Thursday, October 31, 2019

Hewlett Packard takes project management learning to a higher level Term Paper

Hewlett Packard takes project management learning to a higher level - Term Paper Example ency, productivity and profitability of their firm was being negatively impacted by the lack of direct training they provided to middle management; specifically project managers. Accordingly, the firm endeavored to change by providing a visionary and optimistic training program that proved to be the envy of many firms. As a means of understanding and appreciating the approach that Hewlett Packard engaged in, with respect to an overarching project management and training program, the following analysis will seek to draw inference with respect to the key inputs of the deliverables for the project in question, how some of the challenges to the project management process may be defined, and the opinion of this analysis with respect to the quality of the project management that was exhibited within the case in question and why. The key inputs that provided the mechanism for change with regard to the case in question are contingent upon the desire and wherewithal to change, investment in training, and promoting core concepts of interaction and business development. Within such a rubric, HP was focused on achieving a competitive advantage over their rivals by focusing on the quality of the training process and ensuring that the inputs – ability to change, investment in training, and promoting core concepts of interaction and business development – would serve as the platform through which a greater level of IT provision within the firm and a higher level of productivity. Of all the inputs, the investment in time and money that such a program required was immense. As such, many individuals outside HP would have been hesitant to commit such a high level of resources on a thus far unproven program that was intended to maximize future project organization and profitability within the firm. Another relevant input that must be discussed is with regard to the training that took place prior to the program being offered at all. Rather than bringing in outside

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Does Harry Summers understand Clausewitz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Does Harry Summers understand Clausewitz - Essay Example The end of World War II saw the rise of nuclear threat and we started hearing terms such as â€Å"limited war† and theory â€Å"analysis†. War has now become just a gimmick and is mainly won by theatrics. The concept of victory has been entirely modified. War and military are now just the servants of an executive. Patriotism and heroism are mere drugs now that are injected into the minds of naà ¯ve and oblivious people to make them do things that no man would choose to do otherwise. According to Summers (and Clausewitz) the system of monarchy still exists. It has just been transformed into something better looking. What conceals it is media tactics and gimmicks. Part II of this study reveals that wars can be won even in most adverse circumstances as long as the political and military objectives are kept in harmony. In the Vietnam War, American people were angry because a war was waged in their name but without their permission. Moreover, the military heads kept making all the decisions of war without any consultation and without any real support. And as a result, the convoluted policies lead them to complete chaos. US army considered the guerillas of war as the main enemy when they were in fact just a proxy force which was very well used by the

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Interpersonal Deception Theory: Example Case

