi Arabian work place. Using the analysis derived from the model application an overall picture of the Saudi Arabian economy is drawn within this section. Section 3 of the paper describes and evaluates the culture of the UK using the same model framework of Hofstede. Analyzing the main characteristics of the UK culture the section once again attempts a summation of the work culture within the country. Section 4 of the paper is the conclusion section that attempts to summarize the main cultural similarities and differences between UK and Saudi Arabia and the implications of the same for business. Section 5 of the paper is the recommendations section which attempts to build a small toolkit that could be relevant for the young British Manager called James who is going to work for a local organization in Saudi Arabia. Using the main conclusions from previous section this part of the paper tries to develop a blue-print to help this new manager survive in the new culture and society. Discussion of the model Geert Hofstede (1967- 1973) worked extensively in the field of cultural studies across different countries across the globe. Studying different cultures and their work related characteristics, this researcher developed a four dimensional model of intra country culture. Towards his later years he developed a fifth element within this model but the importance of the main elements remains undiminished to date. According to Hofstede country cultures can be broadly ranked along the following five main dimensions. Power Distance Index This focuses on the degree of power/wealth/influence inequality among the people within any country. Countries that rank high on this index have hidden caste systems that effectively differentiate between rich and poor and privileged and under-privileged. The poor are unable to better themselves easily in this society as they are blocked at various levels by the rich and influential. The culture within the work place favours the rich and many subtle laws, rules and regulations hinder the easy upward mobility of the poor. On the other hand countries that rank low on this index have societies that are more equal and where power wealth and influence does not determine access to many services and facilities. Individualism Individualism is the one side versus its opposite, collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. On the individualist side we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him/herself. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) which continue protecting them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. For example, Germany can be considered as individualistic with a high score (89) on the scale of Hofstede compared to a country like Guatemala where they have strong collectivism (6 on the scale). Masculinity This dimension focuses on how extent to which a society stress achievement or nurture. Masculinity is seen to be the trait which emphasizes ambition, acquisition of wealth, and differentiated gender roles. Countries differ in terms of the importance given to the male ideal of work related achievement and ambition. In countries with high masculinity scores the male is often given a much higher status in the work place than the female. On the other hand gender based discrimination is very low in the countries where masculinity scores are low. Uncertainty avoidance This dimension focuses on how cultures adapt to changes and cope with uncertainty. Emphasis is on extent to which a culture feels threatened or is anxious about ambiguity. Uncertainty tolerance and risk taking ability differ within different societies. In countries where this index is high, entrepreneurial activity tends to be widespread across society. On the other hand in countries where this index is low, people tend to move away from risk bearing and governments also tend to over legislate and restrict entrepreneurial activity. Long Term Orientation Long-Term Orientation is the fifth dimension of Hofstede which was added after the original four to try to distinguish the difference in thinking between the East and West. Long-Term Orientation (LTO) focuses on the degree the society embraces, or does not embrace, long-term devotion to traditional, forward thinking values. High Long-Term Orientation ranking indicates the country prescribes to the values of long-term commitments and respect for tradition. Low Long-Term Orientation ranking indicates the country does not reinforce the concept of long-term, traditional orientation. In this culture, change can occur more rapidly as long-term traditions and commitments do not become impediments to change. Applying Hofstedes model to Saudi Arabia The Geert Hofstede analysis for Saudi Arabia is almost identical to other Arab countries their Muslim faith plays a large role in the peoples lives. The Large Power Distance (PDI) (80) and Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) (68) are predominant Hofstede Dimension characteristics for the countries in this region. These societies are more likely to follow a caste system that does not allow significant upward mobility of its citizens. They are also highly rule-oriented with laws, rules, regulations, and controls in order to reduce the amount of uncertainty, while inequalities of power and wealth have been allowed to grow within the society. The high Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI) ranking of 68, indicates the societys low level of tolerance for uncertainty. There is both a rigid and subtle hierarchy within society with very little scope for people to avoid their designated role or status in life. People also fully accept this role in life as a part of their cultural heritage. The masculinity scores within Saudi Arabia are not very higher than average across the world. According to Michael Wolfe (1998), the author of The Hadj : An Americans pilgrimage to Mecca this suggests that the inferior role of women in Saudi society can be traced to religious roots rather than cultural roles. There are extensive rules of etiquette while in business meetings and other social interactions both between men as well as between men and women. This tends to often be more onerous for women than for men. Still one could argue that women are often protected from male over exploitation by religious injunctions that forbid various acts. Silence is often considered to be a symbol of understanding wisdom and power. The most powerful people at business meetings a re often the silent observers and as underlined by the most active communicators could be the least influential. The individualism