Cultures. African Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cultures. African Culture - Research Paper Example This persuasive essay looks at the African culture and its significance. The African continent consists of two main cultures, which are the Sub-Saharan Africa and North African cultures. These cultures have a number of ethnic, tribes, social groups. One of the main features of this way of life is the large number of cultural groups where some nations can have twenty or more ethnic groups, and the variety of their principles. The African culture is varied and diverse. Like other cultures in the world, it has been obstructed upon by both external and internal forces, which in turn affect it negatively and positively. Their art, music, literature, and African cultural customs of Africa have motivated interest and admiration all over the world (Barakat79). The African continent has a rich custom of arts and crafts. Their arts and crafts observe manifestation in an assortment of leather arts, woodcarvings, brass, and other metal works. These art and crafts consist of sculptures, woodwork paintings ceremonial, pottery, religious ornaments, and other dresses. According to Barakat, African art must be innovative and in being revolutionary, the artists ought to be collective, functional and committed to their works (80). Barakat continues to note that art is socially functional within the society (81). The African culture places a lot of emphasis on the appearance and jewelry, which has endured an important individual accompaniment. Most pieces of this jewelry are crafted using cowry shells and metallic materials (Namulundah 23). In the same way, the masks are crafted using elaborate objects and are significant part of the culture. During ceremonies, these masks are used as symbols of spirits and ancestors, deities and mythological characters (Namulundah 23). Certain themes are significant in the African arts and crafts, and these themes keep on recurring from one art to another. They include men carrying weapons, women carrying children, men posing as hunters with anim als on their shoulders. Pairs may symbolize ancestors, society founder, married people, or twins (Namulundah 23). The couple subject rarely displays intimacy of the married people. The mother carrying a child or children as argued by Namulundah shows strong aspiration of the African women to give birth to her own children (23). The theme is also an agent of woman mars and the communities as her children. On the other hand, the man carrying a weapon or animal subject represents principle and power (Namulundah 23). An alien or a stranger may be someone from other ethnic groups or somebody from a different nation, and accurate representation of the stranger signifies fairly better gap from the stranger (Namulundah, 23). Oral presentation is very important in African arts and crafts. African oral literature includes arts like origin fables, myths, history, folklore, lineage, folk therapies that are very common with the African continent. Initially this information was not recorded in wr itten materials, but instead passed from one generation to another through word of mouth. Storytelling and singing are very common and highly appreciated in this society. Just like other human culture, the African religion and folklore represents different aspects of social issues within the African community (Namulundah 21). Similarly, like all other civilization and cultures, myths have been presented in different parts of the African continent. Religion and culture share space and deeply rooted in the African cultures. For example, the Ethiopian culture consists of their African culture and informs dietary customs together with rites and rituals (Namulundah 21). The pygmy myth