Interpersonal Deception Theory: Example Case In the daily life, we are always having social interactions and communicate with people.  Therefore, we will be faced through a variety of conditions or circumstances faced by either consciously or unconsciously which has involved ourselves into what is called Interception Deception Theory which has been stated by David Buller and Judee Burgoon. Interpersonal Deception Theory means is trying to explain how is the individual make the interactions with the real lie or perceived in the conscious or unconscious while they are involving in the face to face communication. Communication would not be static because it has been influenced by not only ones goals itself, but it is also by how the interaction context. By sending the message and it was affected by the conduct and the message of receiver and vice versa. Furthermore, deception is different from the truth communication which means that intentional fraud requires more significant cognitive resources than the truthful communication, does the sender involved in the falsification creates a fiction, concealment hides a secret or equivocation dodges the issues. Buller and Burgoon define as a message knowingly transmitted by a sender to foster a false belief or conclusion by the receiver. (Buller and Burgoon, 1996: 203-242) The processes to establish a good relationship with the boyfriend, friends, family, leaders or lecturers are not always smooth as envisaged.  Therefore, we must be smart to choose the way for good relation which has been existed previously. Every person in this world will have a lied to a particular purpose, which namely was the target, maintaining their goals or saving their face themselves. Deception needs an effort and hard work. The liar has to be continued to deal with its task which was very complex in managing their lie strategy. If the lie have been too much, so there will be a leaking and this leak will affected to the non-verbal behavior. Lie will also create feelings of guilt and doubt which will be seen from the actions or behavior. The succession of the lie is also depends on the suspicion of the respondent. The respondent usually has the feelings that can be easily detected by the liar. The suspicion will be in the fact and fiction. According to Buller and Burgoon (1996:203-242), Communication senders attempt to manipulate messages so as to be untruthful, which may cause them apprehension concerning their false communication being detected.  Simultaneously, communication receivers try to unveil or detect the validity of that information, causing suspicion about whether or not the sender is being deceitful. (Buller, D.B., and Burgoon, J.K. (1996), Interpersonal deception theory Communication Theory, 19966:203-242) Interpersonal Deception Theory means that there are times when someone must lie. Lying is a manipulation of information, but someone who wants to lie should have a strategy which could be falsification, concealment and equivocation. According to Buller and Burgoon (1996:203-242), there are three aspects of deceptive messages which are: The central deceptive message, which is usually verbal. Ancillary message, which includes both verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication that often reveals the truthfulness of a particular message.   Inadvertent behaviors which are mostly nonverbal and help to point out the deceit of the sender through a term called leakage. (Buller, D.B., and Burgoon, J.K. (1996), Interpersonal deception theory. Communication Theory, 6, 203-242) Example case: There is a university student who has been in a relationship with her boyfriend since 5 years ago, and there is unexpected thing happens. The mother of her boyfriend had been in the verdict of a breast cancer by doctor when she had her healthy check up. Since the girl has been in a relationship for five years, she is so closed with her boyfriends family. She has been treating by her boyfriends parents like their own daughter, because they have their closed relationship so she is calling his boyfriends parents as Mom and Dad. The girl is taking care of her boyfriends mother because of their relationship and also because her boyfriend is the only child in the family so there was not any person who can take care of her mother except the girl. They went to Singapore continually to do the surgery and chemotherapy treatment and radiotherapy treatment. The girl always accompanies them to do all the things and helping them to go through the healing process. And since the girl is also a student in a university and she still having the class at that time, so sometimes she have to skipped the class in order to accompany her boyfriends mother and she told to her lecturers that her mother is having a breast cancer and she have to go to Singapore quite often to accompany her and the lecturers give their permission to her. And later on, the lecturers found out from the girl classmates or gossip that the girl is not telling the truth about the mother who was the girl says as her mom, it is not her biologic mother but her boyfriends mother. The girl says that is because she is calling her boy friends mother as my mom. In this case, it can be considered as interpersonal deception based on the three aspects of deceptive messages from Buller and Burgoon. There are two aspects that related with the case above which are: The central deceptive message, which is usually verbal means that there are miss communication between the girl and the lecturer. It has been misunderstood verbal communication in which she said her mom who according to her is the mother of the boyfriend who was she considered as her own mother that maybe it could be misunderstood by the lecturer who thinks that her mom was to show the biological mother  of this girl. So, there is a miscommunication and misunderstanding via verbal communication way between the girl and the lecturer which can be considered as interpersonal deception by the lecturer. And the other aspects is Ancillary message, which includes both verbal and nonverbal aspects of communication that often reveals the truthfulness of a particular message which means that v erbally, the girl said she is going to accompany her mom to have her medical treatment and care.  This girl is no intention to defraud or lie to the teacher by saying her mom who is the mother of her boyfriends mother as her own mother due to their close relationship between the girl and her boyfriends mother is already very close which causing the girl has been considered as child  of their own.  Furthermore, by the non verbal, the girl also gave evidence in the form of letters from the doctors who assume to write which it was true that the girl is coming to accompany her mother to having the medical treatment and medical care. Theoretical Perspective Interpersonal deception theory is a fraud which based on theoretical views of interpersonal communication.   Therefore, Buller and Burgoon assume that fraud is as an interactive process between sender and receiver. In contrast with previous studies of deception that focused on the sender and receiver individually, Interpersonal deception theory focuses on the dyadic, relational and dialogic nature of deceptive communication. The behaviors between the sender and receiver are dynamic, multifunctional, multidimensional and multimodal. (Buller and Burgoon, 1998) Dyadic communication  refers to communication between two people. A dyad is a group of two people between whom messages are sent and received. Relational communication refers to communication in which meaning is created by two people simultaneously filling the roles of both sender and receiver. Dialogic  activity refers to the active communicative language of the sender and receiver, each relying upon the other within the exchange. MANIPULATING INFORMATION: THE LANGUAGE AND LOOK OF LIARS Basically deception is hoax fraud information. Liars always use the falsification, concealment or equivocation to complete their lie. Fraud is usually done on the basis of motive to deceive. Usually a person who will commit a fraud has at least three goals which is to complete a certain task, to establish or maintain the relationships with the respondents, and to save their face or maintain the image of one or both parties. In our daily life, we always communicate to each other. The way that every individual communicate is different. The language that used was also different in accordance with the objectives to be achieved, so that sometimes some people think that the need to commit fraud. Based on Buller and Burgoon, they assume that the motivation and interpersonal identity fraud inherent in stimulating the text over the mark as a less honest communication. Although sometimes the respondents did not know or see any signs of deception, in theory there are four characteristics that reflect the strategic objectives, which are: Uncertainty and vagueness If the girl does not want the lecturer know about the truth that her mom who is not the girl biological mother, the girl will probably to keep the answer secretly and shortly. No immediacy, reticence and withdrawal If the lecturer suddenly say that the mother who the girl was accompany and taking care for the medical treatment and medical care is not her biological mother, the girl will probably wish that it is better that she do not tell anything to her friends. The girl might silent to hear the lecturer opinion about her statement. Disassociation The girl will give the explanation to the lecturer about the miscommunication and misunderstanding from the word her mom that the girl stated. The girl has been treating by her boyfriends parents like their own daughter, because they have their closed relationship so she is calling his boyfriends parents as Mom and Dad. Image-and relationship-protecting behaviour When the people want to do a fraud, they usually will acknowledge the existence of non-verbal leakage which will provide the signs that the words they communicate are lie. Based on Buller and Burgoon, It seems that smile might be a simple all-purpose strategy applies to cover lies.   (Buller and Burgoon, Interpersonal Deception Theory, 1996) People who want to know a clear way to separate the truth from the fraud can be through the four strategic signs that will give the right way to get honesty.  In the world of communication, it is not easy because almost all communication is intentional, goal directed, and conscious. Buller and Burgoon adopt the term leakage to refer to unconscious nonverbal cues that signal an internal state. IDTs explanations of interpersonal deception depend on the situation in which interaction occurs and the relationship between the sender and receiver. Over half of their 18 propositions involve the important distinction between strategic and nonstrategic activity. (Buller and Burgoon, 1996) Sender and receiver cognitions and behaviours vary systematically as deceptive communication contexts vary in (a) access to social cues, (b) immediacy, (c) relational engagement, (d) conversational demands, and (e) spontaneity. During deceptive interchanges, sender and receiver cognitions and behaviours vary systematically as relationships vary in (a) relational familiarity (including informational and behavioural familiarity) and (b) relational valence. Individual communicators also approach deceptive exchanges with their own set of pre-interaction factors, such as expectancies, knowledge, goals or intentions, and behavioural repertoires that reflect their communication competence. IDT posits that such factors influence the deceptive exchange. Compared with truth tellers, deceivers (a) engage in greater strategic activity designed to manage information, behaviour, and image and (b) display more nonstrategic arousal cues, negative and dampened affect, non-involvement and performance decrements. Context interactivity moderates initial deception displays such that deception in increasingly interactive contexts results in (a) greater strategic activity (information, behaviour, and image management) and (b) reduced nonstrategic activity (arousal, negative or dampened affect, and performance decrements) over time relative to non-interactive contexts. Sender and receiver initial expectations for honesty are positively related to degree of context interactivity and positivity of relationship between sender and receiver. Deceivers initial detection apprehension and associated strategic activity are inversely related to expectations for honesty (which are themselves a function of context interactivity and relationship positivity). Goals and motivations moderate strategic and nonstrategic behaviour displays. As receivers informational, behavioural, and relational familiarity increase, deceivers not only (a) experience more detection apprehension and (b) exhibit more strategic information, behaviour, and image management but also (c) more nonstrategic leakage behaviour. Skilled deceivers appear more believable because they make more strategic moves and display less leakage than unskilled deceivers. Initial and ongoing receiver judgments of sender credibility are positively related to (a) receiver truth biases, (b) context interactivity, (c) and sender encoding skills; they are inversely related to (d) deviations of sender communication from expected patterns. Initial and ongoing detection accuracy are inversely related to (a) receiver truth biases, (b) context interactivity, (c) and sender encoding skills; they are positively related to (d) informational and behavioural familiarity, (e) receiver decoding skills, and (f) deviations of sender communication from expected patterns. Receiver suspicion is manifested through a combination of strategic and nonstrategic behaviour. Senders perceive suspicion when it is present. Suspicion (perceived or actual) increases senders (a) strategic and (b) nonstrategic behaviour Deception and suspicion displays change over time. Reciprocity is the predominant interaction adaptation pattern between senders and receivers during interpersonal deception. Receiver detection accuracy, bias, and judgments of sender credibility following an interaction are a function of (a) terminal receiver cognitions (suspicion, truth biases), (b) receiver decoding skill, and (c) terminal sender behavioural displays. Sender perceived deception success is a function of (a) terminal sender cognitions (perceived suspicion) and (b) terminal receiver behavioural displays. (Buller and Burgoon, Interpersonal Deception Theory, 1996) THE RESPONDENTS DILEMMA: TRUTH BIAS OR SUSPICION? According to Burgoon and Buller (1996: 203-242) that respondents tend to think of interpersonal messages truthful, complete, direct, relevant, and clear-even when the speaker is lying. So no matter what you might say about the girl is accompanying her mother for the medical treatment and medical care, the lecturer probably will believe the girl. Whatever the reason for the assumption of veracity, Buller and Burgoon are convinced that whatever is said by people close to you, then the respondent would still believe the words despite occasional doubts. The experts of the theory found that whatever is said by people who close to us and that we love, friends and family will be hoping to get the honesty and truth of the spoken words. Although sometimes a strong truth and valid bias between each other face to face interaction, people also can doubt our word.  