Debate Essay

The thesis of our case is that birthright citizenship puts unfair burden on certain people in the world to take care of less fortunate. It is ironic that both the birthright citizenship and equal protection guarantees appear in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Arguably, birthright citizenship contradicts the notion of normative equality and arguably equal protection under the laws. Thus, birthright citizenship should be abolished. Our first contention is that birthright citizenship causes two primary problems. First, it strains welfare programs. Second, it permits a never-ending chain of citizenship eligibility. Jon Feere, who has a B. A. from the University of California, Davis, and a J. D. from American University, and is a Policy Analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies, wrote in an article entitled, â€Å"Birthright Citizenship in the United States: A Global Comparison† in August 20101: The two citizenship benefits that have drawn the most attention in the birthright citizenship debate are, first, food assistance and other welfare benefits to which a family of illegal aliens would not otherwise have access, and second, the ability of the child when he grows up to legalize his parents, and also to bring into the United States his foreign-born spouse and any foreign-born siblings. The sponsored spouse can, in turn, sponsor her own foreign-born parents and siblings, and the siblings can, in turn, sponsor their own foreign-born spouses, and so on, generating a irtually never-ending and always-expanding migration chain. 2nd contention†¦Birthright citizenship turns efforts to employ migrant workers into policies exploding the number of US citizens. Jon Feere, B. A. from the University of California, Davis; J. D. from American University, Policy Analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies, â€Å"Birthright Citizenship in the United States: A Global Comparison† August 2010, http://www. cis. org/birthright-citizenship The issue of birthright citizenship for the children of aliens who have not been admitted for permanent residence cannot be resolved in isolation from other immigration issues. For example, politicians on both sides of the aisle regularly call for an increase in temporary workers, but the economic and social impact of children born to these workers while they are in the United States is never part of the discussion. Under any large-scale guest worker program, it is likely that tens of thousands of children would be born on U. S. soil. If the guest worker does not depart when his work visa expires, he becomes an illegal alien and is subject to deportation. But immigration authorities cannot deport the guest worker’s citizen child along with the overstaying guest worker. The result is that the guest worker makes the case for indefinite stay based on the principle of â€Å"keeping families together† — an argument that is often successful at stopping an alien’s deportation. Because of birthright citizenship, what started as a policy to bring in laborers on a temporary basis can become yet another channel for permanent immigration? This is one of the reasons why some have said that â€Å"there is often nothing more permanent than a temporary worker. † Abolishing birthright citizenship would not require a constitutional amendment. Jon Feere, B. A. rom the University of California, Davis; J. D. from American University, Policy Analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies, â€Å"Birthright Citizenship in the United States: A Global Comparison† August 2010, http://www. cis. org/birthright-citizenship Extending 14th Amendment birthright citizenship to any class of persons is a momentous matter because it confers very valu able benefits and imposes very serious obligations on children who have no say in the matter and it also has long-lasting and important effects on the size and composition of the U. S. population. The executive branch’s current practice of extending birthright citizenship to nonresident aliens has never been authorized by any statute or any court decision. The legislative record left by drafters of the 14th Amendment shows that they were primarily concerned about conferring citizenship on freed slaves. While the Supreme Court has settled the matter as it applies to permanent resident aliens, it has yet to decide the matter as it applies to aliens whose presence in the United States is temporary or unlawful. As a result, Americans are justifiably upset with a policy that has become standard practice without their approval. Because the legislative history is not decisive and there is no Supreme Court precedent, serious legal scholars and eminent jurists have argued that Congress should uses its inherent authority to define the scope of birthright citizenship. Congress can use the hearing process to promote a calm, informed, and serious discussion on the wisdom and legality of granting automatic U. S. citizenship to the children of â€Å"birth tourists,† illegal aliens, and other categories of foreign visitors who are taking advantage of a clause in the 14th Amendment that was primarily aimed at helping an entirely different class of persons.

Identification of Country Specific Social Infrastructure Problems Essay

Having a sound understanding on the economic procedures of different nations can greatly help each one of them to combat internal social problems. With the establishment of international organizations to assist poor countries in structuring their societies, it is of utmost importance to provide them with the basic facts of the dilemmas experienced by low-performing economies. A great deal to support the functional institutions is to assist them in coming up with a credible and non-biased sets of facts about the countries which they intend to assist.   Apparently, there are some cases in which monetary assistances do not actually reach the full potential of social projects due to inevitable factors such as inefficient fund allocation, corruption and unidentified resolution effects. In this aspect, it is very important to have a reliable source of information about the priority problems of each country in terms of social infrastructure building. Objectives The main objective of the research proposal is to come up with a reliable database which will tabulate the economic problems of each underdeveloped economy. These information will be used to support the programs of international funding organizations such as IMF and the World Bank. These databases will incorporate the designation of a single standard outline which will then effectively identify the problems of the states, the key priority acts in resolving them and the estimated enough allocation of funds. Methodology In order to have a database of country profiles, it is necessary to collect data at the lowest parameter of the study-the countries themselves. Primarily, each country has its own varying degrees of social law implementation which addresses the supposedly obvious problems of each economy. 1. Global Identification of Developing/Underdeveloped countries. The list of countries belonging in these segments is available from the United Nations’ country data profile. This may save the research procedure some time and financial resources since countries will be narrowed down into a specific list. 2. After the gathering of country profiles, the next approach is to retrieve data values from respective government agencies of each country through personal office visits, e-mail transmission or telephone and telefax reception of data. The main facts which will be needed are yearly budget allocation for social welfare programs, population of each country, GDP rates, specific population of women and children, government yearly spending on health care and general infrastructure budget allocation which are all basically used as country performance indicators (Cool Fire Technology, 2004). These values will be tabulated on a computer program for easy filtering and ranking of data values in prioritizing specific country concerns. 3. Upon the retrieval of the designated data, they will then be compared to the instructional references of the World Bank or IMF to identify which of the countries will most likely need to get assistances from the two international organizations. Afterwards, a full recommendation for assistance may be requested from them to highlight the importance of helping the countries based on the specific country profile report gathering. Timeline The procedures involving the retrieval of country specific data may be regarded as the most extensive and most demanding factor in terms of time frame allocation. This procedure is projected to cover at least three to four months. If the latest country data is available from reliable resources, then those data will be used instead of conducting country specific data retrieval and interviews. On the procedures which involve the submission of reports to the funding agencies, the time expected for completion is at least two weeks after the end of country specific database construction.