The drug metabolism

The drug metabolism Introduction: If an exogenous microorganism enters the human body, this invokes the immune system to produce antibodies to come into contact with the foreign potentially pathogenic species and lead to its destruction. Although when drug molecules enter the human body this does not result in the synthesis of antibodies, due to their relatively small molecular weight. This is why the endogenous metabolism of drugs is vital in ensuring no or the minimum toxicity from a very broad spectrum of xenobiotics i.e. molecules/compounds which are found in a given organism, but are not synthesized naturally by it and or normally found within it. We can define drug metabolism as the enzymatically catalysed conversion of exogenous drug molecules into generally less active metabolites, which have a faster rate of clearance from the body. (While this is true for the majority of metabolites it is important to acknowledge that some metabolites actually are of higher toxicity than their precursors.) This occurs throu ghout nearly every organ (excluding ectodermal tissue) in the human body, but specifically the gastro-intestinal tract, lungs, kidneys and most importantly (and abundantly) the liver. While drug metabolism is essential in preventing a specific toxicity being produced from the accumulation of a drug(s), there are drawbacks that need to be addressed; a given drug may be a xenobiotic, but it is taken (or administered) in order to produce some degree of a therapeutic effect for its specifically targeted disease/pathology. Thus drug metabolism can inhibit the therapeutic benefit of a given molecule that ideally needs to be retained in a particular tissue of the body for a set period of time, to bring about a therapeutic effect. This is mainly due to the fact that a large number of drug molecules do mimic the structure of endogenous molecules close enough for the corresponding specific enzymes to target them as well as nonspecific enzymes which only identify certain molecular groups as opposed to the entire pharmacophore of a given drug. This unexpected drug metabolism could result in an undesired decrease in the bioavailability of a drug which would lead to increased d oses or dosage frequencies; this would cause a decrease in patient compliance which in the current medicinal environment is vital. Absorption and clearance: In the case of drug absorption into the desired tissues of the body generally a lipophilic character is required. This is because regardless of the site of drug uptake, it must pass through the cell membranes of targeted cells. These cell membranes are lipophilic in nature as they consist of a phospholipid bilayer. The inside of this bilayer is made up of hydrocarbon tails which are straight chain hydrocarbons which interact with each other via Van der Waal interactions and London forces. Thus drug molecules are designed to have sufficient lipophilic character that they can form these interactions with the lipid bilayers and pass into cells. Unfortunately this means that they are of limited hydrophilicity and either do not go into dissolution in an aqueous environment at all or do so at a very slow rate. As previously mentioned as this is unacceptable due to the accumulation of a given drug that would occur and produce toxicity, the drug must undergo a series of transformations that serve to increase the hydrophilic nature of the drug molecules. This predominately occurs in liver cells (hepatocytes) in processes known as phase I and phase II metabolism. Phase I and Phase II: Phase I metabolism is constituted of oxidative, reductive and hydrolytic reactions. These serve to produce primary metabolites that are susceptible to other reactions, which consist of the following conjugations; glucuronic acid, sulphate, amino acid, glutathione, water, acetyl, fatty acid and methyl. These occur via the corresponding conjugating agents and are known as phase II reactions. They aim to produce secondary metabolites that are far more hydrophilic nature than their precursor drug counterparts. This is with the addition of e.g. amine, carboxylic acid, hydroxyl groups as well as others, simply to increase the number of very electronegative atoms (with lone pairs of electrons) in a given species. Thus these metabolites can from a greater number of hydrogen bonds with the aqueous medium of the nephronal filtrate of the kidneys and be excreted at a faster rate via the passing of urine. The main constituent of phase I transformations are oxidative reactions, as they activate the selected species in generally one of two ways; hydroxylation and epoxidation. We can define oxidation as the gain of oxygen in a molecule or more precisely the loss of at least one electron from a species reacting with molecular oxygen. This is true for the two general mechanisms mentioned above as adding either a hydroxyl group or an epoxide ring to a molecule increases the number of oxygen atoms that the molecule contains. Firstly this increases the ability of the newly formed metabolite to act as a nucleophile due to the lone pair of electrons available for covalent bond formation (from the oxygen atom added to the molecule). Secondly it increases the chances of attack by an electrophilic species, because of the high electron density of the lone pair of electrons on the oxygen atom. Oxidation Properties and mechanisms of the Cytochrome P450 isoenzyme superfamily: The majority of these oxidative metabolic reactions are carried out by a superfamily of enzymes known as cytochrome P450, this can be displayed as: RH + O2 +NAD(P)H + H+ ? ROH + H2O + NAD(P)+ [1] The P450 enzymes catalyse the biodegradation of other exogenous species that are not drugs such as; organic solvents, ethanol (or consumed alcohol), anaesthetics, pesticides and carcinogens [1]; While endogenous molecules such as organic acids, steroids and prostaglandins are also biodegraded [1]. These enzymes are intracellular hemoproteins that function as external monooxygenases (mixed function oxidases) enzymes that serve to incorporate a single atom of molecular oxygen into a lipophilic xenobiotic substrate (i.e. a drug molecule), with the concomitant reduction of the other atom to water [1]. While internal monooxygenases take two reductive equivalents from the substrate in order to reduce one atom of molecular oxygen to water, this is normally done with an external reductant for external monooxygenases [1]. In eukaryotic cells the P450 enzymes consist of around half a thousand amino acid that compose their quaternary structure, these hemoproteins are membrane bound and have a heme prosthetic group at their centres. It is thought that the reason the enzymes can be bound to the cell membranes is the N-terminus of the enzymes tertiary structure has numerous hydrophobic amino acids (i.e. ones which contain aromatic/cyclic groups and have few very electronegative atoms such as oxygen and sulphur) that can interact with the lipid bilayer of the cells. Most hemoproteins in mammalian cells have nitrogen atom from the histidine residues imidazole group to form a ligand with the iron-heme prosthetic group. While for P450 enzymes this ligand is formed between the prosthetic group and the thiol group of a cysteine residue which is located near the C-terminus of the protein. This ligand activates the porphyrin ring (four conjugated pyrrole rings) to nucleophilic substitution by an oxygen atom. This is because the thiol group has an electron inductive effect due to its high electronegativity and so makes the carbon atom it is directly bonded to very electropositive and thus of greater electrophilicity/susceptibility of nucleophilic attack by the lone pair of electrons from the oxygen atom, so allowing oxidation to take place. The general process of the catalytic oxidative cycle of the cytochrome P450 enzyme superfamily: The substrate binds to a specific P450 enzyme and is followed by the first electron of the coenzyme NADPH via the electron transport chain. This is then followed by the binding of an oxygen atom that accepts the second electron from the coenzyme to produce a ferric peroxy anion [1]. The anion forms a ferric hydroperoxy complex via protonation, which in turn is heterolytically cleaved to form a Fe(V)=O species [1]. The newly formed highly electrophilic iron-oxo intermediate then attacks the substrate to form a hydroxylated metabolite. This product disassociates to allow another substrate to bind and the oxidation cycle to continue [1]. Schematic organisation of different cytochrome P450 systems. Upper row, left: bacterial system, right: mitochondrial system. Lower row, left: microsomal system, right: self-sufficient CYP102 (P450-BM3).[1] Aromatic hydroxylation: This leads on to the first major constituent of oxidative reactions; aromatic hydroxylation. This is simply the addition of at least one hydroxyl group to a given substrate although depending on the chemical environment that the product is formed in (e.g. pH) the hydrogen atom may be lost from the hydroxyl group. Aromatic compounds are first metabolized to the corresponding arene oxides; this is by electrophilic addition of the aromatic ring (of the previously mentioned iron-oxo intermediate) to produce either a carbocation species. This carbocation would be formed via the movement of an electron to the Fe(IV) species, giving a Fe(III) species bound to a the mentioned carbocation; or by formation of a radical which serves as a tetrahedral intermediate. The produced arene oxides then take on further transformations, which involve removal of the epoxide group that was added and introduction of a hydroxyl group and potentially another nucleophilic substitute. The simplest transformation is simply intramolecular rearrangement to for a para-arenol. Also hydration can take place in the presence of water and using the enzyme epoxide hydrolase. This causes opening of the epoxide ring and formation of a trans-3,4 arenediol. These primary metabolites can also undergo attack by large macromolecules which serve as nucleophiles. This is because the oxygen in the epoxide ring serves to make both the meta and para carbon positions electropositive and electrophilic in nature. Although any nucleophilic substitution that does go on to occur is at the para position, due to greater resonance stability of the formed secondary metabolite. Another example of aromatic hydroxylation would be the metabolism of isoliquiritigenin. It is a chalcone found in licorice roots and other plants [3] which has shown potent antitumor, phytoestrogenic activity and antioxidant properties. [3] Schematics for its metabolism can be shown below. [3] The metabolism of aromatic compounds that get hydroxylated can be slowed by using para-substituted aromatic compounds with either chlorine or a fluorine atom in the para position. While electron withdrawing groups deactivate the ring towards electrophilic substitution and activate it towards nucleophilic substitution; electron donating groups activate the ring towards electrophilic substitution and deactivate it towards nucleophilic substitution. While most ring deactivators go in the meta position, halogens direct ortho-para, i.e. the same as ring activators. This is because the halogens, especially fluorine and chlorine are very electronegative and thus have an electron inductive effect and decrease the electron density of the ring. This inductivity is far greater than the resonance stability that the halogen can give the ring thus deactivating it. Thus the addition of these halogen atoms decreases the nucleophilic nature of the ring and decreases the rate of metabolism. This can b e shown with the metabolism of the drug Diclofenac (shown below [4]) which is an anti-inflammatory drug as it is has a half-life of around one hour. While its derivative fenclofenac which has a para-substituted chlorine atom has a half-life twenty times longer. Alkene epoxidation: Epoxidation of alkenes occurs readily, because they are more volatile than the ? bonds of aromatic compounds, this simply involves the addition of an epoxide ring to a molecule in order for it to then undergo further transformations. For example the drug Coumarin has been used clinically at high dosages in humans in the treatment of high-protein lymphedemas (Jamal and Casley-Smith, 1989) and as an antineoplastic agent in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (Marshall et al., 1994) and malignant melanoma (Marshall et al., 1989). [5] It and its 3/7-hydroxy isomers undergo epoxidation and then either glutathione conjugation or non-enzymatic intramolecular rearrangement [5] to secondary metabolites. This is shown schematically below. [5] It is also vitally important that environmental carcinogens are broken down via drug metabolism, in particular by the P450 enzymes. For example acrylonitrile (AN2) is widely used in the production of acrylic and modacrylic fibres, plastics, rubbers, resins, and as a chemical intermediate in the synthesis of many other industrial products (IARC,1999). Early epidemiological studies have suggested that AN may increase the incidence of lung, colon, and stomach cancers among exposed workers (Thiess and Fleig, 1978; Blair et al., 1998).[6] As a result P450 epoxidation is vital for preventing carcinogenic action of AN. While the metabolic basis of the acute toxicity of AN has not been fully elucidated, it is generally attributed to its metabolism to CEO (cyanoethylene oxide) and cyanide, and glutathione depletion. The primary target of acute toxicity of AN is the central nervous system due, at least partially, to the liberation of cyanide (Ahmed and Patel, 1981; Benz et al., 1997). [6] The below diagram illustrates how AN is metabolised by the P450 enzymes, specifically the CYP2E1 isoform.[6] Alcohol and aldehyde metabolism: Alcohols and aldehydes can be metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes to aldehydes and carboxylic acids respectively, but the majority of these transformations are catalysed by alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase. These enzymes are predominantly in the liver and require the coenzyme NAD+ or NADP+. General equations for these reactions are shown below. [Alcohol Dehydrogenase]Ez + RCH2OH + NAD + RCHO + NADH + H+ [Aldehyde Dehydrogenase]Ez + RCHO + NAD+ + H2O RCOOH + NADH + H+ Reduction: Cytochrome P450 enzymes are used along with reductases to metabolise drugs that have a carbon atom that is able to be reduced such as a carbonyl or an unsaturated carbon, a nitro group or a compound with an azo group. In addition upon reaction usually a specific stereoisomer is formed. The structure of the rest of the compounds often attribute to which stereoisomer is formed. Some stereoisomers can prove to be toxic. Carbonyl compounds: Carbonyl compounds are reduced by cytochrome P450 into alcohols and are NADP or NADPH dependent. The enzymes involved in the reduction of carbonyls are classified based upon their gene sequence, 3-D structure and cofactor dependence into superfamilies of; medium-chain dehydrogenases/reductases, aldo-keto reductases, short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases which include carbonyl reductases. The majority of these enzymes are present in the cytosol however there are some that are found in the microsomes and mitochondria. Short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDRs) and aldo-keto reductases (AKR) are the most common enzymes used in drug metabolism. These enzymes also exhibit high specificity for the drugs that they reduce. Saturated ketones reduced to alcohols whilst in an unsaturated ketone both the ketone group and the double bonds are both reduced. Steroidal drugs undergo oxidoreduction of the hydroxy/keto group at C17[7]. This makes the compound more water soluble and hence easier to be excreted. Some metabolising enzymes behave differently and undergo different types of reactions when in different cells. An example is carbonyl reductases within tumour cells and normal cells. These have become a target of new drugs such as oracin in the treatment of breast cancer [9]. The enzymes within the cancer cells metabolise oracin and doxorubin more effectively than in normal cells hence reducing the efficacy of the cytostatic effect of the drugs. Some carbonyl compounds however do not undergo reduction via the cytochrome P450 pathway but are rather reduced by other pathways including the aldo-keto reductases (AKR). An example is a drug containing a 1,3-diketone derivative S-1360 which upon reduction produces a key metabolite HP1 which constitutes a major clearance pathway[9]. Nitrogen compounds: The reduction of nitrogen containing compounds are reduced to amines in order to aid excretion as amines are more water soluble than their nitro groups. Azo compounds on the other hand may be metabolised within the body to produce the active drug as opposed to the precursor which may be formulated to get pass the first pass effect or the hydrophilic barrier in order to enter their target cells. The azo group provides 2 compounds with amine groups which can be further metabolised like any other amine. Both of these functional groups are both reduced by cytochrome P450 enzymes and are NADPH dependent. Hydrolysis: This is part of the Phase I metabolism pathway. The metabolites produced are all susceptible to Phase II conjugation and thus being excreted after the conjugation. The functional groups of the drugs that are metabolised by hydrolysis include esters and amides, which produce carboxylic acids, alcohols and amines. Esters are hydrolysed quicker than amides in vivo. Unlike oxidation and reduction the reactions are typically not carried out by the cytochrome P450 system. The most significant enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of the esters and amides are carboxylesterases and arylesterases, cholinesterases and serine endopeptidases. The active site of the enzymes involved may be stereospecific as to which enantiomer of the drug is metabolised and in addition which enantiomer of the drug is generated. Some of these products are toxic and dangerous to the body. Amino acid reactions Several phase I reactions produce a carboxylic acid metabolite. Xenobiotic carboxylic acids can be metabolised before elimination by amino acid conjugation. Glycine; the most common conjugating amino acid forms ionic conjugates that are water soluble with aromatic, arylaliphatic and heterocyclic carboxylic acids. In these reactions, first the xenobiotic carboxylic acid is activated by ATP to form the AMP ester by the enzyme acyl synthetase. Then the AMP ester is converted to a Coenzyme-A thioester. Next, an amide or peptide bond is formed between the thioester and the amino group of glycine. The latter reaction is mediated by the enzyme acyl transferase. These reactions are shown in figure 1. The amino acid conjugate produced is ionic and therefore water soluble, hence it is easily eliminated in the urine and bile. (1) Glutathione conjugation Glutathione is a protective compound in the body that removes potentially toxic electrophilic compounds and xenobiotics. Drugs are metabolised by phase I reactions to form strong elecrophiles that can react with glutathione to form conjugates that are not toxic. This phase II reaction differs from others since electrophiles are subject to conjugations rather than nucleophiles. The nucleophilic thiol group on the glutathione compound (figure 2) attacks elecrophiles (electrophilic carbons with leaving groups). Compounds that can be conjugated to give thioether conjugates of glutathione: Epoxides Haloalkanes Nitroalkanes Alkenes Aromatic halo- and nitro- compounds Glutathione-S-transferases (GST) are enzymes which catalyse the reactions above. There are thirteen different human GST subunits which have been identified and they belong to five different classes. They are located in the cytosol of the liver, kidney and gut. The enzyme GST is thought to increase the ionisation of the thiol group of glutathione, leading to an increase in its nucleophilicity towards electrophiles. (1)(2) Once formed, GSH conjugates may be excreted directly or more often they are further metabolised to N-acetylcysteine conjugates which can then be excreted via phase III metabolism. Phase III Metabolism further modification and excretion Before being excreted in the urine, most xenobiotics are made less toxic and more water soluble as polarity increases by metabolising enzymes in phase II reactions. In phase III metabolism water soluble compounds are excreted in the urine. However, some drug compounds are not metabolised and therefore are not excreted. These non-metabolised compounds are readily reabsorbed from the urine through the renal tubular membranes and into the plasma to be recirculated. (3) Some xenobiotic conjugates from phase II reactions are further metabolised during phase III metabolism reactions. Glutathione-S conjugates may be metabolised further by hydrolysis of the glutathione conjugate (GSR) at the y-glutamyl bond of the glutamate residues by y -glutamyl transferase (y -GT) followed by hydrolysis of glycine residues resulting in a cysteine conjugate containing a free amino group of the cysteine residue. This then undergoes N-acetylation to form mercapturic acid. The final products; mercapturic acids are S-derivatives of N-acetylcysteine synthesised from glutathione (figure 4). (1)(2) First-pass Metabolism The metabolism of many drugs is dependent on the route of administation therefore orally administered drugs are subject to first pass metabolism and consequently their bioavailablity is reduced. This occurs as a result of the orally administered drugs entering the systemic circulation via the hepatic portal vein, so the drug is exposed to the intestinal wall and the liver, which is thought to be the main site of first-pass metabolism of orally administered drugs. Other possible sites are the gastrointestinal tract, blood, vascular endothelium and lungs. First-pass Metabolism in the Liver During first-pass metabolism, the cytochrome P450 enzymes family represent the most significant of the hepatic enzymes. It has been estimated that the endoplasmic reticulum of the liver contains approximately 25 000 nmol of cytochrome P450. Although there are several human P450 subfamilies and multiple individual isozymes within subfamilies, only five P450 enzymes are shown to be significant for the process of first-pass metabolism: CYP1A2 CYP2C9 CYP2C19 CYP2D6 CYP3A4 Cytochrome P450 drug substrates are commonly highly extracted during first-pass metabolism. Examples of these drugs are; morphine, verapamil, propranolol, midazolam, lidocaine. Drugs that are highly extracted such as lidocaine have a low bioavailability when taken orally therefore they are not administered orally. CYP3A4 is the most commonly active isozyme against P450 drug substrates. This is possibly due to the enzymes abundance and broad substrate specificity. Highly extracted substrates for conjugative, reductive or non-P450 oxidative enzymes are less common. These include labetalol, morphine, terbutaline, isoproterenol and pentoxifylline. The gut is also an important organ involved in pre-systemic metabolism. Metabolism here for drugs with high first-pass metabolism leads to a reduced bioavailability. Some metabolizing enzymes such as CYP3A4 is found at a higher level in enterocytes than in the liver. Recent findings state that gut wall metabolism is the major cause of low bioavailability of certain drugs. Intestinal First-pass Metabolism Various drug metabolizing enzymes found in the liver are also found within the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract. These include cytochromes P450, glucuronosyl transferases, sulfotransferases, N-acetyl transferase, glutathione S-transferases, esterases, epoxide hydrolase and alcohol dehydrogenase. The small intestine contains high amounts of three cytochrome P450 enzymes; CYP3A, CYP2D6 and CYP2C. Unlike the liver which has a relatively uniform distribution of P450enzymes, the distribution of P450 enzymes is not uniform along the small intestine and villi. Proximal mucosal P450 content is normally higher than distal mucosa P450 content. Therefore it has been established that protein level and catalytic activity of drug-metabolizing enzymes in the small intestine are generally lower than those in the liver. This has been demonstrated by comparison of cytochrome P450 enzymes in the liver and the small intestine. The extent of first-pass metabolism can result from interindividual variability: Genetic variation Induction or inhibition of metabolic enzymes Food increases liver blood flow. This can increase the bioavailablity of some drugs by increasing the amount of drug presented to the liver to an amount that is above the threshold for complete hepatic extraction Drugs that increase liver blood flow (similar effects to food) and drugs that reduce liver blood flow Non- linear first pass kinetics, i.e. dose Liver disease increases the bioavailability of some drugs with extensive first-pass metabolism (4) To avoid first pass metabolism a drug can be administered sublingual and buccal routes. These routes lead to drugs being absorbed by the oral mucosa. During sublingual administration the drug is put under the tongue where it dissolves in salivary secretions. An example of a sublingual drug is nitroglycerine. During buccal administration the drug is positioned between the teeth and the mucous membrane of the cheek. Both of these routes avoid destruction by the GI fluids and first pass effect of the liver. Drugs may also be administered via other routes to avoid first-pass metabolism, for example; rectal, inhalation, transdermal, intravenous. (5) Prodrugs Many drugs require metabolic activation in order to exert their pharmacological action; these are described as pro-drugs. There are two types; type I and type II which has subtypes A and B dependent on the site of activation. Type I prodrugs are converted intracellularly at the target cells (A) or at tissues that usually metabolise compounds (B). An example of a type IA prodrug is Zidovudine and type IB prodrug is captopril. Metabolic activation of type I prodrugs is usually linked to phase I metabolic enzymes. Type II prodrugs are converted extracellularly in GI fluids (A) or in the systemic circulation (B). An example of a type IIA prodrug is sulfasalazine and type IIB prodrug is fosphenytoin. Type II prodrugs are very popular as they are involved in overcoming bioavailability problems, which are commonly experienced with many drugs, by improving permeability and reducing the first pass effect. (6) Type I Prodrugs are used to target a drug to its specific site of action; an example of this is the drug used in Parkinsons disease levodopa; the inactive form of the drug which is metabolised in the neurone by the enzyme dopa decarboxylase to the active form; dopamine. Dopamine does not cross the blood-brain barrier so it is given as the levodopa precursor which is lipophilic so it can cross the barrier and then metabolized in vivo to dopamine. (7) Another example of the use of prodrugs is the pharmacological activation of a type II prodrug Azathioprine to mercaptopurine which is a chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of leukaemia. When mercaptopurine is administered, its clinical usefulness is restricted because of its rapid biotransformation by xanthine oxidase to an inactive metabolite 6-thiouric acid. Therefore larger doses have to be given as it has a low bioavailability, this leads to toxicity. By administering mercaptopurine as its cysteine conjugate, the limitations can be overcome. This ionic form of the pro-drug conjugate is selectively taken up by the renal organic anion transport system. The kidney B-lyase enzyme system then cleaves the prodrug conjugate to give the active mercaptopurine in the kidney (figure 5). (8)(9) To conclude, prodrugs can be metabolised in different ways to form the active drug. They can be used to target specific sites, improve absorption and improve oral delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs. They can also be used to avoid first pass metabolism in drugs with high first pass extraction and reduce toxicity. (6) Factors affecting metabolism There are several factors that can affect drug metabolism. Age, sex, inducers and inhibitors are some of which can effect drug metabolism which are mentioned below. How does age affect drug metabolism: There are many physiological changes that occur with ageing. The changes have the potential to affect both drug disposition and metabolism. Drug metabolism is mainly functioned by the liver, its size, blood perfusion and synthetic capacity for proteins which all determine the rate of hepatic drug elimination[5]. Paediatric population Phase one and phase two metabolic pathways may not be active at birth due to maturational changes. The paediatric population and elderly population have differences in their capacity to metabolise a drug which can therefore produce a lower or higher plasma concentration of active substances compared with adults depending on the enzyme system used. There are examples of metabolites produced by therapeutic agents in children that are not usually seen in adults. The metabolites produced maybe the reason for some of the efficacy and or toxicity visible with drug administration in children. An example is: caffeine production in a neonate receiving Theophylline. Other therapeutic agents which show changes in metabolite production in children are; Valproic acid, paracetamol, Chloramphenicol, Cimetidine Salicylamide. In most cases the differences that occur between children and adults are in the ratios of the metabolites relative to the parent drug rather than in new metabolites individual to the paediatric population with some exceptions. The paediatric population shows the same set of enzymes as the adult population. (1) In general age related changes in drug metabolism have been shown to occur due to a consequence of diminished enzyme activities within the elderly human liver due to the size of the liver decreasing and hepatic blood flow decreasing. With age the liver blood flow is generally reduced by about 20-30% and there is a decrease in liver size by about (17-36%). Currently there is no clear pattern; however there are two general trends that influence the rate of metabolism. One trend is that drugs that are undergoing hepatic microsomal oxidation are more likely to be metabolised slowly in the elderly and those which are conjugated are not likely to be influence by the age factor. Secondly, drugs that have high hepatic clearance, extraction ratios example-Chlormethiazole, and Labetalol and undergo extensive first pass metabolism whilst oral absorption may show a large increase in bioavailability in the elderly. Elderly population In general in the elderly population hepatic blood flow decreases up to 40% and there can be a considerable reduction in the amount of drug reaching the liver per unit. Studies have shown that the effect of ageing on liver enzymes with particular drug