The lecturer may also suspicious of the doubt that the girl say after listening to gossip or news about the reality that the word her mom was not according to the girl biological mother. Buller and Burgoon define a suspicion as state of doubt or distrust that is held without sufficient evidence or proof. (Buller and Burgoon, Interpersonal Deception Theory, 1996) Phosphotransferase Systems: Regulations and Types Phosphotransferase Systems: Regulations and Types Abstract Not a single specific class of antimicrobial agent during the past few decades has yet been discovered leading to development of the new improved drugs for humans. Regardless of the enhanced existing class potency, the requirements for the new agents of anti-microbes continue. The purpose of this study was to explore the PTS system, its regulation and different PTS systems and to investigate catabolite repression and virulence factors in different bacteria especially Escherichia coli and it’s relation with the PTS system. Extensive literature was identified for this purpose to examine the ways through which the PTS system makes antimicrobials and antibiotics. For the discovery of new agents, the PTS or bacterial phosphotransferase system offer a possibility to offer new opportunities. This type of system offers an entry vehicle into the initiation of metabolism pathways and infecting bacteria for such agents. These agents are found to be active on both the sessile and growing forms and due to the eukaryotic lack of the counterparts of PTS these analogues are thought to be non-toxic for the animal host. INTRODUCTION Bacteria often live in inhospitable environments and numerous other bacteria are live in places with no oxygen. Hence, there options for generating the energy are limited. There are many clever ways developed by bacteria that may live off whatever is available and it tends to exploit these best advantage resources. In 1964 Kundig, Ghosh, and Roseman highlighted a novel system of sugar phosphorylation in one of the novel phosphorylating sugar system in Escherichia coli. It is a key transport system type which is exclusively found in the world of prokaryotes and the best-known group translocation system, a process in which an organic molecule such as glucose is transported to the cell while being chemically modified. The exclusive features of this phosphotransferase system comprise of phosphoenolpyvate (PEP) as the phosphoryl donor for phosphorylating sugar and the three vital catalytic entities present termed as Enzyme II, Enzyme I, and heat-stable, histidine-phosphorylatable protein HPr. The PTS system is responsible for the transport of sugar across the membranes of the bacteria as per the subsequent reaction: PEP (in) + carbohydrate (out) – pyruvate(in) + carbohydrate –phosphate (in) The system of phosphotransferase is often catalyzed by the concomitant sugars phosphorylation as well as hexitols and it usually regulates the response mechanisms dependant on the carbohydrate availability (Postma, et al.1993). It is a very complex system as it often acts as an environmental sensor and therefore requires performance of a numerous functions to sense and successfully delivering a desirable carbohydrate. Typical bacterial cells make many similar transporters that all stand ready to import whatever sugars are available. A complex regulatory network makes a decision which transporters are switched on and used at any given time. The PTS is also a very energy-efficient system when compared to the other transport systems in the cell. Many transporters use ATP to power the import of nutrients, but PTS uses a molecule of phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP-one of the intermediates in glycolysis) instead, to power the PTS reaction and provide the phosphate. This pre-phosphorylation of sugars primes them for entry into the energy production pathways (Kotrba, et al. 2001). In E.coli the PTS system is made up of two general cytoplasmic proteins: Enzyme I and a heat-stable protein (HPr). Both participate in transport of all PTS carbohydrates. The substrate-specific protein – Enzyme II consists of three functional domains: IIA, IIB (cytoplasmic and hydrophilic) and IIC (membrane-bound and hydrophobic) (Prescott, 2002). The Enzyme II domains are specific only for one or a few carbohydrates (Postma, et al 1993). However, in the PTS fructose transport of E. coli Enzyme I and HPr are fused together with central M domain and it is specific for this particular transport only (Reizer Saier, 1997). Figure 1 represents the constituents of the PTS system. Figure 1. Components of the bacterial PTS system: phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), Enzyme I (EI), heat-stable protein (HPr), and Enzyme II (EIIA, EIIB, EIIC). Figure illustrates two examples of the PTS system in E. coli: glucose-specific and mannitol-specific. In this project I would like to present a review of literature on the PTS structure, role and regulation. I would like to show the connection between virulence and the phosphotransferase system in different bacteria and finally to examine the ways in which we can use the PTS system to create new antimicrobials and antibiotics without targeting the commensal organisms within the host. PTS structure Enzyme I Enzyme I (EI) is one of the two universal compounds at the entry point of the PEP-dependent sugar phosphotransferase system. The EI monomer consists of three structurally independent domains which are separated by long linkers (Fig. 2): N-terminal protein-resistant region (EIN) and the PEP-binding C-terminal domain (EIC) and linker helix that separates them (Margques et al, 2006). The N-terminal region is responsible binds HPr,and the C-terminal region which consists of the initial acceptor of the phosphoryl group (His-190) which binds PEP (Oberholzer et al, 2005). EI can appear as a monomer and a dimer (EI-P) but only a dimeric form can be phosphorylated (Chauvin et al 1994). It has been recently shown that magnesium and PEP influence both forms of EI but it remains unclear how a change from monomer to dimer activates an ability of EI to autophosphorylate (Patel et al 2006). Experiments on gel filtration showed that EIN which does not dimerize lacks a PEP-binding site but is still able to accept phosphaote from HPr in reversible phosphorylation (Chauvin et al 1996). Figure 2. Diagram of the Enzyme I model showing N- and C terminal domains with linker helix (Marques ate al, 2006). EI catalyses the first step in the PTS cascade. The activity levels of EI will determine the phosphorylation state of all PTS components, therefore it plays a key role in regulatory functions of PTS (Patel et al 2006). Low molecular heat-stable protein (HPr) HPr (histidine containing phosphocarier protein) is a single-domain cytoplasmic protein with molecular mass of 9kDa. Its main function is to accept the phosphoryl group from EI. Recently it has also been found that HPr acts as a intermediate in the signaling cascade that regulates transcription of genes which are related to the carbohydrate-response system. Those functions both involve reactions of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, but at a different sites (Maurer et al 2001). The structure and function of HPr has been studied in the wide range of organisms. It was purified, inter alia, from: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Lactobacillus lactis, Bacillus subtilis and Streptococcus pyogenes. HPr consists of four-stranded antiparallel B-sheet and L-helixes (two long and one short) set at one side of B-sheet (Fig.3). Interestingly the amino acid sequence in HPr protein differs among the species however, it shows similarity in secondary-structure elements and its tertiary fold (Hahmann et al, 1998). Figure 3. Structure of the HPr by Feng et al, 2001. Enzyme II complexes Enzyme II complexes are specific to one or few carbohydrates and consist of two hydrophllic domains: IIA and IIB, and one membrane-bound hydrophilic domain IIC. All three domains can be fused together in a single polypeptide chain or exist as two or three chains that interact with each other (Saier Reizer 1992). The first EII domain that was described was the II Man complex in E. coli which was later illustrated as EIIA and EIIB (Kundig Roseman, 1971). IIA domain carries the first permease-specific phosphorylation site and becomes phosphortlated on anhistidine residue by HPr. Domains IIA and IIB are similar in size and usually consists of 100-160 amino acids residues. IIC domain can form 6-8 transmembrane helixes and has around 350 residues (Kotrba et al 2001). The phosphoryl group is transferred from IIA to histidine or cysteine residue on IIB domain, depending on the carbohydrate transported. The third domain IIC is a substrate- specific site that develops a translocation channel for the sugar to be taken up through the membrane. Some specific transporters, like Mannose family in E.coli, possess another membrane-bound protein IID(ebi.ac.uk many references) Recognition of specific carbohydrate by IIC is not fully understood, yet. Although it is known that a certain motif, [Gn]-[Iv]-[Tsn]- E, plays a role in sugar identification. This highly conserved motif is shared among the IIE families and is located in the loop which is faced towards exterior of the cell and may be a part of the sugar-binding site (Robillard Bross 1999). Also, a glutamate residue located in the most conserved part of IIC GITE sequence (Chang et al 2005) is involved in phosphoryl transfer to the bound sugar ( Lengeler et al 1990). Families of PTS Enzyme II A bacterial cell may contain many PTS EII complexes, each exclusive to a different sugar. Most of those complexes share a number of characteristics: three domains IIA, IIB and IIC organized as free or fused structures which can be coupled by linkers and/or arranged in a different order (Lengeler, 1990). Four superfamilies have been described according to the evolutionary status (Saier et al., 2005): Glucose-Fructose-Lactose (Glu-Fru-Lac); L-ascorbate D-galactitol (Asc-Gat); Mannose (Man); Dihydroxyacetone (Dha). The Glu-Fru-Lac and Man super families are well-described. They are well incorporated with the PTS and are not able to transport carbohydrates by any other mechanism (Saier et al., 2005). D-Fructose is the only sugar that is taken into glycolysis reaction without rearranging its carbon backbone. Many bacteria lack other permeases but most possess fructose-specific PTS permease. It has been proposed that D-fructose was ubiquitous and specific to primeval organisms (Saier, 1977). In E .coli the multiphosphoryl transfer proteins (MTPs) were found in fructose-specific EI-like and HPr-like domains. MTPs are domains that display homology to modular proteins encoded by genes of some proteobacteria (Reizer Saier, 1997). The IIA Fru-like domain with central M domain of unknown function, phosphorylates IIB domain which is fused with another IIBC domain (Kotrba et al., 2001). It is the only example of protein with two IIB domains fused with IIC. In glucose permease of E. coli, EIIGlc contains protein IIA Glu encoded by crr gene and the IIB Glu encoded by pts gene. EIIA phosphorylates EIIB at a cysteine residue which is fused to EIIC through a linker (Postma et al., 1993). Other superfamilies like Asc-Gat have been characterized from genetic and biochemical view fairly recently (Nobelman Lengeler, 1996; Hvorupet al., 2003) and can act as secondary carriers depending on their specificity. Enzyme II complex of DHA family displays some similar mechanical characteristics to ATP-dependent precursor and PEP- dependent complex. Role of the PTS in chemotaxis Phosphotransferase system is well known of its ability to perform many different functions (Table 1). The role of PTS in chemotaxis has been described in 1974 by Alder and Epstein. They studied glucose transporter as chemoreceptor by using mutants lacking galactose binding protein. Mutants lacking EII glu but not EII Man did not move towards D-glucose and mutants lacking EII Man not EII Glu carried out movement with the specificity for D-mannosamine. Therefore, enzymes II work as recognition elements for specific chemoreceptors however the exact interaction between PTS and receptor-mediated signal remains unclear. Table 1. Functions of the PTS. In E. coli and many other bacteria, sensory centre is composed of chemoreceptors: kinase CheA and n adapter protein CheW that are organized in group which increase the signal through communication between those protein. Studies in vivi showed that signal from PTS is sent directly to the chempreceptors ChA and CheW through mediated interactions of EI and perhaps EIIA Glu (Neumann et al., 2012). The participation of EI and EIIA Glu in chemotaxis is reflects the importance of those components in other functions. The phosphorylation status of EI is associated with the rate of uptake of sugars. Phosphorylation of EIIA Glu is affected by the uptake of other sugars, not only glucose, maltose and trehalose because of the reversible reactions that occur within the PTS (Lengeler Jahreis, 2009). Regulation of PTS sugar uptake Thursday 20/03 3.1 Inducer exclusion and catabolite repression in E. coli 3.2 Global regulation of CCR 3.3 CCR and inducer exclusion in other bacteria Saturday 22/3 3.2 role and regulation by the EIIA Glu PTS protein in enteric bacteria 3.3 The Mlc transcription factor regulated by EIICBGlc in enteric bacteria 3.4 Regulation by HPr-Ser –P on low G+C Gram positive bacteria Sunday 23/03 Carbon metabolism and virulence in bacteria 4.1 Enterobacteria – E. coli 4.2 Vibrio cholera 4.3 Klebsiella pneumonia 4.4 Clostridium difficile PTS as a potential target for drug therapy Conclusion References (124)