scores for Saudi Arabia are clearly among the lowest nations of the world suggesting that the society is very communistic with a great preference for long term tribal and familial loyalties. There is much evidence that Saudi Arabia is a long term orientated culture. Applying Hofstedes model to UK The UK represents a radically different society when analyzed using Hofstedes framework when compared to Saudi Arabia. The UK has very low uncertainty avoidance, power distance and long term orientation scores highlighting the fact that the country is modern and progressive in its outlook with few rules and regulation. The low power distance scores illustrate the long tradition of UK as a nation where people expect to be ruled by consent and prefer leaders who consult extensively and allow participation by the staff. . In this sense the UK is very different from Saudi Arabia. The UK scores 89 for Individualism. This is high and therefore points to that fact that British culture values and promotes individuality. On a macro level we see that the nuclear family is the more predominant form of basic social structure. On a micro level, in the business environment the individual may be more concerned with themselves rather than the team. There is great emphasis placed on individualism wit h almost every part of society rewarding individual achievement .There are very few familial links that continue through the life of the individual and people do not in general belong to clans or tribes which reward loyalty like in Saudi Arabia.. The UK scores 66 which indicates that it is somewhere in the middle. This may reflect the fact that British society and culture aims for equality between the sexes, yet a certain amount of gender bias still exists underneath the surface. The moderately strong masculinity scores reflect a male oriented society but still not as male dominated as Saudi Arabia. The low uncertainty avoidance scores of the UK reflect the general comfort of the population in the work place as well as in the social arena. The existence of a religious police in the latter country is a clear example of the uncertainty avoidance scores of the country. In the UK people in general social life are not expected to express emotions and stay rather phlegmatic. Different religious beliefs and cultural values are expected to stay in tolerant harmony side by side without any conflict unlike in Saudi Arabia. Conclusions and Recommendations Clearly the above discussion illustrates how even a simple application of Hofstedes framework to the cultures of Saudi Arabia and UK result in considerable wealth of information about the relative aspects of the cultures of the two countries. It is quite clear that for a manager from the UK working within the culture of Saudi Arabia will be a great challenge. The entire cultural experience would be very different given the constraints within that country. The power distance would imply that the manager would need to keep his distance from the subordinates and ensure that at all times he is in line with the cultural etiquette. Similarly he would also need to ensure that given the large number of social rules and regulations he does not offend any of his hosts. The decorum must always be maintained and he must never go against the social customs of the place both in the office and society interactions. He should also keep in mind the collective nature of the society and the fact that he should never offend the tribal loyalties and be aware of the various cultural attachments of his subordinates as well as his peers. Once again either talking too much or talking too little would not be optimal particularly in conferences and meetings. There is also the need to appear masculine and in control to an even greater extent than in the UK. He must ensure that nobody in the work place in particular views him to be less than in complete control partly because of the need to appear to be in control and partly due to the masculinity aspect. The fact that there is much greater need for uncertainty avoidance within Saudi Arabia implies that the manager should ensure that he is always taking decisions and directing his employees and subordinates to a much greater extent than he was used to in UK. The employees in Saudi Arabia will not respect a boss who delegates his decision making to the extent that is quite common in the UK. Also there needs to be greater clarity about who does what unlike in the UK where employees can be expected to take decisions as well as add value in decision making of their own accord. In all these issues the manager also needs to be alive to the peculiar and unique cultures within the specific organisation that he intends to work in within Saudi Arabia. Overall it is clear that the manager from England will have to learn a great deal apart from the local language. He will need to master the local cultural etiquette, social idiom as well as the various rules and regulations. At all times he will have to display a modesty and cultural adaptability in order to meet the approval of his seniors as well as his peers.

Monday, August 19, 2019

A Mans Car :: Personal Narrative Automotive Papers

A Man's Car Any guy can tell you about his first time. The moment he knew it would happen, usually some fateful day after school. He slowly slipped in, then just froze, enjoying that single moment, hardly believing it was happening. Then, slowly but surely, with years of seeming evolution guiding him, he begins moving, changing his position, pushing buttons, then the final blissful moment†¦he turned the key and the car actually STARTED!! In that singular moment, an addiction is formed for most men. Contrary to popular belief, it has little to do with thinking it impresses women, and nothing to do with his penis size. Nearly 100 years ago, man gave birth, without the aid of a woman, to his own startlingly ugly little creation. And much like woman does, he has been taking that ugly creation and sticking it in other's faces, and asking "Isn't it beautiful?" or some variation thereof. After a few forty-odd years or so of evolution, a genuine automotive culture sprang up that's as American as, well, a Chevrolet. It became a minor sign of adulthood, for the young man to earn his license at the age of 16. Even moreso when he managed to get his hands on his first car of his very own. Women are certainly not excluded from this right of passage, but due to the sexual status of men and women when the car culture first began, it was predominently male, and continues to be. The young man, now outfitted with a license and wheels, was suddenly able to visit friends without his parents' knowledge or aid. To visit and pick up girls without his parents' knowledge or aid. To come home at any time of night without his parents'...aid (usually they somehow find out how late it was, and the young man remembers he's still a boy). All this sybolism and freedom offered by the automobile coupled with the raging repressed Oedipal complex of most teennage males makes for a hell of a need to get that license, get the car, and get out once in a while. Oedipus? Where does he come in? Have you ever seen a teenage male driving? The expression "Drive it like you stole it!" comes to mind. Every man remembers the first time he was driving faster then his father ever did, and a lucky few remember seeing the look on their father's face when they came home in their new sports car, and Dad's sad expression when he looked at his old grocery getter.