The Nice Guy

Case Analysis: The Nice Guy Introduction This case study begins with Paul Kennedy on a slow morning commute in Cleveland. During his drive, he’s worried about his wife and family, his boss, his associate, a stranger in a nearby vehicle, and even about the state of the Cleveland Browns. He is also excited about his plans to expand Daner Associates into the European market and his impending promotion to CEO. But when Paul meets with his boss, Larry, that afternoon, he discovers that he has been misreading signals. Larry is actually considering Paul for the number two role in the company and considering promoting another Daner executive, George, into the CEO position. Background Paul has been with Daner Associates for ten years. He believes that he is being groomed for to take over the CEO position when Larry retires. Thus, Paul is understandably shocked when he discovers that Larry thinks of him as the number two guy, and is considering promoting George to CEO instead. Paul thinks that George lacks the polish and experience to be effective in the CEO position. Problem Statement Paul needs to demonstrate to Larry that he has what it takes to be the next CEO: A strong leader with effective communication, people relationship and management skills. Analysis and Issues Paul does not have to become a complete jerk, like George, to get the CEO position. He does, however, need to do a thorough self-assessment to identify his strengths and weaknesses, chose a path that is in his own best interest, then clearly and consistently state his personal and managerial views. Paul has clear advantages over his rival, George, in terms of experience and length of time with the company. His employees like him and trust him to lead them. He possesses most of the elements of an effective CEO, but Larry thinks that Paul is too nice to be effective as CEO. Paul needs to exploit the advantages he has and stop letting his niceness get in the way of his own business success. If Paul wants the top job, he needs to prove that he can be effective in managing his relationships with others, including his relationship with Larry, where he has allowed communications to break down to where he and Larry were on completely different wavelengths on his promotion to CEO. In his interactions with Larry, it seems that Paul has been hearing only what he wants to hear. Paul has apparently misread Larry’s intentions, resulting in misaligned expectations. Paul and Larry have very different leadership styles and attitudes on people management. This disparity in their styles is a core part of their communications issues. Paul’s self-referent criteria have prevented him from effectively listening to what Larry has been telling him about his leadership skills and potential to be promoted to CEO. It seems that George has an advantage over Paul in being able to relate easily to Larry. Larry and George have a similar philosophy on people management, which gives George an advantage on effective communications with Larry. Larry immediately empathizes with George’s perspective, because it is similar to his own. This puts the onus on Paul to get outside of his own frame of reference to examine himself from Larry’s perspective. The nice-guy disorder is having a negative effect on Paul’s ability to make choices. His decision-making ability is impaired when he gives away his power to others, including George and Larry, denying his own goals and desires. When he feels strongly about an issue, as he does in the case of breaking into the biotech industry, he needs to build his case, avoid the analysis paralysis that comes with over-analyzing the data, and present his case with confidence and the good judgment that has come with ten years of experience. It is that type of conviction in his ideas and opinions that will earn respect from both Larry and George. Paul prefers to hold back his opinions rather than speaking his mind in many situations to avoid confrontations. Overly nice guys, like Paul, tend to avoid situations where they disagree with someone or need to confront someone about poor job performance. Paul chooses to remain silent on issues in order to avoid judgment or spare the feelings of others. Paul allows his concern for others to lead him to prioritize their needs over his own work responsibilities and career. He also has a tendency to look the other way when managerial issues arise, as they have with his associate, Lisa. Because he wants to be a nice guy, and he feels bad about Lisa’s personal situation, Paul has been excessively lenient with her and continues to avoid confronting her about the decline in her work performance. Speaking his mind consistently and effectively will be one of the most challenging skills Paul will have to master. Recommendations In order to be an effective leader and CEO, Paul needs to become much more self-aware. Like many â€Å"nice guys,† Paul does not have a high level of self-awareness, which thwarts his ability to reach higher levels of effectiveness. He must become aware of how his choices are holding him back. He needs to develop an honest self-awareness that will enable him to deal constructively with his weaknesses and fully benefit from his strengths. Since Larry has been Paul’s boss for ten years, he probably knows Paul’s strengths and weaknesses better than Paul knows himself. Paul needs to muster up the confidence to ask Larry for his constructive criticism. In this way, Paul will tap into Larry’s insight to help identify and minimize his weaknesses and identify and employ his strengths in order to maximize his effectiveness as a leader. Paul needs to drop his defensive attitude in order to hear and really listen to Larry’s advice, understand it as he never has before, and then take immediate action on that on that advice. Paul needs to start thinking of confrontation as an effective communication tool that will enable him to solve problems as quickly as possible. He must realize that his leniency with Lisa has reached a point where it compromises his ability to deliver on his business commitments. His reticence to speak frankly with her to resolve the work issues is ultimately harming both of them. Paul needs to address the issues in an honest and open conversation with Lisa; otherwise her work may continue to suffer, leaving him with only unpleasant options for dealing with it. Conclusion/Summary Paul has become overly focused on trying to be helpful and nice to others, resulting in an imbalance that has diminished his effectiveness as a leader. When Larry told him that he was not the first choice for CEO, presenting Paul with the evidence that things were not going as he thought, Paul continued to look externally to blame George for the misunderstanding. Paul needs to take a good, hard look inward to grasp an understanding of the connection between his nice-guy behavior and its negative consequences, and then accept that he must alter those behaviors in order to achieve his business success targets. As he becomes aware of his shortcomings, he will be able to find ways to eliminate them through training, mentoring, and by surrounding himself with people who have complementary skills. While identifying and minimizing his weaknesses through self discovery, Paul also needs to identify and emphasize his strengths. He cannot allow his nice-guy, self-sacrificing tendencies to lead him down the path to a job that is not in alignment with his talents and goals. Essentially, Paul needs to find a balance between his natural tendency toward niceness and an appropriate level of assertiveness. References Edelman, R. C. , Hiltabiddle, T. R. , & Manz, C. C. (2008). Nice Guys Can Get the Corner Office: Eight Strategies for Winning in Business Without Being a JERK. New York, NY: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Support Learning Assessment in Pract ice (nursing) Essay

Support Learning Assessment in Pract ice (nursing) - Essay Example ust learn to exercise the discretionary authority when involved in client’s care (Oregon Department of Human Services Seniors and People with Disabilities, 2006). Diabetes educators, in collaboration with other health professional, work to enhance activities in case management to create and evaluate guidelines in clinical practice, recommend therapy changes, and reduce errors in medication (Seley, et al., 2009). Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust (2006) noted that nurses must be able to have the knowledge, skills and abilities for lawful, safe, and practice effectively with no direct supervision for them to have competent practice. Kozier, et al. (2004) noted that in teaching a student nurse how to do blood glucose test, it must be insured that the nurse practice act and the policy of the facility must be checked. It must also be determined in the procedure manual the person delegated to perform this procedure (Kozier, et al., 2004). A nurse student must be taught to determine the following before obtaining a capillary blood specimen: (1) the type of testing and frequency, (2) the understanding of the client on the procedure, and (3) the response of the client to previous testing. In obtaining blood glucose test, a nursing student must be able to determine whether the puncture site is intact and the circulation is not compromised by means of assessing the puncture site of the skin. Moreover, it is important to note that the student nurse must review the records of medication of the client that may possibly prolong bleeding time (Kozier, et al., 2004). The following are the equipments that must be used by a stu dent nurse in obtaining blood glucose: blood glucose meter, blood reagent strip, paper towel, warm cloth, antiseptic swap, disposable gloves, number 19 or 21 sterile lance, lancet injector, and cotton balls (Kozier, et al., 2004). A type of meter and instructions from the manufacturer must be reviewed and the equipment must be assembled at the bedside. It

The Veterans Health Affairs Handbook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Veterans Health Affairs Handbook - Essay Example As a medical student, I am aware of the growing demand for better health care in our country. This calls for more physicians and nurses as well as coordination of the two groups in offering health care, which is now prone to health care workforce problems. As such, I disregard the draft VHA Nursing Handbook that seeks to eliminate physician-led, team-based care within the VHA system since this will also prevent local facilities from providing such services thus jeopardizing primary health care. Moreover, I differ with medical practitioners who advocate for the independent use of nurses instead of physicians to address the health care workforce shortages since this will put the lives of most patients at a greater risk. Indeed, I think the best way to address these problems is to hire more staff and enhance integration and teamwork among all healthcare providers with a view of offering affordable and effective health care. Nevertheless, the draft VHA Nursing Handbook negates this appro ach as it fosters fragmentation in this sector.  Therefore, I think we should revise the draft VHA Nursing Handbook to reflect a team-based approach that will allow all parties in health care delivery to work together, share decisions and information to enhance healthcare delivery. Indeed, by enhancing integration and teamwork between VHA and physicians and APRNs, this draft would address fundamental challenges in health delivery. Furthermore, the draft should seek to offer longer-term solutions in the healthcare workforce instead of the questionable short-term measures it offers now. With these recommendations, I bet a revision of the draft VHA Nursing Handbook would suit the current healthcare needs.  

HISTORY (26) Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HISTORY (26) Discussion - Essay Example If human suffering had any face then, it would not be incorrect to say that economic monster was there to play that role! I asked him was it caused by banks. He said no. it was mainly caused by stock prices which were experiencing an unusual level of upward increase. Furthermore, he contended that many people had lost their confidence on the economy after the year of 1929. Consequently, they preferred to withdraw their money. I asked him â€Å"Do you believe that it is safe to avoid depositing cash in banks in these days?† He found it difficult to agree with me. He contended that it would be unwise to hold responsible banks for them and putting money in your own custody. Furthermore, he said by putting money at oneself would increase the risk of theft and snatching or robbery. Nowadays, there are more stringent measures on banks and other financial institutions for fund management in comparison with the economic measures of the era of Great Depression when the economic policie s were neither strict nor having a tight control over many aspects of the economic policies. References Romer, Christina. Great Depression. Available at http://www.econ.berkeley.edu/~cromer/great_depression.pdf [Accessed on 09 February, 2011]

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 12

Economics - Essay Example In this case, the government may increase spending or reduce taxes or simultaneously adopt both measures to raise the aggregate effective demand. In this case, the government faces a budget deficit. Adopting an expansionary fiscal policy facing a situation of depressed economic activities reflected in lowered aggregate output levels and rising unemployment is the Keynesian prescription. Such policies are considered by governments during economic downturns. Contractionary Fiscal policy refers to a situation of raised taxes or lowered government spending or both in pursuit of curtailing the aggregate demand. Generally such policies are adopted to counter an inflationary situation fuelled by rising demand. Adoption of contractionary fiscal policies is considered during the upturns of the business cycles. An expansionary fiscal policy is illustrated in the diagram below using a standard IS-LM framework. As government spending rises with or without reduced taxes, the aggregate effective demand rises for all rates of interest and thus assuming sufficient unused productive capacities this implies a decline in unsold stocks leading to increased output for all rates of interest thereby leading to a rightward shift in the IS curve. As a result, the aggregate real output rises (Y1 to Y2) and so does the real rate of interest. The rise in rate of interest is caused by a rise in the government borrowings. However this rise in interest rates dampens the private inducements to invest. This is known as a crowding out effect as in essence private investments are crowded out by raised government borrowings (Mankiw, 2002). Thus, we see that while an expansionary fiscal policy may be successful in increasing the real aggregate national income and generating employment, it also leads to a decline in private investments which in turn reduce the effective demand. Thus, in the process of increasing borrowings to fund the excess spending or reducing taxes,

Business Ethics and Issues of Employment Case Study

Business Ethics and Issues of Employment - Case Study Example Ethical relativism designates the universal values that apply to everyone in every business across the world. Sometimes, that extent can be reduced to cultural relativism that seeks to cover the accepted values in a narrower scope, say, a company or a country in regards to the existing culture or traditions. Proponents of Ethical (cultural) relativism assert it demonstrates empirical evidence. Conversely, arguments against ethical relativism claim that it is difficult to find values and norms that govern all businesses universally. Truth-telling refers to honest communication and poses the question as to whether anyone can defend their reason when not telling the truth in business. Advocates of truth-telling argue that all societies depend on reciprocal bonds of truthfulness to enforce their sustained relationships. Those against the being honest claim that it is common practice, and everyone should be aware of the game. They give examples such as the inflating claims used by advertising companies or contracts that have concealed fine print provided by employers and suppliers. For 35 years, Ken worked for United Airlines as a pilot. Typically, he expected to receive his six-figure pension income from the company’s retirement trust. At his retirement, United Airlines had been experiencing a tumultuous financial period. However, the airlines maintained that that was not the case despite doubts about their financial position to cater to the company’s demands such as Ken’s approaching retirement plan. True to the growing fears, United funded Ken’s trust at about 50 percent of the expected amount. The reason provided for this was that the airlines troubled financially, had been allowed by federal rules to skip making cash contributions. The rules allowed United to seek a bankruptcy declaration, and this meant that they could only cater for about half of what Ken’s was to receive. There are various ethical issues, in this case, chief among them being United’s lack of integrity. The company should have in advance disclosed to Ken about their state of bankruptcy and the financial troubles they were undergoing.  