Friday, October 25, 2019

Entrepreneurial Revolution :: Business, Entrepreneurs

Kuratko and Hodgetts (2001) mentioned that â€Å"we are having entrepreneurial revolution in this twenty first century†. This is the period where entrepreneurs will grow like mushroom after the raining season. On the other hand in Malaysia, according to department of statistic (2009) the number of people who become entrepreneurs have shown a reducing trend since 1982 to 2008 where it had gone down to 20.9% from 25.1%. This shows that many people prefer to work with private sector or government rather than becoming entrepreneurs. To increase the number of the people to become entrepreneurs especially the Bumiputra(native people), the government has launched many schemes and mechanism to increase their numbers. Education institution has been use as one of the mechanism to promote entrepreneurship to the student in middle and tertiary education. The creations of entrepreneurs are important because they have been proven to contribute to economy wealth and job creation (Turker and Selcuk, 2008). In 1999, Audretsh and Thurik conducted research on past data from 1984 to 1994 regarding the relationship between entrepreneur and job creation issue. The result showed that there is a positive relationship between the two where the number of job rate increases when the number of entrepreneurs increased. In Malaysia entrepreneurship course was started to be introduced in some universities in mid 90’s (Cheng et al.d, 2010). Then in 2007, Ministry of Higher Education made a policy that entrepreneurship course became a compulsory subject to all students in the universities irrespective of whatever faculties ,to encouraged more development of entrepreneurs from the university(Ministry of High Education Malaysia, report 2010). With this policy, universities have become the center to foster entrepreneurship. However unlike the situation in the west, here in Malaysia the situation is different where the number of people who actually become entrepreneur is small compared to the number of people who have taken the course. This is totally difference in other countries. In the United States, for instance, many of the graduates form companies after and during their universities. In the west the impact of the entrepreneurship education have been well known as mention by Ayers (2004) where the â€Å"graduates from Massachuset Institute of Technology have created more than 4000 companies†. In Harvard more than 50% of the students have involved in venture business (Anjan,2005). Similar effect also ha d happen in early research in Europe (Harhoff, 1999) .All these situations indicate that entrepreneurship can be taught through education.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Campaign to Make Awareness About Ocean Pollution

Campaign to make awareness about ocean pollution Background The current environmental issue of ocean pollution in Dubai which is spreading rapidly due to lack of awareness. Gulf countries depend heavily on seawater desalination for drinking water. But experts warns that pollution of gulf water could soon make it impossible to treat seawater for human consumption. According to ram Prasad a oil and gas expert in Dubai claims that increasing urbanisation led to dumping of sewage, hazardous waste and toxic chemicals in to the sea (Janardhan, 2004) Target PublicOcean pollution is a sector which is not taken seriously. There is awareness’ in the government but the regulations and rules must change to reduce the impact and make the public more aware about the situation. The primary target of the campaign is to make the main governmental authorities involved in water resource management to take an action about the current ocean pollution. Getting attention of main governmental authori ties such as : * The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries The Ministry of Electricity and Water * The General Water Resources Authority * The Federal Environmental Agency Objective The primary objective is to get the attention on governmental authorities to take the matter in to their hands by cooperating . for example oil spill is a serious issue how can they help to prevent it? What new laws could be built? Secondary objective is to make the general public aware of ocean pollution so that they won’t contribute to it. MessageThe message of the campaign would be â€Å"SAVE THE WATERS† which would influence the authorities and public to act upon it. Strategy/ channel and tactics Our stragedy of awareness is mainly based on media. Trough social networking sites to spread the message. Organising events to grab the public attention. News letters on leading newspapers such as gulf news sponsored by authorities. Timetable The time table would contain the days where campaign s will be held. Time and locations. Timetable