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Mutations in the Alpha 1,2-Mannosidase Gene Essay -- Scientific Resear

Introduction Intellectual disability (ID) is defined by the American Association of Intellectual Developmental Disabilities as having â€Å"significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior†. [1] Earlier it was believed that behavioral abnormalities, such as Intellectual Disability, were caused by the social or environmental environment in which the individual lived in.[2] However, with the breakthrough of the genetic analysis, it has been shown that more and more of our behavior is influenced, if not controlled, by our genes. [3]This advancement is important for our understanding of ID to expand. ID can occur when there is a mutation on one or more of the genes in the individual’s chromosome set. [3]There are different types of mutations; autosomal mutations (mutations occurring in one or more of the 44 autosomal chromosomes [in humans]), mutations in the sex chromosomes (the two chromosomes that amongst other things determine the individual’s sex), and there are also chromosomal disorders such as nondisjunction in where one of the two homologous chromosomes fails to separate from its sister chromatid during cell division, resulting in an extra chromosome in one daughter cell and one less chromosome in the other. [3] For parents that are carriers (heterozygous) of an allele that codes for an autosomal recessive trait (e.g. ID), each child they have will inherit one of the two alleles (dominant or recessive) from each parent. Following the Mendelian laws of inheritance, such parents can get offspring that are homozygous dominant (25% chance, will not result in ID), heterozygous like themselves (50% chance, will not result in ID, but will be carriers of the defective gene), or homozygous r... ...tations in the alpha 1,2-mannosidase gene, MAN1B1, cause autosomal-recessive intellectual disability. Am J Hum Genet. 2011 Jul 15;89(1):176-82. [6] Exome Sequencing [Internet]. Mountain View CA: Centrillion, 2011 [cited 2012 Feb 18]. Available from: http://www.centrillionbio.com/exome.php [7] Sanger F, Nicklen S, Coulson AR. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 December; 74(12): 5463–5467. [8] MeSH Browser [Internet]. Stockholm: Karolinska Institutet Universitetsbiblioteket; 2008 [updated 2011; cited 2012 Feb 20]. Available from: http://mesh.kib.ki.se/swemesh/swemesh_se.cfm. Leonard H, Wen X. The epidemiology of mental retardation: Challenges and opportunities in the new millenium. Ment. Retard. Dev. Disabil. Res. Rev., 8 (2002), pp. 117–134. Corresponding author: Helen Leonard (hleonard@cyllene.uwa.edu Mutations in the Alpha 1,2-Mannosidase Gene Essay -- Scientific Resear Introduction Intellectual disability (ID) is defined by the American Association of Intellectual Developmental Disabilities as having â€Å"significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior†. [1] Earlier it was believed that behavioral abnormalities, such as Intellectual Disability, were caused by the social or environmental environment in which the individual lived in.[2] However, with the breakthrough of the genetic analysis, it has been shown that more and more of our behavior is influenced, if not controlled, by our genes. [3]This advancement is important for our understanding of ID to expand. ID can occur when there is a mutation on one or more of the genes in the individual’s chromosome set. [3]There are different types of mutations; autosomal mutations (mutations occurring in one or more of the 44 autosomal chromosomes [in humans]), mutations in the sex chromosomes (the two chromosomes that amongst other things determine the individual’s sex), and there are also chromosomal disorders such as nondisjunction in where one of the two homologous chromosomes fails to separate from its sister chromatid during cell division, resulting in an extra chromosome in one daughter cell and one less chromosome in the other. [3] For parents that are carriers (heterozygous) of an allele that codes for an autosomal recessive trait (e.g. ID), each child they have will inherit one of the two alleles (dominant or recessive) from each parent. Following the Mendelian laws of inheritance, such parents can get offspring that are homozygous dominant (25% chance, will not result in ID), heterozygous like themselves (50% chance, will not result in ID, but will be carriers of the defective gene), or homozygous r... ...tations in the alpha 1,2-mannosidase gene, MAN1B1, cause autosomal-recessive intellectual disability. Am J Hum Genet. 2011 Jul 15;89(1):176-82. [6] Exome Sequencing [Internet]. Mountain View CA: Centrillion, 2011 [cited 2012 Feb 18]. Available from: http://www.centrillionbio.com/exome.php [7] Sanger F, Nicklen S, Coulson AR. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 December; 74(12): 5463–5467. [8] MeSH Browser [Internet]. Stockholm: Karolinska Institutet Universitetsbiblioteket; 2008 [updated 2011; cited 2012 Feb 20]. Available from: http://mesh.kib.ki.se/swemesh/swemesh_se.cfm. Leonard H, Wen X. The epidemiology of mental retardation: Challenges and opportunities in the new millenium. Ment. Retard. Dev. Disabil. Res. Rev., 8 (2002), pp. 117–134. Corresponding author: Helen Leonard (hleonard@cyllene.uwa.edu

Observations Of Life :: essays research papers