ART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 23

ART - Essay Example The artist has reflected light over the leaves by painting them yellowish green. The distance between one tree and the next has been made prominent by lending a lighter shade of green to the leaves of the nearby trees and a darker shade of green to those in the distance. From the apparent purplish blue sky and the chandeliers hanging along the way, it seems that the time of the day captured in the picture is evening that is soon to transform into the night. While one can see even without the chandeliers for the time being, they would be a must to enhance the vision once the sky turns any darker. This picture makes me feel like being in the middle of a forest. It feels like the beginning of a story. There is a lot to tell depending upon how one interprets the destination that the pathway leads to. The pathway might just end in a steep slope offering no further land to continue the movement, or it might just slide downward as the trees on the side indicate thus leading the audience to an unknown destination. As the audience of this picture, I feel welcomed into the world of endless imagination of the artist. I feel like the artist has provided me with a direction and has left it upon me to choose to what length I go in that direction. It is like the a rtist has handed over the tools to me but at the same time, deters from becoming the controlling force so that I use those tools in whatever way I want. The effect of the picture on me as an audience is empowering. I feel like the artist is questioning me where I would go from there, showing me the picture. It seems to be just the start of a journey in two ways; firstly, the pathway seems to have just started and it is for the audience to decide where it ends, and secondly, the sky is purplish blue indicating evening while the lit candles in the chandeliers indicate the preparations of the night when the sky would be darker. So the moment captured in the

How the neo-liberals ideas has influenced the world order Essay

How the neo-liberals ideas has influenced the world order - Essay Example Since the advent of the end of the Cold War, it is experienced that the ideas of the neo-liberalists has widely taken place. Hence, the contemporary states economy have imbibed the culture of free trade, free economy entry and exist of labour and the opening of their state economy to the international market for active competition. This scenario of the international order, with the aid of modern improvement in the world technological base, has resulted in the expansion and the consolidation of globalization. The stand of socialism has given way to capitalist society, where the rule of price is a cogent force that determines the market situation. Hence, governments through the policy of privatization and commercialization , deregulation of their states economies have given up several state corporations to the private individuals and private bodies; thus, bringing to the fore front the phasing out of the socialist and communist doctrines. The enshrinement of the neo lib al doctrines in the world order would not have gain its immense success if international organizations such as UN, World Bank, IMF, WTO , have not backed up and imbibe the culture and ideas of free trade and the globalization of the world economy. This write- up tends to discuss the ways in which Neo- liberalism has influenced the world order. IDEAS OF THE NEO- LIBRALS The neo-liberals based their ideas on the neo- classical economists’ doctrines, which is an extension of the classical economists’ ideology. The neoclassical economists contend that slow or negative growth results from poor resource allocation from non market prices and excessive Third World state intervention. Hence, the argument that promote competitive free market, privatization of public enterprises, supporting export and free international trade, liberalizing trade and exchange rates, allowing exchange rates to attain a market- clearing rate, removing barriers to foreign investment, rewarding domestic savings, reducing government spending and monetary expansion, and removing regulations and price distortions in financial, re source and commodity markets, would spur increased efficiency and economy growth was upheld. (Dibie, 2000:18) according to Albo (1996), "Neo-liberals have fostered the movement to freer trade and deregulation of labour markets, arguing that overcoming the constraint of limited markets is the means to increase growth, remedy trade imbalances, and lower unemployment. The state needs to be forced to comply with the 'laws' of the market". It is seen that the socialist and communist's ideas of government control of the means of production is greatly opposed in all its' ramifications by the neo liberalists, Hence a capitalist structure that support free trade and free movement of labour is supported. The neo-liberals ideas are summed up in what is widely known as 'globalization'. "Globalization can be briefly defined as the intensification of economic, political, social, and cultural relations across borders" (Holm & Sorensen, 1995:4). A key characteristic of the globalization is that the actors involved are not only states but non- state actors, particularly multinational or trans- national corporations. It is now the case that more than half of the top economies in the world are corporations not states, and international investment is increasingly private" (OHCHR, 2005). Many international trade theorists, such as Gottfried Haberler, Jacob Viner, Alex Cairncross and Peter Baur, have expanded and reinforced the classical and neoclassical views. These scholars share the neoclassical belief that trade can promote the growths that are favourable to the other sectors. (Dibie, 2000:15). To Haberler (1968), the emphasized international trade has several indirect and dynamic benefits, apart from static gains to the trading countries. One of the benefits is the introduction of new technologies in less developed countries.

Introduction to case study research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Introduction to case study research - Essay Example appraisal refers to the process of systematically evaluating the two case studies evidence to measure their validity, results and significance before using it to update a decision. Instruments created to maintain quality appraisal normally share some basic strategies for the appraisal of qualitative study (Hill & Spittlehouse, 2003). The evaluation will also involve assessment of each article strengths and weaknesses. The second part of this paper involves critical evaluation of use of case study research in terms of validity, reliability and generalizability. A case study is a precise, holistic, frequently unique case that is often designed to demonstrate a more general standard; the study of an instance in practice; and the study of a developing circumstance (Hill & Spittlehouse, 2003). In addition, case studies demonstrate ‘what it is like’ to be in a given situation. Research is the systematic process of gathering and analysing data (information) in order to augment people’s understanding of the occurrence about which people are concerned or interested (Swanborn 2010). This section involves comparison and explanation of these two studies ‘How to Do Case Study Research’ by Donna M. Zucker and ‘Assessing Staff Turnover: A View from the English Riviera’ by Andreas Walmsley (Walmsley 2004; Zucker 2009). The first case study is an interpretive research that involves exploration of a research theme or theory. In this study, researcher interprets data to make sense of it and that is what is considered the fact or truth. Therefore in this study theories are reconstructions of realities, and the strategy of a good presumption is a comprehension of meaning of the study (George and Bennett 2005). The author needed to discover how case study is effectively done. This led to questions such as how data have been interpreted it in order to create or confirm theory and ideas. Meanings in natural science are disconnected from reality, while in social

Big Drive Auto Essay Example for Free

Big Drive Auto Essay With the current hard economic times, there is a need to implement the new alternatives that are there for Big Drive. The main aim of all these is to increase sales while at the same time they decrease the expenses that will be incurred. Some steps needs consideration while implementing these new alternatives. It is clear that the company will be involved with production of completely new product owing to the fact that the customers now need electric car. The company should first comply with the government requirement of production of electric car. They should then renovate the factories so that they can be in a position to produce the new breed of cars. Later on when the company is stable in the market, it can try to produce cars according to customer’s specification. (Arthur, S. Sheffrin, M. , 2003) It is also clear that the labor or the job market has reduced by thirty percent. This means that there is no longer available labor and for the company to survive, it must adopt to new labor methods. Fortunately, for the company, the line of production allows mechanized type of labor. The company should therefore modify the plan so that it can adapt to the use of the new technology. It can use machines in places where it previously used human labor and this will be able to cover up on the labor shortage. It is also clear that the number of dealership as seriously decreased. This means that the company must be prepared to have a good relationship with the current dealerships that are in the market. The company may also decide to look for new alliances with new dealers especially the ones who are entering the market, as they are more likely to accept such alliances. (Arthur, S. Sheffrin, M. , 2003) These three options happen to be serious non-pricing barriers to entry in this market. For the company to survive, it must be prepared to try to adapt to the new technology as much as possible. It would be recommendable for the company to set aside more resources so as to modernize the plant to produce the type of cars the customer wants and at the same time be able to penetrate the market as much as possible using the available dealers and the new and upcoming ones. ? References Arthur, S. Sheffrin, M. . (2003). Economics: Principles in Action. New Jersey: Upper Saddle River.