Characters, Setting, Themes, and Symbols of Heart of Darkness Essay

Characters, Setting, Themes, and Symbols of Heart of Darkness      Ã‚   Deep within the chest of every man, woman, and child beats the heart of darkness. On the surface, mankind has achieved a sophisticated level of civilization. Joseph Conrad forces the reader to peel away the pristine layer of sweetness and see the unaltered truth. Heart of Darkness reveals the true nature that lurks behind every smile, handshake, and conversation. Conrad's portrayal of the characters, setting, symbols, and ironies allow the reader to reflect on the true nature of man.    Each of the main characters in Heart of Darkness plays a significant role in the overall theme of the novel. The central character is a thirty two year old sailor, Charlie Marlow. He is a dynamic character who essentially controls the development of the theme. Through Marlow's experiences and revelations, the author illustrates how forces of light and darkness serve to weave the human soul together; thus, essentially how good and evil are reflected in an individual. Marlow's journey leads him in an urgent search for Kurtz, the one man who can... ...art lies the raw evil of untamed lifestyle" (Heart of Darkness: A systematic evaluation).    Works Cited "The Congo" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002). Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Penguin Books, 1983. "The Fear" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002). "Heart of Darkness: A systematic evaluation of the darkness inherent in men's souls" "The Perfect Native" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002). "The Setting" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002). Characters, Setting, Themes, and Symbols of Heart of Darkness Essay Characters, Setting, Themes, and Symbols of Heart of Darkness      Ã‚   Deep within the chest of every man, woman, and child beats the heart of darkness. On the surface, mankind has achieved a sophisticated level of civilization. Joseph Conrad forces the reader to peel away the pristine layer of sweetness and see the unaltered truth. Heart of Darkness reveals the true nature that lurks behind every smile, handshake, and conversation. Conrad's portrayal of the characters, setting, symbols, and ironies allow the reader to reflect on the true nature of man.    Each of the main characters in Heart of Darkness plays a significant role in the overall theme of the novel. The central character is a thirty two year old sailor, Charlie Marlow. He is a dynamic character who essentially controls the development of the theme. Through Marlow's experiences and revelations, the author illustrates how forces of light and darkness serve to weave the human soul together; thus, essentially how good and evil are reflected in an individual. Marlow's journey leads him in an urgent search for Kurtz, the one man who can... ...art lies the raw evil of untamed lifestyle" (Heart of Darkness: A systematic evaluation).    Works Cited "The Congo" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002). Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Penguin Books, 1983. "The Fear" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002). "Heart of Darkness: A systematic evaluation of the darkness inherent in men's souls" "The Perfect Native" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002). "The Setting" Created December 07, 1997 (Accessed 12 February 2002).