INTRODUCTION I am not a psychologist by far, I have no degree in the field of psychology nor do I wish to have, I am just an everyday person that observes and analyzes the things I see. As I am writing this I am at the ripe old age of 18. To some people this may imply that I do not have any credibility in writing these things because I do not have the wisdom of age. Well, to those people I say that they should hear me out on these perceptions and continue reading, because you can not judge someone else unless you have heard their side of the story. By writing this I hope to achieve one thing and one thing only: that someone, somewhere will remember my way of seeing things. In no way do I wish to offend anyone. This is just how I see the world we live in. I believe that age has no effect on how you perceive things. If anything you just become less credible as you get older. For instance, young children have the tendency to completely tell the truth, that is until they discover how to lie. In my observations I have noticed that parents believe the younger sibling more than the older sibling. This may be because the parents favor this child more than the older one or could it be that the younger child has more credibility because the older one has been known to tell lies from time to time. If you have seen or watched kids you know that this, in most cases, is true. One thing about life that I never understood is pay role. It makes no sense at all. It seems to me that the more work you do the less you get paid and the less work you do the more you get paid for it. For example, my father started out working as a garbage disposal man. By this I mean that he was the guy hanging off the back of the garbage truck. He would work long days and the physical demand was just exhausting. Could you imagine doing this work in the biting cold of winter or the humid heat of the summer all day long? The pay was not very good. Currently he still is in the same business but I would say a lot further up the ladder than he used to be.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

How does Hill present childish behaviour in I’m the King of the Castle? Essay

Hill presents childish behaviour through the use of dialogue, description and structure. She highlights that childish behaviour is a characteristic of adults, as well as the children. There are numerous examples of childish behaviour throughout the novel, for example when Hooper and Kingshaw fight over a toy, or when Hooper soils himself. One way in which Hill presents childish behaviour is after an incident where Hooper and Kingshaw are fighting over a toy fort: during that fracas Kingshaw chants â€Å"It’s mine, it’s mine!†, Hills use of dialogue is interesting here because the use of a tri colon not only emphasises the intensity of Kingshaw’s emotional reaction, (furthered by the fact he is fighting over a toy) but also echoes that chant like whines of small children. The importance of this line is signalled through the use of italics, which suggests that there is a degree of stress on Kingshaw whilst he speaks, again like a child. Another way that Hill explores childishness in the novel is through her description of Hooper soiling himself: Hill describes a â€Å"dark damp stain† of pee in the groin of Hooper’s jeans†. Hills use of the word â€Å"stain† portrays an image of dirt and even disease to the reader, the reader is hence disgusted. Furthermore the reader can perceive the word â€Å"pee† to relate towards a lack of control, like a child. What is interesting to note is that the word â€Å"pee† is highlighted before the more scientific word â€Å"groin†, this highlights Kingshaw’s childish nature. This quote fits in the context of this novel because it is based upon power struggles between two children; Hill exposes the fact that although Hooper is initially presented as a powerful figure, he is still a child. Finally Hill not only presents the children in I’m the King of the Castle as childish, but also presents the adults as childish. It can be argued that when Mrs Helena Kingshaw â€Å"felt a little ashamed of not wanting to take Charles with her†- she is behaving in a childish manner. Hill uses the words â€Å"not wanting† to portray Mrs Kingshaw as a selfish individual, oblivious of her sons’ needs; this is arguably a childish quality. Hill’s use of juxtaposition highlights the phrase â€Å"not wanting†, her selfish qualities prioritise over that of her own son: this is especially self, and comparable to little children. Mrs Kingshaw also displays a lack of empathy, as shown in the previous quote: young children also have a lack of empathy until they grow older, and hence this quality is a childish quality. In conclusion Hill presents childishness or immaturity in the novel through her use of dialogue, description and structure. Hill emphasises childish behaviour that is associated between Hooper and Kingshaw, but also points out the adults are equally susceptible to such behaviour. Perhaps she is criticising parenting styles to show the reader the negative impact it can have on children. Her use of parallel structure is also ironic as it suggests that such negative qualities are passed on through generations. However, the parallel structure can also be reparative and predictable at times.

Friday, August 16, 2019

The Psychodynamics of Depression

Depression – Psychodynamic Theory I have been interested in the mechanics of depression since childhood, when my mother ‘suffered with her nerves’ – her explanation of what I now recognise as a very severe melancholia defined by Burton in 1621 as â€Å"a kind of dotage without a fever, having for his ordinary companions fear and sadness, without any apparent occasion† (p739). My interest was further compounded by my clients, Valerie and Jo, when it become apparent to me that depression is one of the most common and debilitating phenomenon that I will probably have to encounter in my role as a Counsellor. Before beginning, it may be useful to briefly consider Freud’s warning that depression is not a homogenous group of conditions and that it probably involves more than one aetiology (Freud 1917). It can reflect underlying cultural and environmental trends in addition to physiological factors. (Desjerlais et al. 1995) A review of the literature reveals that research relating to the nature and origins of the psychodynamic theory of depression is rich in contributions to the theme, thus this essay of necessity represents a high-altitude skim over a massive topic. I will concentrate on authors who have made some of the most seminal contributions to the development of the theory, namely Abraham, Freud, Jacobson, Klein and Mahler. (There are, in actuality, numerous other pioneers in the cultivation of this theory, such as Malan, Sandler, Spiz, Bibring, Rado, Blatt, Benedek, Lindemann, Kohut, some of which, due to word limit, I have not included). Bowlby‘s theory of attachment, although