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Hamlet †historical and political context Essay

The political and religious upheavals before and after the death of Henry VIII had left their mark on the people of England. The King had done previous un-heard of things: He had divorced two wives and had had two executed. In the brief reigns which followed, persecution, first of the Catholics and then of Protestants, split family allegiances and brought very real danger – of imprisonment, torture, even execution. Claimants for the thrown jockeyed for position. Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558 the first successor to her father, Henry Viii had been his young son Edward, ten years of age. As he was still very much under age, he had to ‘rule’ through Regents. They persisted with the Protestant reforms instituted by his father after his break with the Roman Catholic. Edward died six years after coming to the throne. He was succeeded by his half-sister Mary (Tudor), who died childless after five years as Queen. She had tried to reinstate Roman Catholicism as the state religion. Elizabeth, Mary’s half sister, although not considered a legitimate heir to the throne, became Queen in 1558 and ruled for 45 years. Although she had been brought up as a Protestant she understood that in view of the recent religious upheaval some compromises some compromises had to be made. The country needed stability and a strong ruler. Her life had been in danger before she became Queen and there were the inevitable conspiracies to usurp her position. The tragic figurehead of one of these and the object of Elizabeth’s suspicion and jealousy for many years was Mary, Queen of Scots; Elizabeth at first kept her under arrest but eventually had her executed in 1587. Late in her reign, in 1601, the Earl of Essex, formerly her favorite, made his bid for power. He failed in his attempt to cause a popular up rising, was imprisoned and executed. It is not difficult to trace this atmosphere of suspicion and treachery in Hamlet, nor the reassuring promise to royalty contained in the suggestion at the end of the play that strong and humane rule will be reasserted. There were also serious threats from abroad. In 1588 Phillip II of Spain sent the Armada, a large fleet of ships, sailing up the Channel in an attempt to conquer England by force. Another foreign threat was marriage. Elizabeth constantly resisted attempts by her counselors to contract any politically advantageous marriage and she died unmarried, naming James, her Scottish cousin, already established for many years as King in Scotland, as her successor. Social and Context Elizabeth I built on the foundations laid by her father and grandfather until her power, the power of the Crown, was almost unquestioned. To help achieve the security which she and the country, needed it was important to encourage an articulate and educated aristocracy. Education and in particular classical scholarship assumed a fresh importance. In the grammar schools – it is assumed that Shakespeare attended the Stratford Grammar school- Latin Language and literature were studied; prose and verse, composition, rhetoric, orations and declamations. Much was learnt by heart and in the upper school Greek was added. Shakespeare’s knowledge of the classical theatre, poetry and legend is evident throughout his whole body of work. How does this relate to Hamlet? The Player’s speech, which Hamlet has remembered, is part of the Dido and Aeneas story, the sack of Troy and the slaying of King Priam. Also, Hamlet and Horatio have been fellow-students at the University of Wittenberg. The others, to address the ghost, call upon Horatio. Hamlet clearly wanted to return to Wittenberg, to turn his back on the whole situation at the castle, and possibly to become a perpetual student and scholar – until his father demands the revenge which he is unfitted to deliver. Exploration There was vitality; a fresh interest in foreign countries in the sixteenth century and exploration by sea had led to an increase in foreign trade. European foreign countries hardly seemed far away. Laertes lives very happily in Paris, away from his father’s influence. Hamlet is casually packed off by his uncle to a planned death in England. There was an extension of experience and an opening up to fresh influences, which included a new vocabulary of classical and foreign words. Printed books and pamphlets circulated more widely, so that information was more easily obtained. The Elizabethan age was establishing a feeling of national community and confidence. At the same time an increase in prosperity and a raising standard of living for many. This prosperity was also reflected in the newly built theatres and the audiences who flocked to entertainments of all kinds This is not to say that dissent and uneasiness did not exist. There will still disputes over religion and new ideas can be worrying as well as exciting. Persecution of religious minorities of the mainland caused a large influx of refugees from France and the Netherlands. It is also important to remember that some of the ‘entertainments’ mentioned above were public executions. Bloodthirsty pastimes such as bull- and bear- baiting were popular. The streets were filthy and away from the main thoroughfares, in the poorer parts of the city, they resembled open sewers and rubbish dumps. The plague, spread by black rats, struck in 1592 when it ravaged the city for two years, and again in 1603, wiping out whole families and forcing those Londoners who could afford to do so to flee to the country. Theatres and all public places of entertainment were closed down. This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Hamlet section.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

The Euro Plight

The Euro Plight A single currency for the countries in the Eurozone was an idea that was brought up with the hope that this would steer economic development and eliminate trading barriers within this block. This has however turned to be a hindrance to economic growth within the region instead.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on The Euro Plight specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With the Eurozone economic crisis and deflation that has been witnessed in the countries within the Eurozone, the Euro currency has lost its value against other world currencies. It has for instance been exchanging at around $1.32 against the US Dollar in the resent past as evident in the graph bellow. Various measures have been put in place so as to save the Euro from the loss of value. One of these measures has been the purchasing of assets by the Central Banks of various countries. Performance of the Euro against the US Dollar The bank of Japan for instan ce launched a stimulus program where it was supposed to purchase assets with the intention of strengthening the Yen against major world currencies with the Euro included. This came in the wake of the European Central Bank and the U.S. Federal Reserve taking the same measures to strengthen their currencies. The purchasing of government as well as corporate bonds was aimed at strengthening the yen against major world currencies but it did not yield much as expected. Strengthening the yen only helped in reducing oversees corporate earnings. The exporters do not get maximum profits when the currency is so strong against other world currencies and this to some extend slowed down the economic recovery. The same measures that did not work quite effectively for the bank of Japan have been undertaken by the European Central Bank which is a clear indication that the Eurozone Economic Crisis is still far from being resolved. A stronger currency without the creation of jobs and building a platf orm for economic development would do little to avert the Eurozone crisis. With all efforts being made to rescue the Euro against depreciating, the currency has remained consolidated for a long time against the major world currencies hence the need to come up with other formulas so as to save this currency. The currency has lost by 0.12% against the sterling pound hence exchanging at 0.8022. It also depreciated against other major currencies like the Swiss franc were it depreciated by 0.19% hence exchanging at 1.2088 Franc per Euro.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Performance of the Euro against the Sterling Pound The Bank of Japan had opted for quantitative easing which involves the printing of more currency. This money is then used in the purchasing of bonds as well as other bank assets from banks. This then implies that these banks have more money at their disposal to issue as loans, improving their infrastructure and creation of employment by the opening of more branches, increasing their assets which then trickle down to economic growth. This also helps in lowering the interest rates and this is quite critical in economic stimulation. It encourages spending and investment hence economic growth. The aim is basically to counter deflation by reducing interest and creating enough quantity reserve hence raising the price of these assets. The extremely lower interest rates might however make it hard for the banks to sail through inflation. This measure also causes distortion on the government dept particularly given that some government borrowings are usually with extremely low rates and buying such securities and bonds are likely to slow down economic stimulation and any changes on these can have an enormous impact on the economy. Sovereigns are also likely to mismanage their finances as they might not obey market pressures hence puttin g pressure on the economy. The European Central Bank had taken up these measures in an effort to alleviate the European Economic Crisis. In spite of all these measures the Euro has not strengthened much against the world major currencies for instance the Japanese Yen where the Euro depreciated by 0.02 to exchange at 102.79 Yen per Euro. Performance of the Euro against the Japanese Yen The Capital Markets have particularly been closed to some countries as well as banks in the zone due to the crisis but the European Central Bank has promised to take some short-term actions in an effort to revive the bonds market. All the measures taken are meant to rescue the Eurozone from the Economic crisis but this is not supposed to act as a quick fix and it will take time before the recovery is fully realized.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on The Euro Plight specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More By the end of next year, it is exp ected that the crisis will be over. Investors are however very cautious on the economic situation in the region with countries such as Spain which still need to be bailed out of their debts. This has slowed down the economic development in the region hence slowing down the recovery. The tax laws need to be changed so as to reduce the dept which is having a great effect on the GDP of the countries within the Eurozone. A compromise has to be reached concerning the tax laws as well as the appropriate measures to be taken so us to save the Euro. The issue of creation of employment as well as reducing job loses is quite crucial in averting the crisis even though all the parties concerned have not found a common solution to this particular issue. The road to recovery has been quite sluggish with so many obstacles to be overcome. The Euro currency has particularly consolidated with no major variations in terms of appreciation or depreciation of the Euro. Lapavitsas, Costas. Crisis in the Eurozone. London: Verso Books, 2012.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Riordan Manufacturing