Case Study: Food Expiration Dates

Case Study: Food Expiration Dates If the best before date stamped on your milk carton says January 1, 2011, does that mean its not safe to drink it anymore on January 2? How long can raw meat last inside the fridge before it goes bad? Is there a difference between Use by, Best before, Sell by, and all the other date labels? Questions like these continue to boggle many Filipino homemakers today. With the constant struggle to stretch every peso for their family, throwing away unconsumed food just because a date says so is something that isnt fun to do at all. What do these dates really mean and should they be followed with utmost strictness? Food Product Dating Placing dates on food products is a practice being followed by the food industry to let the retail store know how long a product for sale should be put on display. Food product dating also helps consumers like us determine until when we can buy or use the product at its best quality, provided it has been properly stored. Do note that these dates are not to be confused as a safety date, as there are many factors that determine food safety. There are basically two types of food product dating: closed or coded dating and open dating. Closed or coded dating may be seen on shelf-stable products like canned goods and boxes of food. Coded dates can be in MMDDYY format, while some manufacturers use the Julian calendar wherein January would be 001 to 0031 (1st to the 31st day of the year) and December would be 334 to 365 (334th to the 365th day of the year). These are packing numbers meant to be used by the food manufacturers to track production. The dates that most consumers see on the grocery shelves, on the other hand, like those stamped on packed meat, eggs and dairy products, is called open dating. This uses the standard calendar date format such as date month year or dd/mm/yy. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Regulation No. 001 Series of 1982 (Subject: Guidelines for Open-Date Marking of Prepackaged Foods), open date markings should be indicated on food packages using indelible ink or embossed on cans or any other acceptable manner. The same guidelines also specify that the date marking should appear in a conspicuous place such as in the front panel of the label or on top of packages like box, bottles or cans. Putting open-date markings on packaged food products is routinely done by food producers and manufacturers, but not all of them are required to do so. According to the BFAD Memorandum Circular No. 6 s. 1993 (Subject: Monitoring of Food Products Requiring an Open Date Marking), the food products that are required to indicate their best before date are the following: Liquid Milk Products which include filled, recombined or reconstituted evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and UHT sterilized milk. Whole Milk Powder Dried Dairy Milk Powder Filled Milk Powder Skimmed Milk Powder Bakery Products (those sold in supermarkets, not in bakeries) which include loaf bread and buns Infant Food and Infant Formula Vitamin C-enriched liquid fruit drinks because after some time, vitamin C content may not be as much as what the label declares. According to FDA Regulation No. 001-D s. 1982 (Subject: Guidelines for the Open-date marking of Vitamin C enriched liquid fruit drinks), before its best before date, these fruit drinks should at any time contain 80% of the label claim of Vitamin C, but not lower than 30 mg/250 mg sample. The memorandum also mentions the directive that requires retailers to remove from their sales counters all products above that do not bear the required open date markings. The open dates are based on the average shelf life of the food item being packed before it loses its optimal quality or nutritional content. This doesnt mean that after the date you cannot consume the products anymore, it simply means that the quality of food is no longer assured. Once the date passes, food products should still be safe for consumption, as long as its handled and stored properly (i.e. kept at 40 degrees F or below). You may continue to consume food past its best before date up to a certain extent, depending on the recommended storage times that will be discussed further down this article. Open Date terminology Locally, the Bureau of Food and Drugs (which was later renamed Food and Drug Administration or FDA in August 2009), enforces guidelines that cover open-date marking and labeling of packaged food. The FDA defines the different types of open date terminology as the following: Consume Before Date also known as Use by date or Expiry date. This is the date which gives you the last day of the products estimated shelf life. This is only guaranteed if certain storage conditions are met, of course, such as storage temperature and handling. Beyond this date, the food product in not considered marketable anymore or is expired and must be discarded. The consume before date must be indicated in labels of packed fresh food products like fruit juices, chocolate drinks, fresh milk, butter, yogurt, cream, cheese, cured or frozen meat and fish, bakery products, and baby food. Products that have no preservatives are highly perishable therefore indelible markings must be indicated visibly in these labels. Best Before Date also called Best if used by date. The keyword here is using the word best beside the date, meaning it is the date which signifies the end of the period where the products best quality is guaranteed. Again, the guarantee assumes a stated storage condition. Beyond this date, the products quality attributes will be expected to deteriorate but may still be satisfactory for human consumption. After a few days or weeks of the indicated date, though, changes in color or texture and decrease in nutritional content may is expected. Other products, especially those imported from overseas, may have different open date markings compared to locally distributed food. The following are some of the more popular open date terms used: Sell-By Date this is actually meant for the store owners more than the consumers. This date gives an approximation on how long the store should display a product for sale before it should be pulled out of the shelves. Consumers are also advised to buy the product before the sell-by date because, according to senior faculty member Paul VanLandingham of the Johnson Wales University Center for Food and Beverage Management, this is the last date wherein freshness is at highest level of quality in terms of taste, freshness and consistency. After the sell-by date, the food product should still be edible for some time after. Born-On Date this is equivalent to the date of manufacture and is often used to date beer. VanLandingham explains that beer quality is affected by how much sunlight it is exposed to. Since sunlight can reactivate microorganisms in the beer, store owners are advised to be careful with handling beer in clear bottles more than those in dark brown or clean bottles. Generally, commercialized beer can go sub-par after three months from the born on date. Guaranteed Fresh Date this is usually used by bakeries and is similar to best before date. As the name suggests, the guarantee is given that the baked product is at peak freshness before the date indicated. After the guaranteed fresh date, food will still be edible and may still be consumed, but taste, texture and nutritional value may not be the same anymore. Storage Times Keeping food at 40Â ° F or below inside a refrigerator is usually good s for food as the common food-borne bacteria usually grow in much higher temperatures (41 degrees F and above). Did you know that if you freeze perishable food like meat cuts, youre actually extending your foods shelf life by as much as several days? The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service website gives a food storage chart on food that bears a sell by or no date marking. Assuming youre storing food at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, cook or freeze the following food products by the times mentioned below: Raw poultry, ground meat, variety meats (like heart, tongue, liver, brain, etc), uncooked beef or pork sausages: 1 or 2 days Raw pork, beef, lamb, veal: 3 to 5 days Cured meat (like ham, tocino, etc): 5 to 7 days Eggs: 3 to 5 weeks Cooked poultry and sausages: 3 to 4 days Hotdogs and bacon: 2 weeks if sealed, 1 week if opened Luncheon meat: 2 weeks if sealed, 3 to 5 days if opened Cooked ham: 7 days if sealed; if opened, 3 days for slices, 7 days if kept whole Canned ham (with keep refrigerated label): 9 months if unopened, 3-4 days if opened Canned meat and poultry: 2-5 years if unopened; if opened, 3-4 days Life after food product dates According to experts, the average American family disposes of over 120 lbs of food monthly food that could have still been perfectly okay to eat! Talk about wasted money on what should have been spent on other basic needs of the family. Well, good thing that a USDA research has reported how packed foods can last several days (some, even weeks) after the sell-by date printed on packages. This is certainly good news for the Filipino household budgeters. As recommended by the Center of Consumer Research at University of California, Davis, heres a list of foodproducts that are okay to consume (if properly handled and stored) even after open date markings: Milk if pasteurized, milk usually remains fresh for about 5-7 days after the sell-by date. Make sure that its not exposed too long to sunlight, though, as it can lose some essential vitamins. This is why most milk cartons come in opaque containers. Eggs can be stored up to 5 weeks after taking them home. This is because most egg processing plants coat their eggs in mineral oil, which essentially blocks bacteria from entering any of the approximately 17,000 egg shell pores. Keeping eggs refrigerated also keeps bacteria away. Its best to keep them in their original carton and place them in the colder parts of your ref, not on the egg tray placed at the door (this is actually the warmest part of the fridge) Poultry, beef, pork and seafood cooking before storing in the fridge doubles the original shelf life of meats (3 to 5 days instead of 1 to 2 days). Once completely frozen, meat can last up to several weeks, even months. According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, freezing meat at 0Â °F (which is equivalent to -17.78Â °C) is best for safety reasons. Keeping meat frozen at 0Â °F wont kill bacteria that can cause food-borne illnesses, but it sure can slow down growth by forcing them into a state of dormancy. Some parasites can be killed at this temperature. Theoretically, keeping food frozen at this temperature can make meat last forever. Attempting to achieve this at home, however, is an extremely difficult task since your refrigerator is opened several times a day (causing fluctuation in temperature every time). Taking this into consideration, heres a list of recommended storage times of frozen products in home refrigerators: Bacon, sausage, raw poultry: 1 to 2 months Ham, cooked meat, hot dogs or cold cuts: 2 to 3 months Raw ground meat: 3 to 4 months Cooked poultry: 4 months Raw steaks, roasts or chops: 4 months to a year Raw poultry parts: 9 months Canned goods normally, canned goods are great refrigerator-free foods that last long if stored in the right conditions. If you cant find an expiry date printed on the label, here are some easy reminders on how long they usually last: highly acidic canned food like pineapple or tomato sauce can last about 18 months or more. Canned goods that are low in acid content like canned veggies or meat can be kept up to 5 years. Texas AM University professor of food and nutrition Peggy VanLaanen strongly recommends keeping canned goods at 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit in a dry, dark place for optimal shelf life. Humidity can speed-up deterioration, so this should be avoided. Do not buy dented cans or those that are swelling or bulging since these may easily be harboring harmful bacteria already (if you have bulging cans in your shelves, throw them out now even if expiration date isnt due yet) Yogurt this can last up to 5 days beyond the use by date, for as long as you keep them refrigerated. You may lose the friendly bacteria after this, but it should still be safe to eat. To keep yogurt fresh longer, place it upside down in your refrigerator as this creates a seal that can keep harmful bacteria from seeping in its packaging. Fruit juice this can last up to 6 days beyond the use by date, for as long as you keep them refrigerated. The sugars and acids added to your fruit juice already lengthen the shelf life and those in concentrate form can also last longer because air has been removed prior to packing. Keeping juices in the refrigerator after purchasing them will surely lengthen shelf life in general. Mishandled food can breed bacteria even before its labeled date, so it is important that you follow storage instructions mentioned in product packaging. For example, if you bought a pack of hotdogs that say theyll expire next month and you forgot to refrigerate the pack for several days, bacteria could have already contaminated your food even before the expiration date. If food is already contaminated by harmful bacteria like Listeria, E. coli or Salmonella, they can multiply and build colonies within days, even if you decide to throw the forgotten pack of hotdogs back in the refrigerator. According to food safety advocate, Bill Marler of Marler Clark (a Seattle law firm that represents victims of food poisoning), when bacteria are already present in food, the use-by date becomes irrelevant since it can cause harm even before the date indicated. In this case, it will be safer for you and your family to just throw away unconsumed food instead of risking the possibility of getting sick. Trust your nose and tongue For food that are not packed for commercial distribution (like cooked viands bought from a local carinderia or made to order baked goodies), the best way to find out if food is still edible or not is if we use our God-given sense of smell and taste. These are actually what our ancestors used back when food dating was not discovered yet. In general, you should not eat food that gives off a repulsive smell or taste, as it most likely isnt fit for consumption anymore. In the absence of an expiry date sniffing and tasting is the way to go! Sources: http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/oct2006/db20061002_959305.htm http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/do-food-expiration-dates-matter http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5389/a_guide_to_food_expiration_dates.html?cat=22 http://www.safety.com/articles/what-do-food-expiration-dates-really-mean.html http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/food_product_dating/index.asp http://thehealthylivingsite.com/2010/09/03/foods-you-can-safely-eat-past-the-expiration-date/ http://www.entrepreneur.com.ph/features/article/read-the-label http://www.bfad.gov.ph/oldsite/FDA%20Regulation%20001%20s.%201982.pdf http://www.bfad.gov.ph/oldsite/MC/mc%206%201993.pdf http://www.bfad.gov.ph/oldsite/BC/fda%20reg%201-d%201982.pdf http://www.wisegeek.com/how-long-will-frozen-meat-stay-fresh.htm