not psychodynamic per se, is also considered, because the way in which people relate to loss of attachment appears relevant to our understanding of depression. Schore, who describes the neuroscience of attachment and how the brain of the parent and infant interact, has also been included The first thing we need to do is to be clear about four quite different ways that we may talk about depression. Jacobson referred to them as normal, neurotic, psychotic and grief reactions (1971 p19). What Jacobson (1971) referred to as normal depression, appears to be akin to what Klein referred to as the depressive position (Segal 1973). She, who it appears from my literature search (Klein 1940, Meltzer 1989, Spillius 1983, Money Kyle 1964), more than any other psychoanalytic pioneer viewed the infant as a miniature adult, found evidence of a â€Å"depressive position† from birth (Klein 1932 in Meltzer 1989 p37). This is essentially a state of health, a capacity to bear guilt, stay in touch with mental pain and emotional problems and bring thinking to bear on situations (Meltzer 1998). According to Klein we oscillate between our ability to stay with painful situations or seek temporary relief through splitting and projection (defence mechanisms), returning to the paranoid-schizoid position – the state of mind existing in babies ; one that is constantly returned to throughout life to greater or lesser degrees (Klein 1932 in Money Kyle 1964). Defence mechanisms are defined as tactics which the Ego develops to help deal with the ID and the Super Ego (Freud 1923). Freud introduced the term ‘ego' in â€Å"The Ego and The Id† (1923). He holds that only a portion of the mind is conscious and the rest lies hidden deep within the subconscious, ruled by conflicting forces of a super-strong libido (id) and super-controlling morality (superego) all translated through the ego, which attempts to balance the two through rationality (1923). Libido is described as the ‘energy of the sexual instincts‘ (Frued 1925). Neurotic depression or reactive depression can be understood as an exaggerated response to stress due to a weak state of ego strength combined with a failure of the external support system. Neurotic depression consists of a fall in self esteem after the ego has been abandoned by its ideal (Sandler 1965)). In modern day terminology, Jacobson's psychotic depression could be termed a severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms (WHO 1992). Brown and Harris’ studies state that early loss appears tied to the emergence of psychotic versus neurotic symptom patterns (1986). Bowlby thought a mother-child attachment could not be broken in the first years of life without permanent and serious damage to the child’s future development (Bowlby 1973). Jacobson said there is fusion of the self and the object[1] epresentation within the ego and superego, â€Å"calling forth attack from an extremely pathological sadistic and idealised superego on a fused and highly devalued selfâ€Å" (Lund 1991, p533). The capacity for sadness is absent because the object and its representation are â€Å"devalued and united with the devalued representation of selfâ€Å" (p534). Th is appears to be evidenced by Jo who was referred for treatment of â€Å"severe anxiety and panic attacks,† and whose symptoms include extreme suspiciousness and intolerance of her peers, and delusional ideas relative to her mother. These psychotic-like symptoms could be related to the treatment she received from her mother who maltreated her and ultimately abandoned her when she was a toddler. Freud contrasted the mental processes involved in mourning with those of depression which he termed melancholia (1917); the latter could now be referred to as a severe depressive episode (WHO 1992). He regarded both mourning and depression as grief reactions to the loss of someone or something loved (1917). The distinction between the two conditions he described with the statement that in contrast to the mourner, the melancholic suffers â€Å"an extraordinary diminution in his self regard, and impoverishment of his ego on a grand scale† (1917 p 153). The explanation of this key difference appears to rest on the psychological concept of identification. Freud argued that part of the self had undergone a change in depression through its becoming identified with the lost object (1917). Object loss refers to traumatic separation from significant objects of attachment, usually mother (Bowlby 1973). In relation to the regressive identification Freud said â€Å"Thus the shadow of the object fell upon the ego†¦. † implying that the low self esteem of the melancholic is directly related to the condition of the introjected[2] object (Freud 1917 p243 ). Abraham also stressed the importance of introjection in melancholia (1911). Whereas mourning recognises the loss of an object that was â€Å"good† and â€Å"loved,† the melancholic’s relationship to the lost object is necessarily more ambivalent, i. e. a dense complex of love and hate (Klein 1940 in Money-Kyle 1998 p 142). Freud stressed the importance of heightened ambivalence in melancholia. He suggests that melancholia involves a regression to the oral narcissism phase of the libido, when an identification with the lost object occurs (1917). At the very early oral stage, described by Freud as primary narcissism ( 1914) and by Fairbairn as â€Å"mouth ego with a breast,† (1952 p87 ), the mouth feeds on the breast and is temporarily content. However, disturbances in feeding and other related irritations generate the agony of want and pains of anxiety. Consequently, fixation at the early oral phase results in the registration of a painful (bad) internal wanting and a nourishing (good) something somewhere in the vague uncharted outside of the child. Narcissism is described as an orientation towards internal objects, characterised by self-preoccupation, lack of empathy, and unconscious deficits in self-esteem (Kernburg 1969). Jo’s refusal to eat when in a severely depressed state could be viewed as her regression to oral narcissism. Freud also believed too many positive experiences during the first year of life could set an individual up for developing depression later on in life (Comer, 1992). He posited that if an individual is nurtured too much as an infant, she will not develop beyond the oral stage of development because there was never a need to. Although his theories emphasised the importance of early experience on later development, I understand from the literature it was Abraham (1911) who first made this distinction. He defined melancholia as an ambivalent feeling of love and hate toward the self that arises from an early infantile disappointment in love (1911). He too connected loss at the oral stage to maladaptive coping during subsequent losses later in life (1924). Abraham tells us that melancholic clients are inaccessible to any criticism of their mode of thinking (1924). In them can be seen the narcissistic character of thought and disregard for people who confront them with reality as in the case of Jo who missed a session following my interpretation about her eating habits. Expanding on this theme, Abraham summarised the dynamic factors underlying depression, as follows (1924): 1. A constitutional factor of an over accentuation of oral eroticism. 