Riordan Manufacturing Riordan PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 1Riordan ManufacturingJ.Enriquez, R.Graves, and G.SweattMGT/3603/15/11Vicki BauerAbstractThis paper will summarize objectives, targets, and programs identified as important for Riordan Manufacturing to improve its sustainability practices. Relevant technologies, strategies, products, and practices will be identified. Then, a cost benefit analysis will be performed on the proposed solutions. Finally, the three best practices that Riordan Manufacturing should implement will be identified.Riordan ManufacturingRiordan Manufacturing would like to employ sustainability initiatives. Because finances are important to the success of not just the company, but the durability of each initiative, it is important to consider the cost of the implementation against the potential rewards. There are several strategies that will allow Riordan to reduce energy dependency, more properly dispose of waste, and lessen their overall detrimental impact on the environment while sav ing money in the process.Objectives and ProgramsRiordan Manufacturing would benefit heavily from implementing sustainability initiatives.Riordan Mansion, FlagstaffThis was created to answer the service request logged by Hugh McCauley, COO of Riordan. The directives of this service request were further detailed by Maria Trinh, CIO of Riordan. In a memo dated September 10, 2004, she stated:The primary goals of the project are:* Document current environment* Forecast of business technology needs in next five years* Recommendations on systems integration, acquisitions and consolidationsBased on these goals, the Operations department has identified areas of Riordan's business that will yield a significant cost advantage if altered and improved:* Not enough information being shared between customers, sales, finance, manufacturing, and management.* Customers cannot place orders direct without human interaction at Riordan's offices. Customers cannot order during non-business hours at this t ime.* No real-time inventory system. No visibility into finished product and raw material inventory...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Lee v. Weisman (1992) - Prayers at School Graduation

Lee v. Weisman (1992) - Prayers at School Graduation How far can a school go when it comes to accommodating the religious beliefs of students and parents? Many schools have traditionally had someone offer prayers at important school events like graduations, but critics argue that such prayers violate the separation of church and state because they mean that the government is endorsing particular religious beliefs. Fast Facts: Lee v. Weisman Case Argued: November 6, 1991Decision Issued:Â  June 24, 1992Petitioner: Robert E. LeeRespondent: Daniel WeismanKey Question: Did letting a religious officiant offer a prayer during an official public school ceremony violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment?Majority Decision: Justices Blackmun, O’Connor, Stevens, Kennedy, and SouterDissenting: Justices Rehnquist, White, Scalia, and ThomasRuling: Since the graduation was state-sponsored, the prayer was deemed in violation of the Establishment Clause. Background Information Nathan Bishop Middle School in Providence, RI, traditionally invited clergy to offer prayers at graduation ceremonies. Deborah Weisman and her father, Daniel, both of whom were Jewish, challenged the policy and filed suit in court, arguing that the school had turned itself into a house of worship after a rabbis benediction. At the disputed graduation, the rabbi thanked for: ...the legacy of America where diversity is celebrated...O God, we are grateful for the learning which we have celebrated on this joyous commencement...we give thanks to you, Lord, for keeping us alive, sustaining us and allowing us to reach this special, happy occasion. With help from the Bush administration, the school board argued that the prayer was not an endorsement of religion or of any religious doctrines. The Weismans were supported by the ACLU and other groups interested in religious freedom. Both the district and appellate courts agreed with the Weismans and found the practice of offering prayers unconstitutional. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court where the administration asked it to overturn the three-prong test created in Lemon v. Kurtzman. Court Decision Arguments were made on November 6th, 1991. On June 24th 1992, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that prayers during school graduation violate the Establishment Clause. Writing for the majority, Justice Kennedy found that officially sanctioned prayers in public schools were so clearly a violation that the case could be decided without relying upon the Courts earlier church/separation precedents, thus avoiding questions about the Lemon Test entirely. According to Kennedy, the governments involvement in religious exercises at graduation is pervasive and unavoidable. The state creates both public and peer pressure on students to rise for and remain silent during prayers. State officials not only determine that an invocation and benediction should be given, but also select the religious participant and provide guidelines for the content of the nonsectarian prayers. The Court viewed this extensive state participation as coercive in the elementary and secondary school settings. The state in effect required participation in a religious exercise, since the option of not attending one of lifes most significant occasions was no real choice. At a minimum, the Court concluded, the Establishment Clause guarantees that government may not coerce anyone to support or participate in religion or its exercise. What to most believers may seem nothing more than a reasonable request that the nonbeliever respect their religious practices, in a school context may appear to the nonbeliever or dissenter to be an attempt to employ the machinery of the State to enforce a religious orthodoxy. Although a person could stand for the prayer merely as a sign of respect for others, such an action could justifiably be interpreted as accepting the message. The control held by teachers and principals over the students actions forces those graduating to submit to the standards of behavior. This is sometimes referred to as the Coercion Test. Graduation prayers fail this test because they put impermissible pressure on students to participate in, or at least show respect for, the prayer. In a dictum, Justice Kennedy wrote about the importance of the separating church and state: The First Amendments Religion Clauses mean that religious beliefs and religious expression are too precious to be either proscribed or prescribed by the State. The design of the Constitution is that preservation and transmission of religious beliefs and worship is a responsibility and a choice committed to the private sphere, which itself is promised freedom to pursue that mission. [...] A state-created orthodoxy puts at grave risk that freedom of belief and conscience which are the sole assurance that religious faith is real, not imposed. In a sarcastic and scathing dissent, Justice Scalia said that prayer is a common and accepted practice of bringing people together and the government should be allowed to promote it. The fact that prayers can cause division for those who disagree with or are even offended by the content simply wasnt relevant, as far as he was concerned. He also didnt bother to explain how sectarian prayers from one religion could unify people of many different religions, never mind people with no religion at all. Significance This decision failed to reverse the standards established by the Court in Lemon. Instead, this ruling extended the prohibition of school prayer to graduation ceremonies and refused to accept the idea that a student would not be harmed by standing during the prayer without sharing the message contained in the prayer.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Health Issue Relate to Hispanic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Issue Relate to Hispanic - Essay Example Asides from this, the population faces more environmental hazards in comparison to other population. There various health promotion activities and community services that are aimed at improving health in this population. This essay discusses the health issues facing the Hispanic poplulation in America. To start with, heart disease refers to the broad spectrum of conditions and illnesses that impact on the heart. The prevalance to heart diseases is higher among the Hispanics owing to factors such as obesity, high cholesterol, tobacco, smoking and hypertension. Research has found that nearly 21 percent of the annual deaths in this population are caused by the heart disease (Vega et al., 2009). This has been made worse by the fact that most of the members of this population do not maintain a healthy diet. Cancer is the second issue that affects the Hispanic population. It has been observed that the most cancers that affect this population include stomach, rectum, breast and uterine or cervix cancer (Smith and Bradshaw, 2006). Lung cancer has been observed to be the leading cause of death among Hispanic men. In general, cancer contributes to 20% of deaths in this population yearly (Vega et al., 2009). It has been found that an active lifstyle and diet that contains antioxidants are cr itical in preventing the chronic illness. Another health issues affecting this population is stroke (Vega et al., 2009). This is widely caused by key factors such as smoking and high cholesterol that have been found to be prevalent among Hispanics. These factors also worsen the health issue in the population. It has been observed that another health risk facing this population is unintended accidents. This includes car accidents and fires. While these accidents impact on children and adults, teenagers have been found to be at the higher risk for these accidents. Based on the findings of a CDC report it is clear that 67