Examine computer Forensics and Privacy Essay

Although the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution protects us from illegal searches and seizures, it left somewhat of a grey area when it came to electronic communications. With all the technological advances almost every person uses some kind of device to communicate electronically that goes out to the Internet. When using these devices to communicate information can be intercepted and even altered in some ways. Because of these advances in technology Congress has implemented laws to protect people from having information stolen or accessed illegally by individuals or even in some cases Law Enforcement. In the advent of Computer Forensics, certain guidelines must be met before obtaining any information either by intercepting the transmission, securing the device or acquiring the information by means of remotely connecting into the device. Several laws have been implemented to protect a person’s rights with regards to accessing their electronically stored data. The Wire Tap Act is one of these laws. This law prohibits any interception of a communication between two private parties without an order issued by a court. Any violation of this Act will result in criminal or civil liability, and a violation by governmental officials in a case could result in a suppression of that evidence. Both the Stored Wired and Electronic Communications Act, and the Pen Registers and Trap and Trace Devices Statute identify the need for protecting the privacy of individuals with regards to computers and the data within them. Initially this act was regarding phone numbers that an individual called, but since the implementation of the Patriot Act, I.P addresses can now be accessed along with emails ,communication ports, and what Web sites are being accessed from either your computer or cell phone. Investigators must obtain legal access to computers before obtaining any data from them. The case of Jamie Staley provided an example of how such an intrusion of computer privacy can in fact take place. This case involved the defendant Jamie Staley intercepting emails from members of her husband’s family with  information pertaining to a bitter divorce and child custody battle. Through computer forensic analysis it was determined that in fact Jamie had intercepted and in some cases altered electronic transmissions made by her ex husband’s grandparents and their attorney. This was clearly a violation of the Attorney Client privilege and also the Wire Tap Act, which clearly stated that electronic data being transmitted cannot be intercepted by a third party. An argument can also be made that the Stored Wired and Communications Act regarding accessing stored data had also been violated. When gathering evidence the individual who is responsible for the process has an obligation to obtain the data as accurately and responsibly as possible. Data must be collected both legally and proficiently, in order to protect the rights of the individuals being investigated. Both policies and procedures must be followed to protect the integrity, and reliability of the evidence being collected. Sources: 1. Stored Communications Act : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stored_Communications_Act 2. â€Å"Pen Registers† and â€Å"Trap and Trace Devices https://ssd.eff.org/wire/govt/pen-registers 3. Computer Security and Forensics Law Checklist: By Josh Wepman http://www.ehow.com/list_6746948_computer-security-forensics-law-checklist.html

BreadTalk Group Limited Essay

The BreadTalk Group Limited has rapidly globalized into 16 countries such as Singapore, China, Hong Kong, South Korea and the Middle East(http://www. breadtalk. com/ourbrand-bt. html Our Presence,2012). It is well known for its bakery, restaurant and food atrium, and this compromises of BreadTalk, Toast Box, The Icing Room, Din Tai Fung, RamenPlay, Carl’s Jr China, and Food Republic. Being founded in 2000, the young company has achieved numerous awards which includes the Singapore Prestige Brand Award in 2011(http://www. breadtalk. com/brand-accolades. tml Brand Accolades, 2012). The Group has a global network of over 400 bakery outlets, with a strength of more than 6000 employees, as well as operating 11 Michelin Star Din Tai Fung restaurants in Singapore and Thailand, and over 30 award winning Food Republic food atriums in Singapore, PRC, Hong Kong and Malaysia. The household brand is founded by the Chairman George Quek Meng Tong, who was appointed to the board in 2003, and re-elected in 2010. Being very experience in food and beverage industry since 1982(http://www. breadtalk. com/board-of-directors. tml, Chairman,2012), he started the bakery business with BreadTalk Private Limited and bought it to list on the Singapore Exchange Limited in 2003. The Group made an average revenue of $333, 000, 000 and a profit of $11, 450, 000 between 2010 and 2011. With an available financial asset of $911, 000 at the end of 2011, the BreadTalk Group has a promising future, with the addition of rapid growth of franchising network in Asia Pacific region (http://www. breadtalk. com/franchising. html, our presence, 2012). Today, organizations and firms have to keep changing and adapting to the global shift (R .  Gomez-Mejia, 2012, page 56) to stay competitive in the industry. And this is because the general environment is always moving, and these dimensions – Demographic, economic, political or legal, sociocultural, technological and global – always influences the industry and firms. These segments are uncontrollable and thus, in order to stay competitive, the BreadTalk Group gathers information required to understand each segments and plan a strategy that can be implemented to tackle environmental changes like demographics in China, global consumer preference, threat of new entrant, nd management across cultures. In recent years, firms are venturing into China’s market due to its huge population of least 6. 8 billion (Worldbank, 2012) , and is seen as a driver of growth for BreadTalk Group. In Boston Consulting Group’s Growth-Share Matrix (R. Gomez-Mejia,2012 page 235), BreadTalk Group is a â€Å"Star† that earnings is growingly stable and high, with cash flow that is not negative. And thus, is to invest and grow. By purchasing an existing presence in China, Food Republic, BreadTalk was able to reap benefits from low setup cost, as well as to observe the consumers’ behaviors in China. Up to date, BreadTalk has already spread into 32 cities of China, and outnumbers Singapore with 20 food courts, 3 Carl’s Jr fast food restaurants, 3 Ramen Play restaurants, and 184 Bakery outlets. The BreadTalk Group plans to grow aggressively in the market as â€Å"China currently accounts for about a third of BreadTalk’s revenue† (Themalaysian insider, 2010), and by establishing most of its presence in Beijing and Shanghai, BreadTalk has took advantage of the rising income which led to higher expenditure in consumers. Thus, the demographic environment of China, has boost BreadTalk Group’s revenue, as well as being a large market for it to expand, unlike in Singapore where brands are very saturated . The BreadTalk Group tackles global consumer tastes and preferences very well even though it changes as time goes by. It has a very strong branding and has a very standardized layout. For example, each BreadTalk is designed with the same clear glass concept, and â€Å"see through† kitchens which conveys their bakery as fresh and artistic while Food Republic holds a more nostalgic style of a Chinese village and Toast Box is designed with a more warm atmosphere of local Nanyang coffee shops in the 60s and 70s(http://www. breadtalk. com/ourbrand-tb. html, our brands 2012). Thus, by standardizing the layouts of the brands in BreadTalk Group, the Group has saved cost on the tedious process of customizing to local conditions as well as creating a strong brand through its unique layouts. Although the BreadTalk Group holds a very strong branding, the barriers to entry to food and beverage industry is very low. And thus, the threat of new entrants is very high as they can threaten the market share. Likewise in BreadTalk, existing competitors such as Bengawan Solo, Crystal Jade My Bread, Imperial Kitchen, as well as many neighborhood bakery stores that are located all over the countries, shows a threat to BreadTalk as they are sharing the same market of consumers. Being a big company, BreadTalk faces risk of new entrants as new comer can learn from existing companies and create a similar or even a better concept. With an extra competitor, unless the demand for BreadTalk bakery increases, the revenue will fall. Thus, it is very important for BreadTalk Group to keep innovating and moving to survive against many competitors. Lastly, the management across cultures is also an environmental factor that affects BreadTalk Group as it shapes the consumers’ preferences and tastes. For example, the highest selling bun in BreadTalk is the â€Å"Pork Floss Bun†( http://www. breadtalk. com/franchising. html,more bread business, 2012), however in Malaysia, the Muslim law does not allow Malays to consume pork, and thus, it is taken out of the choices. BreadTalk also follow themes and trends in countries, like creating the Obunma bun during Obama’s elections, and the â€Å"Peace Panda Buns† after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, to raise social awareness to donate and help the affected people in the earthquake. Through connecting to cultures of different country, the BreadTalk Group not only holds a social responsible frontier, it also caters to the taste and preferences of different cultures and thus, able to attract many consumers. Besides the above factors, economic and cultural environment affects the business in BreadTalk Group as well. BreadTalk Group is now facing the rising of labor cost and inflation in China, and these are unpredictable to how much it will affect the profits. With the cost of goods sold attributing to nearly 30% of sales(http://breadtalk. istedcompany. com/financials. html, financials 2012), an inflation will cause an increase in the cost of goods sold nearer to its gross margins. Likewise in China, the government has gradually increased wages and might continue to do so. And this will increase the expenses of BreadTalk Group, leading to a decrease in the profits. Although some companies could retrench, but BreadTalk Group needs the human capital and thus, could only adjust its raw materials cost by buying forward, and negotiating contracts in bulk and then purchase at the best price available. By doing so, the cost of sales would be reduced and the Group will be more efficient. The BreadTalk Group holds a low power distance, goals achieving culture, and uses a justice approach. For example, BreadTalk strives to have high and consistent standards of products to their customers. Employees will under-go hands on training on various outlets to make sure that they have a formal entrance to the organization and thus, would not face a cultural shock(R. Gomez-Mejia, 2012 page 66). BreadTalk also emphasizes on team-building by organizing team building trips and activities for its employees. By doing so, employees will interact and understand each other, as well as building bonds that enhances teamwork, boosting effectiveness of the team. In BreadTalk, employees are also encourages to think uniquely and are treated fairly, and thus, managers are required to develop a service culture and all these are to achieve an increase customer’s loyalty. Planning is essential for a company and this is one of the four management functions. Through planning, BreadTalk is able to make action plans on how to expand further into China, as well as allocating its resources to different regions. Through the experience of Food Republic in PRC, BreadTalk was able to capture consumer trends and thus, making use of the core competencies of knowing how to make bakery that attracts PRC nations. Planning is beneficial to BreadTalk as it can excess the external forces as mentioned above, as well as develop a sense of direction and purpose of â€Å"innovation† in both managers and employees. One method of planning is the â€Å"SWOT† analysis, which allows BreadTalk to see its strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats. However, planning has to be continuous and capable of adapting to change. And this can be seen in BreadTalk taking a major internal review of paving a future growth, by dividing into 3 divisions – Bakery, Food Atrium, and Restaurants, and inviting 3 new CEOs(http://www. breadtalk. com/message-shareholder. html, consolidating long term growth, 2012) to handle each division. With such willingness to change, the senior management would function more effectively. Forward planning can also be seen in the upcoming headquarters of BreadTalk Group in Paya Lebar Singapore, which will involve all its brands, logistics, training center, departments, and a common ground for staff all over the world to gather at. BreadTalk Group holds a geographical organization which allows the Group to focus on customer needs that may vary by geographic region of Asean region and China region. And then its further diversify into Bakery, Food Atrium and Restaurants. Through this method, the senior management bench will be deepened, and thus, it can strengthen the strategic focus of BreadTalk Group and allow it to execute plans more effectively. All brands under each segment will be managed in totality. This also provides the platform for each brand to be specially positioned based on its unique brand strategy and especially in view of expansion into the region. One of the strategy that BreadTalk Group holds is sharing the set up cost. This can be seen in NEX Serangoon Singapore, whereby a few brands are set up together in a high human traffic area. Thus, competitors can be minimized, as well as saving cost by renting locations in â€Å"bulk†.

7 Outdated Job Seeker Mistakes And How You Can Overcome Them

7 Outdated Job Seeker Mistakes And How You Can Overcome Them When you’re looking for jobs, you often get a lot of advice. Most of it is helpful and almost all of it is well-intended. But there are a few outdated things you don’t want to fall into doing if you want to stay current and be competitive in the job market. So if you hear any of the following, be sure to disregard the advice. 1. Using a Landline for Important ConversationsThis might have been good advice back when cell phones first came out, but nowadays most people don’t even have landlines, so telling them they have to use one is only going to stress them out. Cell phones are perfectly serviceable.2. Being Internet MIAYou’d be right to make sure your online presence is scrubbed up and rid of any inflammatory or inappropriate material, but you’d be wrong to be a ghost. If a company can’t Google you and find something, then you’re going to be overlooked. Make sure you come up in at least some searches with your name.3. Keeping an Old-R ules ResumeMost older people will give you a lot of advice about your resume: you have to keep it to one page, you should always include the line â€Å"References available upon request† at the end, that you should include an â€Å"Objective† paragraph at the top, and that you should make sure to use formal language. None of these things are true. You should also make sure never to cut corners and send the same cookie-cutter document for every job. Tailor each resume to each new application.4. Leaving Paper TrailsA lot of well-meaning older folks will also tell you it’s important to always and only submit a paper resume. And that you should invest in really good paper because the quality is important. Also that you should overnight your resume so it doesn’t get lost in the mail shuffle. None of these are true, either. An electronic copy of your resume isn’t just a good idea, sometimes it’s the only way to submit. Some hiring managers might e ven consider you a nuisance for burdening them with a paper copy when everyone else submit PDFs.5. Applying During Hiring SeasonYou should always apply when the hiring is at its peak! Right? Wrong. You might actually get lost in the shuffle when masses of other applicants are flooding through. Be a maverick and send in your application when no one else is sniffing around- school holidays, normal holidays, snow days, etc.6. Only Applying Where There Are Posted OpeningsYou might think just because a company has no advertised openings that it’s not worth sending in an application. Think again. If you really really want to work at a certain company, make your passion known. See if you have a contact in your network who can get your foot in the door, be that an employee or an internal recruiter.7. Applying Online OnlyYou might think it’s a brilliant idea and such a hassle-saver to only have to blast your applications out online, but you should make sure you’re not on ly searching on the massive job sites. Get your face out there and network. Don’t assume you know where your next opportunity will come from.