2. A special fixation of the libido at the oral stage. 3. A severe injury to infantile narcissism. 4. Occurrence of the primary disappointment pre-oedipal. [3] 5. Repetition of the primary disappointment in later life. These points appear to be evidenced by Valerie, my client in her late forties. Her husband died four years ago and she was referred by her GP because of â€Å"troublesome feelings of depression, isolation and lack of identityâ€Å". Her developmental history revealed that her mother had always been a source of tension, and had been severely depressed while Valerie was growing up. Valerie felt neglected and abandoned by her. She had been left with a negligent nanny after she was born and was ill with jaundice and gastro-enteritis. It took three months for the neglect to be discovered and for her to be returned home. Throughout her childhood, her mother remained predominantly in a withdrawn state in bed. However, she remained very dominating and ridiculing in manner of her daughter. In response to Valerie’s traumatic bereavement, her mother again seemed preoccupied and self-absorbed. Valerie’s opening remark to me was striking, â€Å"I want to be a calm sensible person with no feelingsâ€Å". Since her mother spent her time criticising Valerie and ridiculing her separate thinking (her mother resented Valerie’s creativity having thrown the contents of the rubbish bin on one of her prize paintings), this comment appears to represent her wish to conform to her mother's requirements. However, this statement appears to underline the central dynamic to understanding depression, for with the desire for identification with an ideal object, there appears no room for separate thinking or expression of needy feelings (Jacobson 1964). All tensions related to one’s own needs and how the idealised object is ignoring them gets projected and then experienced somatically (Abraham 1924). The lack of availability of a containing mother[4] was graphically illustrated in a dream, where Valerie went to get food from a supermarket. There was no basket and she came out, arms full of tin cans. Suddenly, her mother's sister shouted from a house window: â€Å"Where is your mother? † Valerie dropped the cans and opened her mouth to speak. It was full of blood and bits of glass. Valerie also reported to me another dream where she swallowed two â€Å"tablets of stones† that lay heavy on her stomach. This could be symbolic of the unresponsive stone breasts of her mother. Also it reminds me of the Ten Commandments, two tablets of stone not to be disobeyed (her mother). The oral origins seem apparent, with the brittleness of the breast and the aggressiveness to it. This history seems to confirm all Abraham's points. The constitutionally inherited family history of depression, her mother having a breakdown when Valerie was born; The fixation of the libido at the oral level, with the sensation of having swallowed the tablets of stone breasts when depressed and also the oral aggressiveness, with the cut glass in the mouth. The severe injury to infantile narcissism was evidenced by her mother's unresponsiveness. The first disappointment pre-oedipally, starting at birth with being left with the neglectful nanny; with the repetition of the primary disappointment in later life and with her mother's lack of support at the time of her husband’s bereavement. Valerie told me she felt ‘guilt and shame’ about ‘being depressed‘. To explain the peculiar intensity of the sense of guilt in melancholia, Freud suggested that the destructive component of the instincts had entered the superego and turned against it (1917). He also noted in some depressed people a high proneness to guilt; ‘that tendency toward self-reproach which death invariably leaves among the survivors. ’ (Freud 1925 in Stengel 1969 p 237). He pointed out the increased severity of moral judgement that occurs in depression, and described the setting up of a ‘critical agency’ as part of child development, which ‘henceforth will judge the ego’ (Freud 1923 in O'Shaughnessy 1999 p861). This is the superego and Freud suggested that â€Å"the relationship between the ego and the superego (see definition page 1) becomes completely intelligible if they are carried back to the child’s attitude towards his parentsâ€Å" (p861). The superego is coloured by the child’s own hostile and rivalrous feelings, so that ‘the more a child controls his aggression towards another, the more tyrannical does his superego subsequently become’ (p862). The self-recriminations seen clinically are recriminations made of a loved object that has been displaced (Freud 1923) as the following exchange between Valerie and myself appears to illustrate: V. Life sucks T. It sucks? V. Yeah, but then why should it be any different? I’m so ghastly and useless – I don’t deserve to be happy. When Valerie announces ‘I’m so ghastly and useless – I don’t deserve to be happy,’ she is perhaps not really criticising herself, but a purported ideal that has let her down. The self-tormenting is then a tormenting of the ideal object (mother) that had abandoned her at a time of need. The sadomasochistic process of self-criticism, that so dominates depression, goes on in a relentless fashion. No true mourning, with relinquishment of the object, can occur because of the unresolved ambivalent dependence on an ideal object (Freud 1923). Valerie’s grief at her husband’s death could be seen as an extension of her more hidden yearning for her mother’s love. Her unrealistic hopes based on compensatory exaggerations of unsatisfied wishes and needs, may have laid down a vulnerability to depressive illness because these are unsustainable in adulthood. Klein described an early ore-oedipal stage to the formation of the superego, with a very harsh superego in evidence at the oral stage, which becomes modified over time, with experiences, to becoming more benign, less demanding and more