The Importance Of Research And Development

The Importance Of Research And Development New product design and development is more often than not a crucial factor in the survival of a company. In an competitive environment that is fast changing, firms must continually revise their design and range of products. This is necessary due to continuous technology change and development as well as other competitors and the changing preference of customers. A system driven by marketing is one that puts the customer needs first, and only produces goods that are known to sell. Market research is carried out, which establishes what is needed. If the development is technology driven then it is a matter of selling what it is possible to make. The product range is developed so that production processes are as efficient as possible and the products are technically superior, hence possessing a natural advantage in the market place. RD has a special economic significance apart from its conventional association with scientific and technological development. RD investment generally reflects a governments or organizations willingness to forgo current operations or profit to improve future performance or returns, and its abilities to conduct research and development. In 2006, the worlds four largest spenders of RD were the United States (US$343 billion), the EU (US$231 billion), China (US$136 billion), and Japan (US$130 billion). In terms of percentage of GDP, the order of these spenders for 2006 was China (US$115 billion of US$2,668 billion GDP), Japan, United States, EU with approximate percentages of 4.3, 3.2, 2.6, and 1.8 respectively. The top 10 spenders in terms of percentage of GDP were Israel (4.53%), China (4.3%), Sweden (3.73%), Finland (3.45%), Japan (3.39%), South Korea (3.23%), Switzerland (2.9%), Iceland (2.78%), United States (2.62%), and Germany (2.53%). In general, RD activities are conducted by specialized units or centers belonging to companies, universities and state agencies. In the context of commerce, research and development normally refers to future-oriented, longer-term activities in science or technology, using similar techniques to scientific research without predetermined outcomes and with broad forecasts of commercial yield. Statistics on organizations devoted to RD may express the state of an industry, the degree of competition or the lure of progress. Some common measures include: budgets, numbers of patents or on rates of peer-reviewed publications. Bank ratios are one of the best measures, because they are continuously maintained, public and reflect risk. In the U.S., a typical ratio of research and development for an industrial company is about 3.5% of revenues. A high technology company such as a computer manufacturer might spend 7%. Although Allergan (a biotech company) tops the spending table 43.4% investment, anything over 15% is remarkable and usually gains a reputation for being a high technology company. Companies in this category include pharmaceutical companies such as Merck HYPERLINK file:///wiki/Merck__Co.HYPERLINK file:///wiki/Merck__Co. Co. (14.1%) or Novartis (15.1%), and engineering companies like Ericsson (24.9%). Such companies are often seen as poor credit risks because their spending ratios are so unusual. Generally such firms prosper only in markets whose customers have extreme needs, such as medicine, scientific instruments, safety-critical mechanisms (aircraft) or high technology military armaments. The extreme needs justify the high risk of failure and consequently high gross margins from 60% to 90% of revenues. That is, gross profits will be as much as 90% of the sales cost, with manufacturing costing only 10% of the product price, because so many individual projects yield no exploitable product. Most industrial companies get only 40% revenues. On a technical level, high tech organizations explore ways to re-purpose and repackage advanced technologies as a way of amortizing the high overhead. They often reuse advanced manufacturing processes, expensive safety certifications, specialized embedded software, computer-aided design software, electronic designs and mechanical subsystems. Research has shown that firms with a persistent RD strategy outperform those with an irregular or no RD investment programme HenceI have chosen to analyze GSKs RD and focus how it achieved growth. Brief Company Background: Head quartered in the UK, GlaxoSmithKline was formed in 2000 as a result of the merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. It employs over 100,000 people in 116 countries with over 15,000 involved in research. GSK has a broad portfolio, with projects in the fields of respiratory, central nervous system, and anti-infectives to name a few. In addition, GSK has an extensive vaccines portfolio. According to GSK, it supplied one quarter of the worlds vaccines by the end of 2006 and had a further 20 in clinical development With nearly 210 pharmaceuticals and vaccine, GSK has one of the most promising pipelines in the pharmaceutical arena. However, its current success appears to be not only due to the blockbuster merger, but also to the leadership and business acumen of its CEO, Dr Jean-Pierre Garnier (formerly CEO of SmithKline Beecham), and his strategy to prioritise RD activities. Additionally, the strategic bolt-on acquisitions, such as those of Corixa and Domantis, have further strengthened the business, adding specialist expertise to maximise future potential revenue. It is important to note that GSK is not only a world leader in pharmaceuticals, but generates significant revenue from its Consumer Healthcare division Lucozade and Nicorette, for example, are globally recognised brand. In all core areas of GSK research and development plays a very important role in the product pipeline, new product development, launch and timing of the product and the final release of the product. In all these stages other department coordinate with the research and development department to ensure that the product helps GSK maintain a strong market share. Interview: GSKs Research and Development and its strategic priorities While writing this report I conducted a brief interview with Faisal Mehmud , Director GSK , Global Research and Development , who has said that GSKS merger was a complete success and that the RD department of GSK is one of the best in the world and has been instrumental in making GSK a market leader. Why do you think RD department in GSK is important? Faisal: Research and development is nowadays of great importance in business as the level of competition, production processes and methods are rapidly increasing. It is of special importance in the field of marketing where companies keep an eagle eye on competitors and customers in order to keep pace with modern trends and analyze the needs, demands and desires of their customers How do you manage GSKs RD capabilities? Faisal: Research often refers to basic experimental research; development refers to the exploitation of discoveries. Research involves the identification of possible chemical compounds or theoretical mechanisms. GSK normally buys licenses from universities or hires scientists directly when economically solid research level products emerge and the development phase of drug delivery is almost entirely managed by GSK. Development is concerned with proof of concept, safety testing, and determining ideal levels and delivery mechanisms. Development often occurs in phases that are defined by drug safety regulators in the country of interest. In the United States, the development phase can cost between $10 to $200 million and approximately one in ten compounds identified by basic research pass all development phases and reach market What does the term RD alliance means? And who are GSKs partners in RD alliance? An RD alliance is a mutually beneficial formal relationship formed between two or more parties to pursue a set of agreed upon goals while remaining independent organisations, where acquiring new knowledge is a goal by itself. The different parties agree to combine their knowledge to create new innovative products. Thanks to funding from government organizations, like the European Unions Seventh Framework Programme and modern advances in technology. GSK has many partners in research and development including the world health organization (WHO) and the Japanese government to name a few. Research and Development in GSK: A brief Literature Review. With the general growth of RD in many academic and business fields, it is hardly surprising that the relationship between research and development and growth has attracted considerable attention in recent years. In an attempt to go beyond traditional assumptions about how research and development helps achieve competitive advantage and market growth, studies have focused on anything from different traditional, analytical or structural uses of research and development to aspects of marketing, such as product launch and timing, and other interactions in the product life cycle. While some research has focused only on the description and functions of research and development, other work has sought to show how research and development helps a company grow in terms of gaining and then maintain a competitive advantage not shared by its rivals. Accordingly, Kuemmerle (1999) suggests that research and development can be divided into studies that focus on product development and those that foc us on innovation. Much of the earlier work emphasized product development. SL Brown (1995) pioneering work suggested that product development can be divided into three streams of research and development: product development as a rational plan, communication web and disciplined problem solving . Thus, he argued that the type of RD capabilities will later shape the structure of the organization since research and development is a key component of product development and new products are becoming the nexus of competition amongst firms striving to achieve a larger market share(1995, p.5). While there are clearly some problems with SL Brownss work his analysis was not based on empirical research, for example the automatic equation of product development with `three streams is problematic the emphasis on research and development has understandably remained at the Centre of much of this work. Research has shown how companies invested in RD dominated more, interrupted less often, held the market share for longer, and so on (see, for example, J Griffin , Journal of product innovation 1995). The chief focus of this approach, then, has been to show how research and development interacts between new product development and dominant market share Some studies, however, have taken a different approach by looking not so much at RD in product development but have focused how research and development helps innovation. In a typical study of this type, JF Reinganum (1989) developed lists of what he described as research and development features of innovation. He argued that For research and development to yield up new approaches, they must also be closely coupled to the problems and challenges where innovation is needed. Much of this research has focused on comparisons between, for example the competitive nature of businesses and the ways to acquire larger market share through innovation. While some of the more popular work of this type, such as GC Moore (1991), lacks a critical dimension, the emphasis on innovation has nevertheless been valuable in interaction between research and development and company growth Although Kuemmerle (1999) distinction is clearly a useful one, it also seems evident that these two approaches are by no means mutually exclusive. While it is important on the one hand, therefore, not to operate with a simplistic version of product development and to consider research and development only in product development and innovation, it is also important not to treat research and development as if it existed outside sphere of business studies. As AH Van de Ven, HL Angle, MS Poole (2000) ask, Can it be coincidence that only firms with a persistent RD strategy outperform those with an irregular or no RD investment pr (p.80). Clearly, there is scope here for a great deal more research that is based on empirical data of research and development; operates with a complex understanding of research and development and its relationship with other core functions of business management looks specifically at the contexts of RD use, rather than assuming broad categories; aims not only to describe and explain research and development but also to change the overall understanding of RD and its importance in growth and development of a company. How research and development helped GSK GSK adopted a resource strategy to grow a well diversified global business.GSK invested heavily in its research and development (Â £3.2 billion in 2007 alone) and linked IT with biology to retrieve, process, analyse and model the vast amount of information for optimum results. GSK also realised the growth potential of emerging markets and drove expansion in Japan. The merger of Glaxo and SmithKline Beeckham created a diverse range of product portfolio for GSK and allowed geographical expansion GSK also grew its consumer healthcare business; this was done by focusing more on innovations and scare resources where they could make the biggest difference. Patent protection ensures competitive advantage, however once patent protection is lost a company has trouble maintaining a products position in the market, for this reason GSK maintains one of the best research and development facilities in the world and has some 160,000 RD staff worldwide At any time GSK has some 150 projects in clinical development comprising new drugs, product line extensions and vaccines to ensure their comparative advantage and their position as a market leader. GSK stuck with its past product success. These products were targeted at its current customers in their current markets. GSK implemented a conservative new product strategy by making minor modifications and incremental improvements in the packaging of their current products. At the same time they adopted a strategy of exploring market potential of their established existing markets by targeting them with extended new products. These new products were commercialized to replace old products that were running out of patent protection or substituted by superior rival products from competitors. GSK also identified new markets for its products. GSK adopted all these strategies simultaneously to grow a well-diversified business. GSKs main competitors such as Novartis, Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis also have a strategy of delivering more products of value however GSKs strategy of delivering more products of value is based on simplifying its clinical RD and by adding value to the supplies brought into the organization. GSKs strategy was to increase flow and improve the