Should Canada legalize prostitution

Should Canada legalize prostitution Introduction Prostitution remains a debatable issue in Canada, with the country facing constitutional challenges as to the legal provisions, addressing the matter. While the law criminalizes prostitution, there are groups of people who have been fighting to have sex workers’ rights recognized by the country’s constitution. As a signatory to several international organizations, protecting marginalized groups, Canada is faced with the hurdle of considering the rights of this group of people.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Should Canada legalize prostitution? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Others believe that legalizing such activities would widely protect the rights of prostitutes since the society does not recognize them (EFC 4). On the other hand, opponents of this school of thought argue that all efforts have to be gathered to minimize the demand for prostitution. If these challenges are co nsidered, Canada would fully legalize prostitution by eliminating sections of the criminal code, which criminalize prostitution. How does one become a prostitute? Most analysts argue that people consider prostitution as a last resort, and it is therefore, considered to be unsafe and indecent. Arguments against prostitution have always been based on the insecure nature of services associated with prostitution, and that money, which is earned through this channel, is illegitimate. Additionally, sex workers are highly prone to different forms of violence, including physical and sexual, mental and the high risk of contracting deadly diseases like hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections and AIDS, among others (EFC 5). Moreover, prostitution is seen to be a dehumanizing behavior, which is compared to pornography. In other words, it mainly focuses on the sexual dimension of a person, thus creating a corrupt perception of people and their rightful position in the society. Is it morally r ight? Even though prostitution is considered to be a source of livelihood by those who support it, it demeans human character and self-worth. What is the position of Canada on prostitution? According to the Canadian constitution, all activities related to prostitution are illegal, even though prostitution is not criminalized. Under the country’s law, prostitution is addressed under three sections, 210 to 213. Subsections 212 (1) (j) and 213 (1) (c) have significantly received criticism from sections of the public, arguing that they go against the rights of sex workers in the country. The latter subsection criminalizes all activities, which are related to prostitution. On the other hand, subsection 213 (1) (c) of the constitution targets communication among prostitution, while purchasing sexual services (EFC 5).Advertising Looking for research paper on law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Subsection 213 (1) (c) of the constitution was introduced and enacted as law in 1985, and mainly illegalizes the use of public offers by prostitutes when looking for clients to purchase sexual services. The main purpose of this introduction was to penalize those purchasing and those offering the services. However, most cases handled attack prostitutes more than the clients who are served. When caught, prostitutes are charged and allowed to serve a jail term in accordance with the decision of the presiding court. For example, the percentage of men who were charged for publicizing their services translated to 47% between 1986 and 1995, even though the percentage of women who were charged harshly rose exponentially. 39% of women were charged and imprisoned for the offence, with only 3% of men were charged for similar communicating offences (EFC 6). Importantly, this approach ushered a two-tiered system, which mainly focused on-street prostitution, with that practiced in massage parlors, and clubs received m inimal coverage of the law. Legalization of prostitution refers to a change in the regime, which would remove all sanctions leveled against prostitution and its related activities. This would also see the Canadian government indulge in the regulation of commercial sex. The implication of such developments would mean that the government would become the main regulator of the industry, just the way it regulates other sectors of the economy like tourism and hospitality. It would further mean that the state draws laws to cover the industry and craft certain frameworks, regarding its operations and management (EFC 6). For instance, some of the government laws would include mandatory examination of sex workers, issuance of operating licenses and designation of certain areas, for the selling and purchasing of sexual services. Even though the laws are not created by sex workers, law makers usually make these provisions to protect the rights of sex workers; they are therefore, designed for p rostitutes. What are the benefits of legalizing prostitution in Canada? Proponents of prostitution in Canada assert that the step would be essential in reducing levels of discrimination in the society. In general, sex workers are viewed as social misfits, and are therefore, not allowed to interact with others freely. Based on their deviation from what the society perceives to be right, they are less appreciated and treated in a manner that lowers their dignity to almost nothing (EFC 6). As a result, the lives of many are dominated with loneliness and low self-esteem. Importantly, sex industry is perceived to be a major source of revenue in improving the country’s economy. For instance, the government would collect taxes from all operating prostitutes, which would later be used to expand other sectors of the economy. Besides taxes from all sex workers, it is argued that legalization of prostitution in Canada would require registration and licensing, which would equally become a source of revenue for the government. Through this regulation, some of the people in the industry would get discouraged, thus quitting the business (EFC 7). Another benefit of legalizing prostitution is for ensuring the security of all sex workers. As mentioned before, sex workers are usually exposed to high levels of risks. Oftentimes, they are faced with all forms of violence, including sexual and physical violence. Physical violence includes cases where prostitutes are attacked on the streets and beaten for their activities, which are considered to be immoral and unacceptable in the society.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Should Canada legalize prostitution? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Additionally, some are attacked and assaulted sexually by gangs, thus putting their safety at risk (EFC 4). Legalization of the industry would therefore, guarantee protection of all sex workers from any form of dis crimination. With regard to their health, legalization would ensure that they have access to safe ways of operating the business without contracting killer diseases like AIDS. Conversely, it has been argued that there are enough reasons to criminalize prostitution. For instance, it is immoral and inhuman. Based on ethical teachings, any form of sexual immorality is wrong and has to be condemned in the strongest terms possible. It lowers ones dignity as it goes against what is perceived as normal in the country. Additionally, prostitution has been blamed for contributing towards new cases of AIDS infection (EFC 7). Most prostitutes are sexually exposed to the risk of contracting related infections. From the above analysis, it is evident that the issue of prostitution in Canada remains contentious and has to be handled with sobriety before a final decision is taken. EFC. â€Å"Selling Ourselves: Prostitution in Canada Where are we Headed?† The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, 2010. Web.

Emperor Justin II - A Concise Biography

Emperor Justin II - A Concise Biography Justin was the nephew of the Emperor Justinian: the son of Justinians sister Vigilantia. As a member of the imperial family, he received a thorough education and enjoyed considerable benefits not available to lesser citizens of the Eastern Roman Empire. His powerful position may be why he was possessed of extreme self-confidence that could be, and often was, viewed as arrogance. Justins Rise to the Throne Justinian had no children of his own, and so it was expected that one of the sons and grandsons of the emperors siblings would inherit the crown. Justin, like several of his cousins, had a bevy of supporters both within and without the palace milieu. By the time Justinian neared the end of his life only one other contender had any real chance of succeeding the emperor: the son of Justins cousin Germanus, also named Justin. This other Justin, a man of considerable military ability, is considered by some historians to have been a better candidate for the position of ruler. Unfortunately for him, the emperors nostalgic remembrance of his late wife Theodora may have harmed his chances. The emperor is well known to have relied heavily on his wifes guidance, and Theodoras influence can be clearly seen in some of the laws Justinian passed. It is possible that her personal dislike of Germanus prevented her husband from forming any serious attachment to Germanus children, Justin included. Furthermore, the future emperor Justin II was married to Theodoras niece Sophia. Therefore, it is likely Justinian had warmer feelings for the man who would succeed him. And, indeed, the emperor named his nephew Justin to the office of cura palatii. This office had usually been held by an individual with the rank of spectabilis, who saw to the general daily business matters at the palace, but after Justin was nominated, the title was usually bestowed upon members of the imperial family or, occasionally, foreign princes. Furthermore, when Justinian died, the other Justin was guarding the Danube frontier in his role as Master of the Soldiers in Illyricum. The future emperor was in Constantinople, ready to take advantage of any opportunity.   That opportunity came with Justinians unexpected death. Justin IIs Coronation Justinian may have been aware of his mortality, but he made no provision for a successor. He died suddenly on the night of November 14/15, 565, having never officially named who was to take up his crown. This did not stop Justins supporters from maneuvering him onto the throne. Though Justinian probably died in his sleep, the chamberlain Callinicus claimed that the emperor had designated the son of Vigilantia as his heir with his dying breath.   In the early morning hours of November 15, the chamberlain and a group of senators who had been wakened from their slumber rushed to Justins palace, where they were met by Justin and his mother. Callinicus related the emperors dying wish and, though he made a show of reluctance, Justin quickly assented to the request of the senators to take up the crown. Escorted by the senators, Justin and Sophia made their way to the Great Palace, where the Excubitors blocked the doors and the patriarch crowned Justin. Before the rest of the city even knew Justinian was dead, they had a new emperor. In the morning, Justin appeared in the imperial box at the Hippodrome, where he addressed the people. The next day he crowned his wife Augusta. And, in a matter of weeks, the other Justin was assassinated. Though most people of the day blamed Sophia, there seems no doubt that the new emperor himself was behind the murder. Justin then set about working to gain the support of the populace. Justin IIs Domestic Policies Justinian had left the empire in financial difficulty. Justin paid his predecessors debts, remitted overdue taxes, and cut back on expenditures. He also restored the consulship that had lapsed in 541. All this helped the local economy, which garnered Justin high marks from the nobility and general populace alike.   But things were not all rosy in Constantinople. In the second year of Justins reign a conspiracy took place, possibly motivated by the political murder of the other Justin. The senators Aetherios and Addaios evidently plotted to poison the new emperor. Aetherios confessed, naming Addaeus as his accomplice, and both were executed. Things ran considerably smoother after that. Justin IIs Approach to Religion The Acacian Schism that had split the Church in the late fifth and early sixth centuries had not ended with an abolishment of the heretical philosophy that triggered the split. Monophysite churches had grown and become entrenched in the Eastern Roman Empire. Theodora had been a firm Monophysite, and as Justinian aged he had grown more and more inclined toward the heretical philosophy.   Initially, Justin showed a fairly liberal religious tolerance. He had Monophysite churchmen released from prison and allowed exiled bishops to come home. Justin apparently wanted to unite the disparate monophysite factions and, ultimately, reunite the heretical sect with the orthodox viewpoint (as expressed at the Council of Chalcedon). Unfortunately, every attempt he made to facilitate concord was met with refusal from intransigent Monophysite extremists. Eventually his tolerance turned to stubbornness of his own, and he instituted a policy of persecution that lasted as long as he was in control of the empire.   Justin IIs Foreign Relations Justinian had pursued a variety of methods to build, maintain and preserve Byzantine lands, and had managed to acquire territory in Italy and southern Europe that had been part of the old Roman Empire. Justin was determined to destroy the enemies of the empire and was unwilling to compromise. Not long after he achieved the throne he received emissaries from the Avars and refused them the subsidies his uncle had granted them. He then formed an alliance with the Western Turks of Central Asia, with whom he fought against the Avars and possibly the Persians, as well. Justins war with the Avars did not go well, and he was forced to grant them even greater tribute than they had initially been promised. The treaty Justin signed with them angered his Turkish allies, who turned on him and attacked Byzantine territory in the Crimea. Justin also invaded Persia as part of an alliance with Persian-controlled Armenia, but this too did not go well; the Persians not only beat back the Byzantine forces, they invaded Byzantine territory and captured several important cities. In November of 573, the city of Dara fell to the Persians, and at this point Justin went insane. The Madness of Emperor Justin II Beset by temporary fits of insanity, during which Justin evidently attempted to bite anyone who came near, the emperor could not help but be aware of his military failures. He evidently ordered organ music to be played constantly to soothe his fragile nerves. During one of his more lucid moments, his wife Sophia convinced him that he needed a colleague to take over his duties.   It was Sophia who chose Tiberius, a military leader whose reputation outshone the disasters of his times. Justin adopted him as his son and appointed him Caesar. The last four years of Justins life were spent in seclusion and relative tranquility, and upon his death he was succeeded as emperor by Tiberius. The text of this document is copyright  ©2013-2015 Melissa Snell. You may download or print this document for personal or school use, as long as the URL below is included. Permission is   not  granted to reproduce this document on another website. For publication permission,  please   contact  Melissa Snell.The URL for this document is:http://historymedren.about.com/od/jwho/fl/Emperor-Justin-II.htm