tolerant towards human frailities (Money-Kyle 1964). She comments on clinging to the pathological early severe superego as: â€Å"the idea of perfection is so compelling as it disproves the idea of disintegration† (Klein 1932 in Meltzer 1989 p270). In healthy development the superego may take on, over time, a benign guiding role, but in those with a predisposition to depression, the superego can be â€Å"a pure culture of the death instinct which often succeeds in driving the ego into death† (Freud 1917, p332). This may have been the case with Valerie’s deceased husband who was also diagnosed as depressed; she feels his death may have been suicide. It is interesting that he told her his body was â€Å"tired of livingâ€Å", perhaps suggesting that the ego was located in the body awaiting to be attacked by the superego. The ego can only kill itself if, as a result of a return to the object-cathexis, it can treat itself as an object (1917). Object cathexis occurs in the Id and is the investment of energy in the image of an object. Suicide also harbours murderous feelings towards others (Campbell & Hale 1991). Kohut viewed depression as coming from a lack of good experiences with what he termed the mirroring self-object[5], such as having interested and involved parents (1971); this results in problems with self-esteem regulation. Parkin considers that a fall in self esteem is the hallmark of ‘all simple depression’ (by this, I imagine, he means what Jacobson referred to as neurotic depression), and a heightening of self criticism to be the hallmark of melancholia (I imagine, he is referring to Freud’s theory. ) (Parkin 1976). It is the loss of self-esteem, many psychodynamic theorists claim, that starts a person down the path of depression (Comer, 1992). Jacobson stresses the crucial importance in depression of the loss of self esteem and the feelings of impoverishment, helplessness, weakness and inferiority (1971). Freud believed feelings of anger and self-hatred develop from thoughts about unresolved conflicts. As a result of feelings of self-hatred, the individual feels shameful and worthless and loses her self-esteem (Comer, 1992). Jo suffers shameful feelings about herself including taking anxiolytic medication to ‘dampen down my distress‘. She commented that her self esteem is ‘as low as my socks. ’ She lost her job as a result of her panic attacks. Gaylin (1968) reasons, if a person is depressed over the loss of a job it is not because the job symbolizes a loved object but, like a loved object, â€Å"it can symbolize one's self-esteem† (p. 7). Klein said that whether an individual loses her self-esteem depends on the quality of her relationship as an infant with her caregiver during the first year of life (Wetzel 1984). She claimed the Oedipus Complex to be a part of the depressive position, occurring at the oral stage of development (Segal, 1984). Her work was criticized, especially by Anna Freud, but the significance of her theory appears to be that, if individuals have not had the early experiences that enable them to internalise a good object, then mourning as adults will be complicated by significant depression (Wetzel 1984). Klein's interpretation to the origin of depression closely resembles that of Abraham and Freud's theories that an individual can develop a predisposition for the illness, but her contributions appear to have been criticised on the grounds of seeking to establish an exact parallel between the child’s developmental stages and adult depressive illness (Spillius 1983). I understand from the literature that most psychoanalysts accept infantile precursors to depressive illness but stop short of Klein’s view. Mahler acknowledged that the mother-child relationship is crucial in the development of basic moods, including depression (1966). However, in contrast to Klein, she believed the depressive position does not occur at the oral stage, but later in toddler-hood, during the separation-individuation period[6] (1966). More recently other authors have been trying to differentiate two types of depression basing themselves in part on the writings of Freud on the processes of oral incorporation and superego formation, and considering that it would not be fruitful to integrate these two mechanisms from such distinct phases of psychic development (Spitz 1947 p 723). Blatt subsequently conceptualised depression in accordance with the child’s level of object representations and made the distinction between anaclitic depression and introjective depression. Anaclitic is oral where there is relatively low evidence of guilt. Introjective depression is more oedipal based where the sufferer may harbour intense feelings of guilt because the superego is overly harsh (Blatt 1974). Bowlby thought depression resulted from a failure of secure attachment early in life (1973). He described a series of attachment and protest behaviours which, if not responded to, would proceed to a state of despair in infants and finally to states of detachment. This work has burgeoned into the field now known as attachment research. To summarize this extensive body of research very briefly, we now know the attachment that the child establishes with the caregiver during development may be the prototype for all subsequent bonds with other objects (1973). The capacity to develop close and loving relationships in adulthood protects against depression and this is influenced by the attachment patterns developed in childhood. Anxiously attached individuals seek interpersonal contact and are excessively dependant on others. Compulsively self-reliant individuals are excessively autonomous and avoid close intimate interpersonal relationships (1973). Both of these preoccupations can create a vulnerability to depression. In agreement with Klein, Bowlby suggests that anger and guilt are part of mourning reactions. It is not the presence of anger or guilt that is pathological in mourning but their appropriateness that is the crucial issue (1969). Schore describes the neuroscience of attachment and how the brain of the parent and infant interact (2003 ). He speaks in depth about the neurobiology of the developing mind during the first three years of life and how the right brain processes are integrally involved in attachments and the development of the self. He spells out very clearly how insensitive parenting leads to emotion dysregulation patterns in childhood and later in adulthood. He understands insecure attachment as emotion dysregulation and that psychotherapy is the process of changing neural patterns in the brain, the right brain in particular. There