Friday, October 18, 2019

Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Markets - Essay Example And the effective predator will come prepared. Don't be shy about peering into hidden corners. You might see my friends there and my friends have the power. We have purchasing power and our conversations will be heard. After all, the whole idea of marketing is to sell a product. Bottom line. Sell a product. You can have your ideals now, or a hundred years ago, or since, sales figures will still be the bottom line. It's nice that you can iconolize a product, but its not that simple. Even with the Internet, hyper cybernation, and the click track repeating the mantra of "Isn't That Special", there are still the main components of product quality, delivery date, and price. These are the qualities that the product will live or die by, not some word of mouth or over blogged innuendo. The million-dollar web site doesn't work anymore, it never did. With the technology available, web sites are an afterthought. The idea is in the communication, and the idea needs to remain crystal clear. The idea needs a clear channel of communication. The idea is to deliver a product that works when you say it will work, and someone that can afford to pay for it. Your Ipod needs to work as advertised and you need a guarantee that the cell phone you just bought will work in the area where you live. Then, and only then, will the talk become as cheap as the time spent talking. The vehicle to transmit that talk Priceless. Even at its worst, our newfound c... Well, DUH! The ability to communicate instantly and intimately is one of the most interesting aspects of any relationship. But, it does not preclude a trade show. It does not make humor obsolete. By the way, I happen to like the glitz and glare of a three-dimensional romp with like-minded competitors. And there are some pretty amusing sitcoms. I wish I could trust the world of high definition flat screen electronics, but it just doesn't have enough texture. Global business won't be accepted through a Pepsi commercial at the Super Bowl and it won't be accessed through the million dollar corporate web site I gaze at 9 hours a day. If the corporate website is a dinosaur, then TV sitcoms can't be far behind. and trade shows are as irrelevant as last week's laundry. The ability to spoonfeed the public with a one size fits all mentality has certainly gone the way of the bow and arrow. Just because your conversation is interesting and more entertaining than 'I Love Lucy', it still does not require me to spend a lot of time with it. We need to measure the quality of our time and factor that into our equation for brand recognition. Our newfound conversations would be unequaled in length. And anyway, this is about getting in touch. It's nice and it's interesting, but this short conversation with you just doesn't make the payment on my BMW. As markets, as workers, both of us are sick to death of getting our information by remote control. Why do we need faceless annual reports and third-hand market research studies to introduce us to each other These are the statements of a desperate, whining man running into the open, welcome arms of defeat. Technology has a way of doing that. A way of beating you

Identify the ethical issues within the field of Information Technology Essay

Identify the ethical issues within the field of Information Technology - Essay Example A number of ethical concerns are associated with implementing the proposed integration project. Firstly, Accounting software, Graphic design software, operating systems, and virus guards can be purchased from unauthorized venders at a lower price. This is an act of violating laws regarding copy right, patents and trade secret. In addition using low price software which closely resembles the originals is also unethical. Such software can be associated with plagiarism, reverse engineering, open source code and cybersquatting(Ethics in Information Technology - Auburn University). Secondly, employees are responsible for using firm’s computers, internet facility, software and other appliances solely for the purpose of fulfilling the duties assigned to them. This is important to increase firm’s productivity (431). Workers are also expected to avoid unauthorized using of firm’s computers and confidential data. Accounting firm’s administration cannot rely only on trust for security issues like this while in the process of integrating with a different firm. On the one hand employees of two firms adapt to changing organizational structure after a certain time period. Organizational disputes can happen during this time period (Schein, 2004 ). On the other hand newly established firm has a larger number of employees. Firms use low cost and convenient IT solutions to monitor and supervise a large number of employees. New computers that are provided under this project will be linked via a computer network system. This shared network system can be used to obtain high speed internet facility to all the computers in firm. There are unauthorized means of using shared internet connections. Ethical procedure is purchasing an appropriate package from an Internet Service Provider. Networking is also important for increasing resource use efficiency of the firm such as printers (314). In addition, accessing to websites such as Facebook, YouTube eBay and

Boswell Agency; Structuring of an Advertising Agency Essay

Boswell Agency; Structuring of an Advertising Agency - Essay Example Boswell Agency being a renowned entity asserts that the Dallas’ office staffs could not complain about the salaries as the remuneration was remarkable. According to the organisation’s study, the abundance in remuneration emanated from the earnings accrued through the Blue Sky client (Kelley & Jugenheimer, 2009). The target media groups had an excess number of buyers and planners; hence, the company realized the need to expand its media portfolio in a bid to reduce competition while still revamping its authoritativeness and cost-effective. The company’s management realizes that the use teambuilding approaches within the office leads to the delivery of the intended information and coordination within the office; hence, its vision to ensure profound service delivery will be enhanced. Secondly, the retrenchment of the excess staff could lead to the reduction of the costs while still affecting the profit margins (Kelley & Jugenheimer, 2009). Evaluation and monitoring of the office’s departments evokes the vital need to improve the rate of transfers within the departments’ employees. Boswell Agency should embrace tactical account practices that would lead to the development of a critical team that will address the needs of different clientele groups despite their demographic, geographic, and other environmental differences as that will propel its acquisition of the target clientele population and subsequent profits (Kelley & Jugenheimer, 2009). The account structuring action plan approach will deliver an understanding to the management; hence, they will understand the types of costs incurred and the subsequent control approaches to pursue in order to achieve the set objectives. The agency opts to embrace a three-plan strategic approach that will deliver its objectives through the creation of positive and authoritative accounting practices that will suit different types of clients