Discussion questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion questions - Essay Example I believe sources are reliable when the author is qualified to write it. Either he is educated in that field or has relevant experience. For example, Dr. Howard Gardner is qualified to write a book on Psychology because he is a psychologist by training and education. He also contributed big time to the field of Psychology. Consider also that the late Dr. Maxwell Maltz was a plastic surgeon, but he wrote books on the psychology of a person’s self-image since it is as aspect touched in his work. Whenever he performs plastic surgery, either his client’s self-image improves or remains the same. Sources can be deemed credible if the information contained there make sense. Perhaps, the proper use of jargon and technical words indicates thorough knowledge of the subject. It is necessary for an expert to be precise so that terms are well stipulated and avoid misunderstanding. So, the researcher should be wary of the level of language used in a particular source. That would be indicative whether one is reliable or not. In general, blogs are unreliable sources. Any person can write anything in a blog without necessarily having the qualification to state his or her opinion about a topic in an entry. Exceptions to this rule of thumb would be experts who want to publish an opinion immediately with going to the process of peer review or editorial review. For this particular blog, this is fairly acceptable and reliable. The author has relevant experience in politics as a journalist. Although, I will try to find his opinion elsewhere in more reliable sources such as books or journal articles before using this. In a similar argument with blogs, Wiki sites should not be used as sources. Wiki sites, however, can be useful in the start of the research by priming the researcher into the basics of an issue. If there are sources footnoted, the researcher could look into them and cite those instead. They are probably more reliable than

Risk Assessment in Leroy Merlin hypermarket in Swidnica Essay

Risk Assessment in Leroy Merlin hypermarket in Swidnica - Essay Example The paper tells that the goal of safety management in organizations and the development of Safety Management Systems (SMSs) is the achievement of peak safety performance. This means no operational incidents, no personal injuries, and no harm to the environment. This therefore enhances the safety of the employees in any organization. This study location; Leroy Merlin hypermarket in Swidnica is still some way from achieving this goal. Tools such as the SMSs undoubtedly help compliance with rules but they do not necessarily improve safety environment. There is an ordinary recognition in this company that encouraging safe working performance does not require more rules, regulations, and procedures. Instead, the company needs a better comprehension of the social and organizational aspects that foster professionalism and emergency situations. Original attempts to improve workplace safety and or reduce risks, focused on the mechanical and engineering aspects of the company’s systems. The focus widened as the role of human error became more evident. Human mistakes were blamed for the safety culture in workplace areas. The absence of a safety culture in any organization is the significant contributor to the disaster, and potential hazards. Thus, safety culture can be defined as â€Å"That assembly of facets and attitudes in companies and individuals which establishes that, as an overriding priority, safety issues receive the attention warranted by their significance†.

Personal Management Framework Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal Management Framework Paper - Assignment Example o use their physical attributes to do their work and knowledge workers are referred to the group of workers who complete their task using their intelligence rather than their body, e.g. technologists or software developers. This concept was previously introduced by Karl Marx and after that many authors, publishers and theorists tried to conclude to the concept, but their drawback was that none of them had practical experience about the scenario. Shortly, a name was introduced in the concept having both theoretical and practical knowledge of the working environment. Fredrick Winslow Taylor was the first person to relate the pre-assumed concept of productivity of workers with the reality which in turn helped the concept to focus on increasing the productivity of workers and develop the economy (Drucker, 1999, p. 79). The concept since then, passing through different phases came to be known as Taylor’s Scientific Management Theory. As well as many other researchers and theorists namely, Gilbreth, Maslow and others made their own conclusions and theories. All these approaches are from then practiced in the practical work field with an aim to enhance the productivity of workers. This paper shall aim at relating the assumptions, values, beliefs and modern day practices with the different related theories and try to conclude a relative measure for the betterment of the productivity of both knowledge and manual workers. With due course of time the organizational structure today; have become more challenging, huge and complex. This change has resulted to the inappropriate evaluation of the worker productivity in many cases. To analyze and improve worker productivity no particular theory can prove itself perfect in today’s situation. Notably, most of the management theories were introduced during the period of Industrial Revolution when the environment was not at all stable as well as the theme of management was getting expanded to the sphere of science rather than

UK Retail Market and Financial Comparison of GAP and NEXT Case Study

UK Retail Market and Financial Comparison of GAP and NEXT - Case Study Example This paper illustrates that the top five clothing retailers, M&S, Next, Arcadia Group, Matalan, and BHS, claimed 44% of sector sales in 2004 making the UK one of the most concentrated clothing sectors in Europe. In spite of this, value-led retailers, such as TK Maxx, ASDA (George range) and Tesco outperformed the rest of the market, continuing to be the fastest growing channel and generating  £2 billion in clothing sales. Next retail also continued to grow, overtaking the Arcadia Group and moving into second place behind M&S. The value clothing market has become increasingly competitive. Not only have many of the retailers in this sector really got their act together in terms of upgrading store environments and enhancing their product offers - becoming, in effect, the new lower middle market, but the middle market has been fighting back. The last 18 months have seen a strong recovery at M&S, and BHS - that describes itself as premium value- is also a much stronger player. Therefore , there is more and better choice for consumers. However, while 2001 and 2002 were buoyant years for retail and for clothing, 2003 is seeing a significant slowdown. It is much quantifiably harder to persuade consumers to spend. A key factor is that value clothing retailers now know that they cannot succeed with low prices alone. Consumers expect a pleasant environment and mainstream-quality merchandise even if they are paying very little. So they have had to make very significant investments in their store estates - at a time when many are expanding rapidly too. Also, this space and product expansion has been very challenging. Many have found that their infrastructure, systems, IT and logistics have just not been up to it and this has affected their sales performance. In 2004, the competitive environment in the UK retail market has experienced a dramatic re-shape. This re-shape has been led by the acquisition of the Safeway supermarket chain by Morrisons, which has created the count ry's fourth-biggest retailer and has given Morrisons the chance to pose a real threat to Sainsbury's, in the fight for third place behind the UK's biggest retailers, Tesco and Asda. According to new research analyzing the Retailing industry in the UK by Euromonitor International, the move towards greater consolidation continue to impact the UK retail industry over the next five years. Euromonitor suggests that future mergers and acquisitions in UK food retailing are likely both to be on a smaller scale and to involve the take-over of convenience retailers by hypermarket chains wishing to strengthen their presence in the UK's high streets. According to Raphael Moreau, Retailing Analyst "Diversifying into convenience stores is on the agenda for the UK's top hypermarket chains because this retail format offers good growth prospects. Convenience stores have increased their share of the UK food retailing market from 20% to 21.9% between 1999 and 2003. Clearly, these stores are appealing to UK consumers, thanks to their convenient locations and extended opening hours. Hypermarket retailers want to make sure they don't miss out on this growing area of the UK market." High Street convenience stores are also particularly attractive to hypermarket retailers, due to strict planning rules restricting the opening of new out-of-town hypermarkets. Euromonitor International believes that this trend is likely to intensify in the next five years.

Critical discussion of verbal and non-verbal communication Essay

Critical discussion of verbal and non-verbal communication - Essay Example Poor communication constantly occurs in hospitals and is believed to be responsible for a majority of hospitals treatment errors that cause death to many patients (Harrison and Hart, 2006). These communication breakdowns are likely to occur at specific points especially when breaking news to patients regarding their health, when doctors are being informed by nurses about patients’ health, when there is a medical emergency that requires quick treatment and during diagnosis and prescription of treatment. Various reasons have been found to lead to these lapses of communication that leads to wrong diagnosis and treatment as well as patients not being informed of their condition properly (Shives, 2008). Poor communication in hospitals has occurred frequently due to a lack of proper hospital policy in place to ensure that there is a basic protocol followed in the general treatment, resulting to nurses using different methods of treating. These errors could occur during discharge pro cedures as well as the report methods used during admission of emergency cases (Minott, 2008), as both nurses and doctors use different standards of measurement in report filling, making prescriptions and document handling, errors of interpretation are likely to occur. ... Hence, a mental model framework is imperative for the comprehension of verbal and non-verbal cues as well as for staff to share meaning and be able to develop common knowledge (Davidson and Blackman, n.d.). Lack of rules for face-to-face or any other verbal communication such as via telephone could also result in communication barriers forming during treatment especially while changing shifts. Different patients will respond differently to the rapport used by medical staff and although it is difficult to find a universal tone of conversation to use in conversation, it must be noted that it can result in patience feeling uncomfortable communicating as well as shutting down due to a feeling of disrespect or prying by the doctor. The use of vague language and unclear syntactic and pragmatics will also result in the misdiagnosis of patients and the inability of fellow staff members comprehending the sincerity of the patients’ illness (Byrne and Byrne 1992; Morrissey and Callaghan, 2011). A differing opinion on what is necessary and what is not is a serious impediment to effective communication between both patient-staff and staff-staff briefing. This is because different opinions have often led to scenarios where vital patient information about welfare is left out as either the patient or the nurses available feel that it is not necessary to explain some details especially if the affected area is very private or if it appears that they are healing and do not want to seem petty. This is more common during oral communication and emergency treatments than when viewing their chart files as different people will have various thoughts on what is important and what is not and information can be forgotten or left out. Infrequent communication by