are clear points of contact between the attachment perspective and some psychodynamic ideas. As mentioned, one of Klein’s hypotheses was that the reaction to loss occurring later in the life cycle will be influenced by revived aspects of losses experienced at the earliest stages in development (Segal 1973). The early loss of the maternal object may result in depression later in life if the infant has not yet been able to establish a representation of a loved object securely within herself (Segal 1973). There appear to be clear parallels between this formulation and the idea of maladaptive internal working models of attachment in Bowlby’s thinking about early loss and depression. Evaluation Each of the theories probably has a contribution to make to the overall picture especially when we recollect that depression is a complex rather than a unitary phenomenon (Freud 1917). Common to all these theories is their invoking of the crucial role of the infantile phase of development. Each of them asserts that problems in the trajectory to eventual adulthood commence in early childhood and can constitute a vulnerability to depression. Following my research, I am hopefully better placed to help my clients. For instance during our sessions Valerie is able to reflect how her deceased husband had provided her with an experience of being loved and cared for that she had longed for from her mother. Working through unresolved feelings of loss arising from initial losses and disentangling them from feelings related to present losses may be invaluable in the resolution of her depression As for Jo, we have spent considerable time exploring her panic attacks and her fear of expressing her depressive feelings. She fears that ‘If I start crying, I may never stop’ and that nobody will be able to bear her pain. This links with Bion’s concept of containment (Bion 1962) as defined on page 5. If I can contain her pain and grief then this may help Jo internalise a sense that her pain can be borne and thought about. Finally, I am reminded that my own experiences of depression can either interfere with or enhance my capacity to help. Self reflection and supervision are crucial if I am to make the best use of my humanity. REFERENCES ICD-10. Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders: Clinical Descriptions and Diagnostic Guidelines: World Health Organization, 1992. Abraham K. 1911-1968)Selected papers of Karl Abraham. New York: Basic Books Inc. Bion WR. (1962)Learning from Experience. London: Karnac. 97. Blatt S. (1974). Levels of object representation in anaclitic and introjective depression. The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 29, 107-157. Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss, Vol. 1: Attachment. New York: Basic Books. Bowlby, J. (1973). Attachment and loss, Vol. 2: Separation -anxiety and anger. New York: Basic Books Brown & Harris (1986). 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The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud V. 14. London: Hogarth Press Freud S. (1925)(trans. J. Riviere) Collected Papers. Vol. I. , London: Hogarth. Jacobson, E. (1964) The Self and the Object World. New York, International Universities Press Jacobson E. 1971)Depression: Comparative Studies of Normal, Neurotic & Psychotic Conditions. New York: International Universities Press Kernberg O, (1969)A contribution to the Ego-psychological critique of the Kleinian school. Int J Psychoanal 50: 317 – 33 Klein M. (1940). Writings of Melanie Klein. London: Hogarth. Vol. 1. p344-369. Klein M. (1932). The psycho-analysis of children. London: Hogarth Press. Roger Money-Kyl e The Writings of Melanie Klein. (Ed. ). 4 Vols. New York, Free (1964-75)Press. Kohut H. (1971)The Analysis of the Self. New York, International Universities Press Lund C (1991)Psychotic depression: psychoanalytic psychopathology in relation to treatment and management, B J Psychiatry 158: 523 – 8 Mahler M. (1966). Some preliminary notes on the development of basic moods, including depression. Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal, 250-258. Meltzer, D. (1998)The Kleinian Development (New Edition). London: Karnac Books O'Shaughnessy E. (1999)Relating to the Superego. Int. J. Psychoanal; 80, p861-870. Parkin A (1976)Melancholia: A reconsideration, J Am Psychoanalytical Assoc. 24: 123 – 39 Parkes C. 1972) Bereavement: Studies of grief in adult life. New York: International Universities Press. Rubin R 1989Neuroendocrine aspects of primary endogenous depressiion VIII. Psychoneuroendocrinology; 14(3):217–29. Sandler J (1965)Notes on childhood depression. Int J Psychoanal 46: 88 – 96 Schore A (2003)Affect Regulation and The Repair of the Self New York: WW Norton & Co, Inc. Segal H. (1973)Introduction to the work of Melan ie Klein. London: Hogarth Press. Spitz R. (1946) Anaclitic depression: An inquiry into the genesis of psychiatric conditions in early childhood II. Psychoanalytical Study of the Child, 2, 53. Spillius, E. (1983). Some developments from the work of Melanie Klein. , Int. J. Psychoanal. , 64:321-332. Stengel E (1969). Suicide and Attempted Suicide. Harmondsworth: Pelican Books. Wetzel, J. W. (1984). Clinical handbook of depression. New York: Gardner Press. ———————– [1]Objects are primarily formed from early interactions with (usually) parents. (Klein 1940) [2] introjection means to incorporate (characteristics of a person or object) into one’s own psychic unconsciously (Klein 1940). 3] Oedipal can be described as unconscious sexual desire in a child, especially a male child, for the parent of the opposite sex, usually occurring around the age of 3 – 5 years and accompanied by hostility to the parent of the same sex. Pre-oedipal means prior to the oedipal phase in development (Freud 1923). [4] containing mother refers to the process whereby the infant’s emo tions can be held in mind and ‘digested’ by the mother, who can then return them in a more manageable form. Infants need repeated experiences of containment (Bion 1962), in order to develop ways of dealing with their own distress, i. . before they can introject the containing ‘good enough mother’ (Winnicott 1960a) and feel the mother as a definite internalized presence (Bion 1962). [5] â€Å"mirroring self object† is loosely translated as â€Å"mother,† for in the external world it is most often the mother who performs the function. The gleam in her eye mirrors the infant’s self. (Bion 1962). [6] Mahler described separation-individuation as the steps through which the infant passes in developing a more stable awareness of separateness from the mother (1966).