distribution of its products simultaneously they increased the quality of their products through research and development and creating global brands with a strong marketing initiative. GSK also compensated individuals who bought supplies for them and took strong steps to improve their supply-chain management. Unlike its main competitors GSK maintained a prescriptive resource strategy. GSK used its resources for maximum strategic benefit. If we link GSKs strategic priority of delivering more products of value with its prescriptive resource strategy we see that GSK significantly grew its biopharm capability. Biopharmaceuticals are medical drugs produced using biotechnology. GSK invested heavily to attract the best talent, compensated them and took maximum advantage of their human resources and development, which resulted in not just a growth in biopharm but also resulted in enhanced productivity for drug discovery. GSKs vision of becoming a undisputed market leader can only be accomplished if it has the right talent. Research and Development hence helped GSK achieve all its strategic priorities. Methodology I envision this project as an investigation of three primary issues: how research and development helps an organization grow, how research and development helps in product development and how research and development helps achieve innovation. In order to conduct my research effectively I chose GSK as a company to study and prepare a case study, there were two important reasons for choosing GSK. Firstly GSK has a very good research and development department that has contributed to its growth as one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Secondly GSK is a research based organization and hence maintains a very good RD capability which is worth researching. The first part of my research is primarily concerned with analysis of research and development in context with GSK. This is important because without this interrelation it becomes very difficult to understand the importance of GSK in a multinational business environment. I have also used this part to understand how research and development fits into a overall corporate strategy and goals of a company. This helps me understand why so much money is spend on research and development. It also answers several important questions from the point of view of shareholders who are often confused where these intangible costs are attributed and how the gains from spending on something non productive as research and development are maximized. The second part of my research is concerned with RD as a primary tool for production processes and product development as a linear function. As mentioned in the literature review this part is more theoretical than other parts as it involves research and development at the very core of product development. Figure 1 As shown in figure 1 Research and Development is at the very centre of product development in the product life cycle. Hence this area is of considerable importance in the field of business management and requires further research. It is a well established fact that any company that has a good RD department benefits in the long run compared to a company that gives little importance to RD hence in this part I tried to understand why research and development is so crucial in the long run for any company. By understanding product development with a case study of GSK I will begin to understand how research and development is linked with product development. Then with empirical evidence I will try and compare other companies whose research has helped them grow an impressive product portfolio. Next I will try and understand with analysis how other factors contribute to make research and development an effective force in product development, I will do this with a case study of GSK. The third aspect is how research and development contributes to innovation. For this it is important to understand innovation and study an innovative organization. Innovation helps an organization achieve competitive advantage which is a unique position a firm occupies with respect to its competitors. Innovation is a new discovery, which is commercially viable in a business sense, and which is not explored and marketed by anyone else. Innovation is protected through various mediums including trademarks and patents. I wanted to find whether research and development leads to innovation and if YES then how. For this I studied the basic model of the RD capabilities of GSK who have innovated many drugs and spoke with Dr Faisal Mahmud, Director RD, GSK. In this third aspect my focus was on the subjective side of research and development as a tool for innovation. It was observed that in an organization that devotes some and most of its energies in the primary research and development capabi lities do infect breed innovation. Also my research observed that most aspects of a business chain are integrated and linked with research and development. Research Methods. Primary Research: The fieldwork for primary research took place in two regions. I conducted an informal interview with Faisal Mahmud, Director Global RD, GSK. Also I conducted a SWOT analysis on GSK as a company, in general, and their RD department in particular. WEAKNESSES -Loss of patent protection. -Does not perform well on marketing practices. -Environmental performance. -External pressures. STRENGTHS -Size: Economies of scale -Patent protection. -Focus on innovation. -Good research and development. -Globally recognized brand. -Strong financial reserves. -Good return for investors. -Access to larger markets. -Experienced corporate management team. -Passion for achievement SWOT ANALYSIS DIAGRAM . OPPORTUNITIES -Expansion in developing countries. -Strong global influence. -Segmented market. -Product development -Growth in Japan. OPPORTUNITIES -Expansion in developing countries. -Strong global influence. -Segmented market. -Product development -Growth in Japan. OPPORTUNITIES -Expansion in developing countries. -Strong global influence. -Segmented market. -Product development -Growth in Japan. THREATS -Competitors. -Loss of key staff. -Political pressures. -Court cases. -IT development. -Legal controversies. THREATS -Competitors. -Loss of key staff. -Political pressures. -Court cases. -IT development. -Legal controversies. THREATS -Competitors. -Loss of key staff. -Political pressures. -Court cases. -IT development. -Legal controversies. OPPORTUNITIES -Expansion in developing countries. -Strong global influence. -Segmented market. -Product development -Growth in Japan. OPPORTUNITIES -Expansion in developing countries. -Strong global influence. -Segmented market. -Product development -Growth in Japan. THREATS -Competitors. -Loss of key staff. -Political pressures. -Court cases. -IT development. -Legal controversies. THREATS -Competitors. -Loss of key staff. -Political pressures. -Court cases. -IT development. -Legal controversies. OPPORTUNITIES -Expansion in developing countries. -Strong global influence. -Segmented market. -Product development -Growth in Japan. THREATS -Competitors. -Loss of key staff. -Political pressures. -Court cases. -IT development. -Legal controversies. I also conducted a survey of 10 GSK product users and asked them the following questions regarding the research and development of GSK Below a sample survey I conducted for my primary research Secondary Research: For my secondary research I conducted a judgmental sampling, this was done by the help of the BCG Growth share matrix model, which I used just for my research and the matrix allowed me to compare, along with sampling, different RD departments and their activities and link it, or compare it, with GSKs. This comparative studies was followed by many journals and articles I read online and many books including Corporate Strategy by Richard Lynch, which helped me not just in terms of comparison but also helped me conduct my research and analysis properly. Thus through my research I have tried to understand how GSK, through its RD, maintains a competitive advantage over its competitors. Apart from the above mentioned objectives, my project and research have answered the following questions: Globally diagnosis and treatments have improved, so people are using more medicines now than ever before. How does GSKs research and development help maintain demand for their products? Demand for safer, more effective, new medicines continues to grow. How does RD propose to integrate efficiency and safety? Ageing populations take long-term treatments. How does GSKs research and development propose to meet this challenge? Major healthcare challenges exist in the developing world with no easy solutions. Does GSKs research and development help improvised nations? It takes 10-12 years from the discovery of a potential new medicine until it is available for the patients. Can this time be reduced? The estimated cost of each medicine, from discovery to market, is $897 million but only 3 out of 10 new treatments recover development costs. Is it really worth it? Results Results As mentioned in the literature review and methodology the research conducted for this report focused primarily in three areas. How research and development helps an organization grow? How research and development helps in product development and how research and development leads to innovation. As mentioned this research was conducted with a case study of GSK. How research and development helps an organization grow? Results: From my research I found out that RD helps considerably for an organization to grow and expand. Based on facts until the merger of Glaxo and Smith to form GSK both companies maintained a highly productive research and development department but had opposite interests, while Glaxos main businesses were medicines Smithkline Beckham dealed in Vaccines primarily. Hence their research was limited in the sense of their strategy and their respective market share. After the merger both organizations integrated their RD capabilities and invested heavily in research and development. This led to many RD centers to be established across the world including in countries such as India and Australia which are considered emerging markets. This high investment in research and development created a diverse and unique product portfolio and led to groundbreaking developments in fields such as central nervous systems, bacteria, malaria and cancer. This helped GSK, a newly merged company in 2000 to become the second best pharmaceutical company in the world. Andrew Witty, CEO GSK, in an interview with the Financial Times in 2007 described the phenomenal growth of GSK to its outstanding research and development capabilities which led to a unique product portfolio and helped develop a strong position against competitors. From my research I found out that through RD GK developed a very good overall reputation for discovering new drugs which led to affiliations with organizations such as World Health Organization (WHO). Also RD ensures that new products not launched by competitors are developed and marketed which keeps the comparative advantage enjoyed by an organization and helps maintain a strong market share and growth rate in the long run. How research and development helps in product development? Results: Research and development forms the core and integral part of any product development. Business analysts evaluate gaps in the market and understand and comprehend market and customer needs. This information is then passed to the RD department who work vigorously to develop products which suit the requirements of the business models and corporate strategy of the organization. RD makes the designs, comprehends the requirements, conducts research and forms the basis and provides a prototype. This proto is then subjected to a number of tests to make sure the product meets the standard international health and safety laws and whether it is feasible. This process is very vigorous and time consuming. Once all the tests all positive then the organizational heads decide how best to market the product. Sometimes they even sample it to customers as an extension of the Testing process. It is established that not all RD leads to a standardized product and results in many wastages however without research and development constant changes which are needed for a product cannot occur and secondly product development process cannot start by ignoring RD costs and benefits. How research and development leads to innovation: Results: In my interview with Dr Faisal Mehmud he said Research often refers to basic experimental research; development refers to the exploitation of discoveries. Hence innovation is indeed a discovery and constant research helps solve unresolved problems in any field where research is being conducted. For example from my research I found that many updated versions of in market drugs that had limited cure in diseases such as malaria and cancer are solved by GSK . Many incurable diseases not have prescription. These are all innovations. Constant research invariably leads to innovation. Many innovations solve problems and are limited in scope for drugs for cancer. But constant research is the only way to solve these issues. Also as far as GSK is concerned most research is experimental and experiments lead to discoveries and innovations. Reflective Report: I started working on this report in November 2009. The fieldwork for this research took place in two regions and many academic journals, online materials, reference books and opinions were needed to complete this report. I faced a number of p-problems while writing this report and it was a big challenge. The first problem I faced was understanding RD. It is a very complex term and is used not just by firms but governments and even the military. Each RD capability has its own unique function that caters to the organization it represents. However what made this subject interesting to study was the importance of RD. When I first started my project, I remained in the forming stage for quite a while. It took me many weeks and many meetings to figure out what I was doing and split up into three broad categories. Although the forming stage did take a while, I was able to cover most of the norming stage at the same time because I started knowing the subject quite well. Once I finally formed my basis, the rest of the stages went much easier. I was able to finish up the norming and began performing rather quickly. This stage continued until recently as I was doing research, and reading journals, quite often. I performed quite well in research and spent very little time, if any, in the storming stage. Most of the storming I dealt with was with the help of other students and my academic teacher at Greenwich. I was trying to plan an interesting project, Another topic I was able to apply to my project was clarity and hardwork. Once I decided, I was able to take responsibility for different parts of the project. I learned to wor