The Impact of Social Networking on Academic Performance Essay

The Impact of Social Networking on Academic Performance - Essay Example Conducting a survey of the various literature indicates that social networking positively impacts on students’ academic performance. In a study to ascertain this postulate, Helou, Abrahim, and Oye (8) observe that students use SNSs to communicate with their faculties and other authorities in the institution so as to get directions on relevant academic issues. The researchers also observed that the students use the same platform to communicate to their lecturers and supervisors who guide them on various academic issues. In fact, this improves on their relationship which fosters academic achievement. Furthermore, chatting with fellow students on topics of educational interest positively impacts on their academic performance. Taking a view from students but considering the impact on students, Jabr (94) observes that a majority of institutions have adopted collaborative teams together with scientific structures so as to offer courses through SNSs. Indeed, it has been observed that such web-based learning provides more personal and autonomous learning which are key components for successful learning. Therefore, SNSs present an effective platform for e-learning which promotes learners’ autonomy. Additional benefits that students stand to acquire for active engagement in social networking as noted by Mehmood and Taswir (113) includes improved reading skills due to constant reading associated with SNSs. The third way in which social networking positively impacts on academic performance.... These age brackets indicate students as majority SNSs’ users. Arguments Against Conducting a survey on various literatures indicates that social networking positively impacts on students’ academic performance. In a study to ascertain this postulate, Helou, Abrahim and Oye (8) observe that students use SNSs to communicate with their faculties and other authorities in the institution so as to get directions on relevant academic issues. The researchers also observed that the students use the same platform to communicate to their lecturers and supervisors who guide them on various academic issues. In fact, this improves on their relationship which fosters academic achievement. Furthermore, chatting with fellow students on topics of educational interest positively impacts on their academic performance. Taking a view from students but considering the impact on students, Jabr (94) observes that a majority of institutions have adopted collaborative teams together with scientifi c structures so as to offer courses through SNSs. Indeed, it has been observed that such web-based learning provides more personal and autonomous learning which are key components for successful learning. Therefore, SNSs present an effective platform for e-learning which promotes learners’ autonomy. Additional benefits that students stand to acquire for active engagement in social networking as noted by Mehmood and Taswir (113) includes improved reading skills due to constant reading associated with SNSs. The third way in which social networking positively impacts on academic performance as cited by Mehmood and Taswir (113) is in providing teachers and lecturers with a platform to acquire teaching material and additionally

Critical discussion of verbal and non-verbal communication Essay

Critical discussion of verbal and non-verbal communication - Essay Example Poor communication constantly occurs in hospitals and is believed to be responsible for a majority of hospitals treatment errors that cause death to many patients (Harrison and Hart, 2006). These communication breakdowns are likely to occur at specific points especially when breaking news to patients regarding their health, when doctors are being informed by nurses about patients’ health, when there is a medical emergency that requires quick treatment and during diagnosis and prescription of treatment. Various reasons have been found to lead to these lapses of communication that leads to wrong diagnosis and treatment as well as patients not being informed of their condition properly (Shives, 2008). Poor communication in hospitals has occurred frequently due to a lack of proper hospital policy in place to ensure that there is a basic protocol followed in the general treatment, resulting to nurses using different methods of treating. These errors could occur during discharge pro cedures as well as the report methods used during admission of emergency cases (Minott, 2008), as both nurses and doctors use different standards of measurement in report filling, making prescriptions and document handling, errors of interpretation are likely to occur. ... Hence, a mental model framework is imperative for the comprehension of verbal and non-verbal cues as well as for staff to share meaning and be able to develop common knowledge (Davidson and Blackman, n.d.). Lack of rules for face-to-face or any other verbal communication such as via telephone could also result in communication barriers forming during treatment especially while changing shifts. Different patients will respond differently to the rapport used by medical staff and although it is difficult to find a universal tone of conversation to use in conversation, it must be noted that it can result in patience feeling uncomfortable communicating as well as shutting down due to a feeling of disrespect or prying by the doctor. The use of vague language and unclear syntactic and pragmatics will also result in the misdiagnosis of patients and the inability of fellow staff members comprehending the sincerity of the patients’ illness (Byrne and Byrne 1992; Morrissey and Callaghan, 2011). A differing opinion on what is necessary and what is not is a serious impediment to effective communication between both patient-staff and staff-staff briefing. This is because different opinions have often led to scenarios where vital patient information about welfare is left out as either the patient or the nurses available feel that it is not necessary to explain some details especially if the affected area is very private or if it appears that they are healing and do not want to seem petty. This is more common during oral communication and emergency treatments than when viewing their chart files as different people will have various thoughts on what is important and what is not and information can be forgotten or left out. Infrequent communication by

Middle East Fashion - Syria and Jordan Research Paper

Middle East Fashion - Syria and Jordan - Research Paper Example The essay "Middle East Fashion - Syria and Jordan" explores the fashion of Syria and Jordan. Archeological data show that the ancient Jordanians practiced tradition such living in circular house, domesticating animals, used sophisticated methods for agriculture, made pottery and worshipped ancestors. The data also show that Jordanians practiced copper smelting as evidenced by the large copper mines in Khirbet Feinan. Jordanians speak Arabic as the native language though English is the favorable means of communication among the schooled population. During ceremonial occasions, Jordanians serve tea, Arabic coffee or fruit juice, usually accompanied by sweets. The main dish of the community is Mansaf that consists of lamb meet prepared using dried yogurt, and serve alongside seasoned rice place on flat bread. Mansaf is common meal during ceremonies such as holidays, weddings, engagement, and visits by friends and family. Islam is the dominant and national religion in Jordan, meaning tha t most of the customs are Islamic in nature. Women in Jordan wear conservative clothes that limit at long dresses and hijab for covering the head and face. The traditions do allow the Jordanian women to dress in tight clothes, shorts, sleeveless blouses and short skirts. Jordan allows different types of clothing for women depending on their backgrounds. Very religious women dress in jilbab or libis shari, which are floor-length. The women also cover their heads with scarf. Another type of clothing is national costume.

AirAsia Business Case Study: Strategy and Environment

AirAsia Business Case Study: Strategy and Environment AirAsia is one of the leading airlines corporation of Malaysia that performed exceedingly well in terms of its past investments and the profits that it made out of it after its relaunch. It was acquitted by a private entrepreneur Tony Fernandes when it was highly under debt. The sudden changes in the profit graph came to the surface soon when it announced its first profit right in seven months of its re-launch. The innovations in strategy and investments brought immense amount of profit to the company in the following years. It invested amounts on new and effective services and cut shorted various not essentially required expenditure to reduce the overall cost. With the implementation of its successful LCC model, the whole business model of AirAsia was changed and it became first Airline Corporation to have no-cost, no-frill concept to lower the prices by 40-60% than its rivals. The results were quite beneficial as it announced its first profit as US$6 million in December, 2002. The corporation kept on expanding its business with the opening of three other hubs within Malaysia to have more share of market size on domestic air flights in Malaysia. It also invested in to have regional flights to its neighboring countries like Thailand and Indonesia with its collaboration with Thailand Shin Corporation and Awair. This made AirAsia to have cheaper airlines to the neighboring countries. AirAsia soon emerged as the largest domestic airlines in Malaysia with the expectancies of over 18 million passengers in the year 2007. With its partnerships with various LCCs, the corporation performed well enough for its long-haul regional services. Its joint ventures with the LCCs like Australias virgin blue, the corporation got a big share in the expanding market of Australia. Its market kept on expanding over the years with the commencement of its flights to even the far cities like London and also for close countries like India and China with the net income reaching over US$ 44 millions in the year 2008. B] STRATEGIC POSTURE The mission of the corporation is to provide high-quality but low cost flying services to all type of passengers. The corporation being a part of airline industry, it missions to become the leader of the market by implementing its smart strategies and sharp business skills. As quoted by its owner Fernandes, he overtook the corporation during its declining stage as he advocated the correctness of time to enter the market because of charter aircraft price and abundance of skilled aircraft staff. The company has been consistent in following its goals and objectives throughout in its performance in the past decade. The corporate objectives were innovative and highly efficient with its symbolic acquisition of its own by Tony Fernandes, joint venture with Thailand Shin Corporation, Awair, Singapores Tiger Airways, etc to provide a broad destination options for its customers at the right times when it was needed. The business model was reconstructed with no-frills, low cost carriers (LCC) w hich brought immense amount of profits to them. The business objectives were to get not only the quality customers but the quantity customers with its seats available in different schemes and at different prices for all type of class of customers. They were constantly consistent with each other to provide exactly what the customers wants and what actually can be managed. The functionality objectives were always to cut down the economic fair of air travel by either performing to get reduced charge from the passengers or providing effective routes for them reducing their net expenditure on travel. It also added various value-added services like online booking, SMS booking, and bookings through call centers, etc. AirAsia soon became the integrated service provider from being a classic LCC product in its functionality to provide maximum attraction to its customers. The objectives were also consistent with the environment of the corporation. Even during the hikes in the prices of oil in mid-2008, the corporation didnt let the fairs go that high which was quite helpful for the corporation in beating off its competitors. The AirAsia opted for various cost-effective, customer-oriented and highly innovative strategies to shape its business model to reach its ultimate missions and objectives. With its innovative low-fare, no-frills concept it highly reduced the cost of air ticket such as by having just a single standard cabin, paid meals instead of pre-paid free meals, etc. The corporation found efficient ways of reducing the expenditure on travel by the customers while expanding its domestic and international business. Like for example, the short-haul flights took less than four hours for travel which provided it opportunity of having the return of the flights on the same day conserving many of the expenses of the corporation. The company also launched its long-hauled air services at the time when many of the LCCs were reluctant for that. All the strategies or mix of strategies were consistently aiming at gradually achieving the goals and the objectives of the corporation and dynamic with the changing internal and external environment. The corporation adopted bold and dynamic policies to achieve its objectives. The corporation first concentrated only on the domestic market and modified its business model to LCC. Then, gradually and steadily corporation expanded itself to first neighboring countries and then internationally across the continents. The missions, objectives, policies and the strategies clearly reflect the companys goals to achieve success not only at domestic level but also the international level (KO, 2009). EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT: A] NATURAL PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT: SUSTAINABLE ISSUES Opportunities: The physical environment around the corporations site of business is climatically categorized as equatorial, being hot and humid throughout the year. The climate is favorably well enough to support the flight take-off, landing and flying. The physical location of Malaysia also favors the growth of the organization as it is well connected to the seas and oceans and so for its long-haul regional services, the corporation does not require to manage the permissions to cross the airbase of other countries. In this way the surrounding physical environment of Malaysia provides fair opportunities for AirAsia. Threats: Coming to the threats involved with the natural environment, the well connection of the country to other continents through seas and oceans provides enough opportunities for the journey through ships and Cruzes too which somewhere indirectly can effects the market of AirAsia. The Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia is also a prone area for tsunamis and earthquakes that could affect any industry. The hot and humid climate also affects the working capabilities of the crew. These types of physical environments are also present in few other parts of the world and the same opportunities and threats exist there too. B] SOCIETAL ENVIRONMENT: Economy: The economy of Malaysia is a newly industrialized and state-oriented economy that plays a significant role in the success of AirAsia. The speedily growing economy of the country allows more and more customers to be able afford the airlines travel cost that makes a lot in the growth of a privately owned airlines especially it was relaunched soon after the nation came out of the financial crisis of Asia in 1997. Technological: The technological advancements in the fields of Information technology and Communication have led the value-added services of the corporation to work effectively. Political-legal: The political condition of Malaysia had also been in favor of the corporation as its acquisition was highly welcomed by the Malaysian government and there had been no conflict between the corporation and the governance of the nation till now. Socio-cultural: The hospitality of the people with their own diversity in food, cloth, etc and scenic beauty has always made Malaysia as a tourist spot for the tourists all over the world that has again proved a benefiting factor for the corporation. C] TASK ENVIRONMENT The forces like natural environment, external investments, location of hubs, rivalry with competitors, financial crisis, government policies, etc are the major forces that drive the industrial competitions. These forces vary from country to country as the economy; political, cultural conditions are not the same for every country. The following forces are listed with their ratings: Threats for new entrants- Medium Bargaining power of buyers- Low Threats of substitute products or services- High Bargaining power of supplier- Low Rivalry among the competing firms- High Relative power of unions, governments and special interest groups, etc.- High The key factors in the immediate environment affect a lot to the corporation. The government policies decide the taxes, establishment of hubs, permissions of number flights, etc. The loyalty of the labor unions ensures the smooth functioning of any corporation. The suppliers, providers, creditors always affect the quality of the services provided to the customers. INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT A] CORPORATE STRUCTURE Following is the way as the corporate structure of Air Asia at present (Organizational Structure, 2009): The structure is as we can see in a horizontal manner which means hierarchy is horizontal in the company. This is obviously something good for the company as interaction with lower level employees becomes easier for the above level of the employee or vice versa. Structure is comparable with most of airline firms as they also have the same horizontal hierarchy. B] CORPORATE CULTURE Corporate culture of the company is mainly base upon maximizing the value of shareholders. It also mainly believes in giving safety to the customers. It believes in giving maximum satisfaction to the customers with leaders in the cost structure It believes in transparency and development of human capital. Company is very much compatible with the employees and their diversities as it is providing employee satisfaction to all of its employees The company is similar in the cultural values like similar organizations as most of the organizations in the aviation sector have the similar cultural values (Strategy, 2006). C] CORPORATE RESOURCES- 1. MARKETING: The current marketing objectives of the corporation are to get maximum number of customers of all types by making such schemes in which everyone can be accommodated. Its tagline Now Everyone can fly says the basic fundamental concept behind its marketing objectives. The corporation effectively found the ways of getting the most effective routes to suit both its cost and customers satisfaction. The corporation has kept on adding and modifying its features and value added services to provide maximum offerings to increase its sales. The company has also strongly stuck itself to LCC principles. The corporation has also recently announced the commencements of its flights to even far-off places like London. The corporation has not only offered cheap tickets but also the services like travel insurance, etc. The free tickets on the basis of its point to the customer are another such offering. All these have also been dynamic and corresponding with its performance and availability of budgets. The company has very well performed on the basis of its current market position and the position from which it had started during its relaunch. The company has enough promotion and publicity in media through its publicity strategies. The fares of ticket have always been kept as low as possible despite of all sorts of problems coming up like price hikes of oil, etc. The company is even the sponsor of the famous Manchester United Football Club and ATT Williams Formula one team to have its world-wide promotion. The market size of the company is expanding with the launch of its several multinational collaboration and establishment of the joint ventures in Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, etc. Besides, its primary product of airline tickets its several other products include internet check-in services, Xpress boarding services, mileage programs, Citibank-Air Asia Credit Card, etc. The company is able to earn for the same product easily from the developed region in comparison to that in dev eloping region. This shows a trend that the basically the marketing strategy of a company should cover every section of the society in order to have maximum profit. This trend had been a fair impact on the success rate of a company and surely will be in the future too. The marketing of its products gives the company massive advantage over its competitors. The marketing strategies of the corporation have beaten all its major competitors both in terms of profits and customers satisfaction. The marketing managers have accepted these tools and techniques to evaluate the performance of a product. Marketing is highly dependent upon the political and socio-economic conditions prevailing in a country and hence same marketing strategy cannot be applied for adjustments in all the countries. The marketing takes an overall account in every dimension and hence the environmental sustainability has to be a guiding factor in marketing policies. 2. FINANCE: Corporations current financial objectives, strategies, policies and programs have been with high hopes of return. The corporation had to invest much on the purchase of flights, managing the crew of a debt-ridden firm and maximize its scale in a very less time. The finance has been clearly mentioned but under the limitations of its past performance. They have been exactly consistent with the objectives, policies and strategies of the corporation. The corporations finance in the activities of setting up of hubs within and outside Malaysia with the collaboration of other corporations helped them to gain several direct or indirect benefits. Its financial services like holiday products and all, charge for meal as customer desires, online and SMS bookings, medical care, etc did enough cash flow but in return it got enormous level of attachment with the customer who would always like to stick to AirAsia for its services. The smart finance policies of finance showed a trend of financing the long-term goals and objectives without compromising with the immediate ones can be an effective way to earn maximum economic profits. The past effects are already shown by the AirAsia and in future it is expected no less. This analysis strongly supports corporations past and pending strategic decisions. The financial success in terms of returns provides company with a competitive advantage. The financial performance of the corporation can be very well compared to others with the fact that out of many corporations based on LCC, it became number one in 2008. The profits were always high and when the MAS tried to have a price war it had to suffer huge losses. The finance is quite adjustable to the condition operating in various countries. The coping up of finance with global finance issue was also very well proved by the corporation during the period of global recession. Also, the finance managers play a very important role in strategic management as they are the ones who evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of the strategies made and implemented. 3. OPERATIONS AND LOGISTICS The current service objectives, strategies, policies and programs of the corporation are not much different from those meant for the organization as a whole. They are meant for sale but with ensuring of its reputation and sustainability in the market. The services provided by the AirAsia are accurately meant for achieving its mission and objectives. They are clearly stated and structured with the requirement in the market. Also, they have always been revolutionary and innovative in their respective approaches. The cost effective and high quality services have the capabilities of not only bringing the ultimate customer satisfaction but also the favorably high returns of profits. Although the company has now started to focus internationally but still it has not been deviated from its initial aim of becoming the market leader of the domestic market. The purchasing is being handled on the very basis of its requirement. The other points to be highlighted are vulnerable to unexpected natural disasters, local or international strikes, hikes in prices of the materials and the other issues. 4. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT The corporation has also effectively managed its human resource to benefit all. Even during its relaunch it didnt cut short the employees. It even saw the opportunities in hiring the skilled professionals, workers and other employees. Their objectives and strategies were again consistent with the corporations missions and objectives achieving the satisfaction for all even its own employees. There was not even a single considerable instance on clashes between employees and the top managing employers. The policies straight away indicate that they are simple, well stated, less dependent on the performance of the corporation and satisfactory for all of its employees. There have been less grievances, strikes and lay-offs which have been a great cause of success that has been achieved by the corporation till now. The commitment and loyalty of the employees as outcomes of proper HRM can be proved by the instance when Fernandes appreciated the staffs positive work ethic to overcome the finan cial issue of mid-2008. 5. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The role of Information Technology was another important factor involved with the successful AirAsia. The current objectives and strategies of the corporation regarding IT is to advertise its features and services, add the services and products to the catalog and solve various issues regarding the customer care with direct interaction with them. They are clearly defined with no dependence on budget or performance. They have been implemented for the better accomplishment of corporations goals and objectives. Many of the value added services are handled by IT by providing the travelers with the interface for online booking, internet check-in service, cancellations, etc. The Real 5 star rating was another example of this kind. The IT played a very important role in assisting the managers in taking the decisions and decides the immediate strategy. The database of the customer could be easily maintained, the complaints of the customer is speedily managed with the help of Information Technology. This analysis emerges a trend that in this era of boom in IT sector, the appropriate use of IT is a must for any kind of business. This had a positive impact on the business model of AirAsia and surely with the expansion of IT sector the positive impact obviously would be there. STRATEGIC FACTORS Four Important Internal Factors: The marketing innovations and its implementation. The smart finance policies with the fixed priorities which should also be at the correct time. The proper use of available manpower, avoiding confrontation among them for maximizing the proper functioning capability of the corporation. The efficient use of the resources like Information Technology, etc. Four Important external Factors: The government policies and the relationships with the government. The natural environment and the calamities that can unexpectedly occur. The economic, social and cultural factors of a country. Rivalry with other corporations. The current mission and objectives can be justified in the light of available resources, problems and the environment and they are achieved and will be achieved at an appreciating rate in the future looking at the present prospectus. STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES: The corporation can further go ahead with more effective use of IT. The dual seat system can be implemented in domestic level too. The corporation has enough expanded and it can now open its chain to other South-east Asian countries, where such strategies would be highly invited. BUSINESS LEVEL STRATEGY ADOPTED BY AIRASIA The business model of AirAsia is well established and fairly ideal for other industries as well. With the perfectly set goals, mission and listed strategy ensures the well functioning of the corporation. Foundation of the corporation is based upon low cost, efficiency, stimulation of new markets and strong cash flow. Strategies highlight the concepts of simplicity, quality services at low cost, etc. And the vision is to continue to be lowest cost in the market. The corporation started its business with just three aircraft in 2002 which grew to the number 72 in 2008. The corporation has enough popularity in print and electronic media. With its low cost and high quality services and the customers satisfaction with the products of the corporation, the corporation has emerged out as a market leader in the industry. According to the porters five forces model, absolute cost advantage, government policies, fulfillment of capital requirements, its proprietary products, value added services, and the importance given to the supplier clearly indicates that the strategies opted by the corporation are suitable for it. The buyers inclination to the substitute, switching costs, and corporate stakes are the obvious risks for the corporation. (Porters Five Forces: A MODEL FOR INDUSTRY ANALYSIS)