Essay --

Liselle Mason is in trouble four weeks she ignored the changes in her body and tried to forget her recent relationship with Oscar Price., her moody classmate at Buford high but when Lissele’s clothes stop fitting, and her brother notices her growing belly , she panics because she doesn’t know what she is going to do and how she is going to tell her mother that she’s pregnant all she does is hide it for four months and act like nothing is wrong until at lunch one afternoon Liselle got so lightheaded and fainted because she was either dehydrated or didn’t eat . But the problem was she did not because she was to stubborn and shocked to really commit and say that she is pregnant she was rushed to the clinic and the nurse said to her and her mother â€Å"honey? you were hungry you did not eat here? Drink some water and have some crackers† her mother replied saying â€Å" It’s ok honey we are going to get to the bottom of this and find out wh y are you like this or what cause this† Liselle replied saying â€Å"NO mom it’s fine I’m ok seriously I’m just tired and need some sleep I’ll be better in the ...

Discuss the similarities and differences between ?new terrorism? and th

Pantha rei – as it was stated by the Greek philosopher, Heraclites of Ephesus (sixth and fifth centuries B.C.) – everything flows, everything changes. Change in the contemporary world is an extremely fast process. Nothing remains the same as it was in the past. In political science especially, some notions (e.g. sovereignty) demand redefinition. The changing nature of all things also includes the political concept of terrorism. The official approach to this changing terrorism is rather complicated. The terrorist of yesterday is the hero of today, and the hero of yesterday becomes the terrorist of today . There is then a great need to know what contemporary terrorism is and what it is not. Terrorism is a calculated use of power to achieve a political change, thus violence – or equally important, the threat of violence – is used and directed in pursuit of, or in service of a political aim . Terrorism is an expression of political strategy, a willful choice made by an organization for political and strategic reasons (efficacy) rather than as the unintended outcome of psychological or social factors . However, terrorism is difficult to define because the meaning of the term has changed so frequently over the past 200 years. It has morphed from positive connotation during the French Revolution (closely associated with the ideals of virtue and democracy ), through the revolutionary movement and finally to a religiously motivated act as it is mainly perceived today. Nevertheless, we have to ask ourselves whether â€Å"old† and â€Å"new† terrorism really exists, or maybe the phenomenon we are facing today reminds us an old wine in a new bottle. Two questions frame the discussed issue: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is the nature of â€Å"new† terrorism? 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is the magnitude of threat of â€Å"new† terrorism? â€Å"Old† and â€Å"new† terrorism are distinguishable in five points, as the table below shows . Old Terrorism  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  New Terrorism Ideological  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Vague or religious motivations Hierarchical  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unorganized (lone wolf, ad hoc) therefore more difficult to penetrate Propaganda by deed (bringing issue to the table)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  More violent (killing for the sake of killing) Sub-national  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Transnational and International (global... ...uld be considered more dangerous. The new rules of an old game make it more lethal and unpredictable. Let us examine only one example: Nearly every terrorist group in Iraq has recently captured a foreigner but additionally, they have produced an accompanying video, where a list of demands is outlined, a deadline is set, hostages plea for their lives, and in several instances, they are killed by beheading. Then these kidnappings merge a technique of â€Å"old† terrorism in service of â€Å"new† style terrorism. Furthermore, now more than ever, the media are a tool of war. These dramas were broadcasted by the media all over the world. This is how the media helps to evolve terrorism – they send the terrorist a clear although unspoken message: to maintain access to the airwaves, you need to devise even more outrageous tactics. Thus, the new â€Å"global† terrorist, caught into the trap of globalization, will have to break more rules, cross more psychological borders, and crack more taboos in order to exist. This can be considered the most dangerous feature of the â€Å"new† terrorism – not only do we not know when the next attack will strike, we either have no idea what actually is going to happen .

Educational Psychologists Essay

Lawrence Kohlberg’s view on Moral Development and Education has widened the view in the study of educational psychology. His theory provided new inputs in understanding the manner that individuals acquire information and learn. By defining these process through three important stages namely pre conventional level, conventional level, and post conventional level (UC Berkeley, 2008). It is through this that he ascertains how individuals gain moral maturity and the capacity to respond to others and develop relationships. Assessing Kohlberg’s contribution to educational psychology, he tried to critique the traditional system of teaching especially in shaping and honing moral values. Rather than shaping students, it only forces them to achieve a specific values mandated or dictated by the educator or the curriculum. It is in here that he tries to promote the concept of moral education. The particular process involves immersing students towards effectively utilizing moral discipline so as to help students react effectively based on their current reasoning (UC Berkeley, 2008). In essence, Kohlberg’s contribution revolves around his out-of-the-box approach in dealing with educational methods. Rather than being strict with these policies, he reinvented the process of moral reasoning and acquisition of values by collaborating new means to create collective norms. Given this process, students then become more reactive in dealing with the manner students react to specific moral issues responsibly. Seeing this, the work of Kohlberg is an expansion on the view of Piaget’s and often critiqued to be mainly an extension of what Piaget provides. However, Kohlberg tries to step away from this by trying to define and argue that the central element of moral development is a concrete facet different from what Piaget points out. At the same time, he tries to showcase his perspective on how collective and responsive the acquisition of morality must be. It must not only come from one source but rather through a collective undertaking. References UC Berkeley (2008) Moral Development and Moral Education: An Overview. Retrieved from http://tigger. uic. edu/~lnucci/MoralEd/overview. html#kohlberg

Porters Five Forces Us Airlines Industry Case Study Essay

The year 2011 was another dismal one for US airlines in terms of financial performance. Despite an increase in both passenger numbers and revenues for the year, profits were down on 2010. In total, US airlines earned net profits of about $0.4 billion, representing a net margin of less than 1%. The dire financial state of the industry was underlined by AMR (the parent of American Airlines) entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2011. This ended AMR’s distinguished record of being the only one of the major legacy airlines to have avoided bankruptcy. In 2005, Delta, United, Northwest, and US Airways had all fi led for bankruptcy protection. The early months of 2012 offered little hope of improvement. Airline revenues were up by 8.2% during the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same quarter of 2011. However, as a result of higher costs, net income was down by 73.6%: net margins had deteriorated from –3.2% to –5.2%. 1 The woes of the US airline industry during the 21st century were typically attributed to the triple-whammy of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the high price of crude oil, and the 2008 financial crash. Certainly, each of these was a powerful force in boosting costs and depressing demand. Yet, the financial problems of the US airline industry predated these events. Even during the generally prosperous 1990s, the US airline industry had been barely profitable. Outside the US, the state of the airline business was little better. The IATA, the worldwide association of airlines, showed that the global airline industry had consistently failed to earn returns that covered its cost of capital

Lim Goh Tong Essay

Successful business are ofter managed by what type of leaders? Successful business are ofter managed by leaders who know how to mobilize their human resources (HR) to produce better products and service compared to their competitors. b) How can a change of mindset can be the pre-requisite step for building and existing entrepreneurs to stay in the business? A change of mindset can be the pre-requisite step for building and existing entrepreneurs to stay in the business because it having a positive mindset and to step up efforts to deal with constant changes and challenges in a highly competities market place. c) What are the key factors to be considered in the exercise? The key factors to be considered in the exercise are entrepreneur must be smart and resilient in mobilizing all its resources, including HR to move towards common goals and to deal with challenges that affect the business. It requires the creation the creation of a more robust and knowledge business culture with people that deeply understand the business environment. d) What are the key factors to be considered in the exercise? The key factors to be considered in the exercise are considering knowledge as a factor that can make a distint difference and identifying emerging key and new method of conducting business and making it more competitive. e) What the factors to achieve entrepreneurial success to sharpen a company’s competitive adge? The factors to achieve entrepreneurial success to sharpen a company’s competitive adge depends on the ability to attract, retain and develop competent people continuously. f) Why is having leadership ability is important? Having leadership ability is important because it stand in good stead for the entrepreneur to help worker in problem-solving as well as to provide guidance on the right work ethics and maximize the employee’ performance. g) How to be a successful entrepreneur? To be a successful entrepreneur , one should have the ability to plan, arrange and control the business in every aspect. . Based on your understanding, give one example of successful entrepreneur in Malaysia. That constributes a lot in Malaysia economy. Give the strength of his (her) product/service. Lim Goh Tong is classic story of a rag-to-riches story. He migrated from China mainland in his youth. And as fate would have it, the two later became friends when he was on his way to build Genting. From the day he was born until his death, Lim Goh Tong did not speak English, he only communicated in Chinese and Malay language. But his language barrier did not prevent him from negotiating one of the largest contracts around. Financial. His strength could be seen from his early age involved in petty trade. He always keeps some of his revenue for future used and increases his capital. 2. Intellectual . Lim Goh Tong always did a survey and made a feasibility study whether to project to be taken really produce profit or loss. He will not close the deals unless money back guaranteed. 3. Location . Choice of location is gave him ahead of others. Genting Resort was built to encourage local people to enjoy breezy environment near Kuala Lumpur. 4. Diversification on Product Offered. Genting Group has diversified from its initial hotel and resort activities to plantations, properties, paper manufacturing, power generation, oil and gas, electronic commerce and information technology development under Genting Group. 5. Government Rule and Regulation. Genting was extremely advantage after government announced in October 2002 to restrict development of highlands. It will create no competition for Genting Group on their resort business. 6. Product Diversification . Lim Goh Tong knows to play his card. He is not dependent on his Casino business. He has Conglomerate Company dealing in Star Cruise, Property Development, Education, Construction, Oil and Gas, Investment, Plantation, Independent Power Industry and Hospitality. He has well diversified revenue and will not worry on economic trend if collapse in certain industry. 6. Favorable access to distribution net works. Lim Goh Tong relationship with all the Prime Minister of Malaysia make his job easy. He received a pioneer status from Tun Abdul Razak on his Genting business. In 1976 the status was extended another year by Tun Hussin Onn through Tan Sri Mohd Noah who is in-law to Razak and Hussin Onn. 7. Market Trend. Lim Goh Tong always follow the trend from his early involvement in construction industry. After WW2 he bought all unused heavy machinery and reconditioned it before it was sold to tin miner and rubber Estate Company for their rehabilitation work.

Individualism vs Conformity

Individualism vs. Conformity The lives of human beings are centered around the thin blue line that separates conformity and individuality. Many times one is confused and rushed, and this line is drawn too short or too long, thus being too much of a conformist or an individual. The â€Å"individual,† in the American conception, is an independent and inventive agent, relatively autonomous and morally responsible to him or herself.A widespread of specific propositions concerning â€Å"human nature† was derived from this ethnocentric premise. While these cultural propositions are still maintained, at least on the ideal level, in reality a considerable degree of dependency and conformity has developed. Conformity is, in a sense, the remedy for isolation. In the opinion of many Americans, this trend threatens standards of individualism by personal property and product, decisions amongst American youth, and conformity as a whole.First and foremost since the beginning of time, men and women were ideally allowed to voice disagreement with the decisions and practices of the authorities, they were expected to choose the occupation of their preference and be self-supporting, and encouraged to follow their own convictions and beliefs. A number of regulations have been introduced, presumably guaranteeing security and consistency of economic well-being for all Americans; these include, for example, Social Security, Medicare, and other similar measures.However, claims are made that freedom is no longer clearly tied to a social system of private property and passive government. Aside from human property there is human production. In the industrial realm, modern technology and its efficiency have resulted in establishing norms and standards for production as well as consumption. Efficiency and expediency has always been of fascination to outside observers. In the course of this growing industrial efficiency and expediency, individualistic and creative participation in the production process has become greatly reduced for the vast majority of employees.There is even a question whether the product itself meets standards of individuality and uniqueness, since it has been mass-produced and is designed to suit the tastes of thousands of people. Secondly, American youth, on one hand, are brought up in the knowledge of American history, which includes many well-known and glorified examples of individualism and are encouraged to practice this â€Å"truly American† trait. On the other hand, however, American youth are constantly challenged to conform to national and patriotic standards requiring high degrees of conformity to majority opinion.There is a widespread public opinion which perceives an expression of independent individual thinking and believing but as subversive and â€Å"un-American† conduct. One is inclined to conclude that the original individualism is now at war with a strong emphasis on conformity. It appears then that th ere is a serious discrepancy between the American ideal of â€Å"rugged individualism† and its actual implementation. A teenager has to learn carefully that this blueprint for American individualism is not generalizable and that there are definite areas of limitations and prohibitions.The fact of non-generalizability destroys the simplicity and predictability of always responding in identical or similar ways, thereby complicating the learning process and rendering the behavioral blueprint. Conformity is some sort of a psychological shelter. If one does not know what to do and are scared, it is natural to follow the steps of others so that eventually one can find a group to take shelter in. Conformity is essential to life. Humans, being complex animals, live in a society that functions as a whole.If there is a mistake, the entire system may crumble. So, they are obligated to pay taxes and respect the law so that they can stay together as a whole. Conformity is perfectly natura l. Everyone naturally wants to belong to something bigger. They naturally want to be accepted by others. However, in modern terms this acceptance can only be obtained by going further than natural conformity and stepping into popular conformity. At that certain stage Americans tend to follow the same trends in style and personal taste, whether it is music, movies, or even morals.In conclusion, individuality, like conformity, is essential to life even though modern society may not appreciate its value. At one point Americans want to be different from all the rest in one way or another. So one might dress a bit differently and choose to do things that intrigue one another. And, for once, individuals might form our opinions based on what they really feel. However, sooner or later Americans are forced to curb their spontaneous desires so that society does not label everyone as eccentric or weird.Modern life is confusing, so sometimes the vision is blurred and the choices, made in the mi dst of confusion, may force people in extreme directions of either conformity or individuality. Many Americans may follow everyone in everything they do, or may so much of an individual that they become somewhat of a hermit. Yet the trends that threaten standards of individualism by personal property and product, decisions amongst American youth, and conformity as a whole may show a sign of weakness. However, conformity may dominate the lives of Americans, but there is always the chance to make a mark, to become more of an individual than a clone.