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Current Economic Issue Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Economic Issue Article Review - Essay Example The issue was raised at the end of March 2009 by Jamie Dimon, the head of JPMorgan Chase, two heads of other large banks and the president of the Independent Community Bankers. They applied to the president Barack Obama and the  Treasury  secretary,  Timothy F. Geithner, stating that â€Å"this is a source of considerable consternation† and declaring about the complaints small and large banks have about the high premium (Labaton and Andrews, 2009). Moreover, banking industry is anxious about the stress test, which could be held by the president administrations in order to impose changes on the banks’ management that may imply appointment of new officials. Officials in their turn understand that it is necessary to take new steps, are ready to create new plans. Barack Obama stated: â€Å"You will be seeing additional actions by the administration† (Labaton and Andrews, 2009).   The problem is that the strain between the banks and the government is increasing because the government already does not have enough finances and can’t do without premium that is not paid by the bank. There is a necessary to ask Congress for more money, however Congress requires the presentation of the first program results. Treasury Officials report that the fund is dwindling and they do not have enough finances to help more banks and other industries. Senator  Charles E. Schumer states: â€Å"Between now and  Memorial Day  we’re going to know a whole lot more about the degree of trouble the banks are in†¦ At the same time, we will begin to have a good initial reading as to how well the administration’s programs are working† (Labaton and Andrews, 2009). The top priority for the government is how to make the weak institutions reduce their failing mortgages. The investigation shows that American banks have approximately $1 trillion of deteriorating mortgages, however, they did not document all the losses they have. Moreover, it was determined that banks set

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Growth MatrixWestinghouse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Growth MatrixWestinghouse - Essay Example First, it is important for the company to consider its cost of products and services. A drastic reduction in prices of similar goods and services is sure to yield massive impact because of prevailing economic situation. It is common knowledge that economic hardship presently prevails in most economies where Westinghouse has offices. To this end, any move to make customers save little monies would be highly appreciated by them. Secondly, it is important to focus on customer satisfaction. The reason why this cannot be overlooked is that the competitive advantage that needs to be built will be built mainly to attract customers. If these customers are given services that make them satisfied then surely their first option among existing companies is going to be Westinghouse. Unlike market penetration, market development has to do with the creation of new market. This may be quite costly for Westinghouse as compared to the penetration of existing markets. However, this has its own merits. For instance after studying the prevailing market for a while, the creation of new market gives marketers the opportunity introduce new line of products that meet the demands of customers. The challenge however has to do with the cost of starting the business and market research analysis to identify new customers. On the introduction of new line of products and services, Westinghouse as a multi-purpose company may have greater advantage. It is important however to go about this with a common strategy that has to do with the integration of advanced technology. Looking at the fact that the line of products of Westinghouse has to do with electronics, the introduction of new line of products that integrate modern and advanced technology would score lots of points for the co mpany (Business Ball, 2012). For example it is common knowledge that the ordinary user of a tape recorder would today want a technological advancement that features the use of a USB port that will make

Current Economic Issue Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Economic Issue Article Review - Essay Example The issue was raised at the end of March 2009 by Jamie Dimon, the head of JPMorgan Chase, two heads of other large banks and the president of the Independent Community Bankers. They applied to the president Barack Obama and the  Treasury  secretary,  Timothy F. Geithner, stating that â€Å"this is a source of considerable consternation† and declaring about the complaints small and large banks have about the high premium (Labaton and Andrews, 2009). Moreover, banking industry is anxious about the stress test, which could be held by the president administrations in order to impose changes on the banks’ management that may imply appointment of new officials. Officials in their turn understand that it is necessary to take new steps, are ready to create new plans. Barack Obama stated: â€Å"You will be seeing additional actions by the administration† (Labaton and Andrews, 2009).   The problem is that the strain between the banks and the government is increasing because the government already does not have enough finances and can’t do without premium that is not paid by the bank. There is a necessary to ask Congress for more money, however Congress requires the presentation of the first program results. Treasury Officials report that the fund is dwindling and they do not have enough finances to help more banks and other industries. Senator  Charles E. Schumer states: â€Å"Between now and  Memorial Day  we’re going to know a whole lot more about the degree of trouble the banks are in†¦ At the same time, we will begin to have a good initial reading as to how well the administration’s programs are working† (Labaton and Andrews, 2009). The top priority for the government is how to make the weak institutions reduce their failing mortgages. The investigation shows that American banks have approximately $1 trillion of deteriorating mortgages, however, they did not document all the losses they have. Moreover, it was determined that banks set

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Pizza Corner Essay Example for Free

Pizza Corner Essay 2. Summary: a. Overall Score i. With this Competitive Profile Matrix, a couple of conclusions can be made. Firstly, when comparing Pizza Hut to its competitors, it can be seen that Pizza Hut had a higher score than Papa John’s but scored lower than Dominos. This shows that overall Pizza Hut is doing better than Papa John’s in terms of identifying strengths and working with weaknesses. When looking at Dominos, however, it shows that Dominos is a lot better at turning these success factors into strengths rather than weaknesses. b. Weights ii. When focusing on weights alone, however, some other conclusions can be drawn and also differ in outcomes when looking at the overall score. The most important things we identified in the pizza industry are product quality, price competitiveness, and advertising. As a group we weighted product quality and price equally with advertising being the second most important thing. For comparison, it can be seen that Domino’s takes the cake when dealing with product quality, price competitiveness, and advertising especially in the recent years as they have re-launched and revamped their entire recipe and product quality, advertising, marketing, and offering great pricing that are mostly the best deals around. They have owned up to the past disappointments and issues and have completely redone itself entirely for the consumers. By using quality ingredients and constructing their marketing to where the consumers drive their commercials and advertising they have definitely surpassed the other surviving pizza chains. Pizza Hut and Papa John’s comes in a close second to product quality as they are fresh and quality products. Pizza Hut ranks higher than Papa John’s for price competitiveness because as a group we see more Dominos and Pizza Hut deals versus seeing any type of Papa John’s coupons. Also, Papa John’s is priced fairly higher than either Pizza Hut or Dominos. Advertising, however, proves a minor weakness for Pizza Hut as very rarely do you see Pizza Hut commercials in comparison to Dominos and Pap Johns. c. Strengths iii. Pizza Hut is the leader in global expansion and correctly identifies its target market. The company will want to keep this apart of their strengths to keep up and always be a step ahead in these aspects. This will then ensure accessibility which is an important factor for generating revenues and thus creating a loyal customer base. d. Concerns iv. Some areas that Pizza Hut was rated lower than the other two competitors besides the ones addressed above is the organic foods factor. Many people want organic pizzas and the only chain coming close is Papa John’s which uses quality ingredients, some of which either local or organic. Although it does not seem like a huge deal in the present, eventually more and more consumers will be looking for this and have nowhere to turn but the company who falls close to the mark.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Modern Methods Used In Sheet Metal Forming Mechanics Essay

Modern Methods Used In Sheet Metal Forming Mechanics Essay This report elaborates the recent advancements in the process of Sheet-Metal forming in automotive industry since this technique is considered as one of the most important issues in the current industry. Further more in this report brief description is explained on the most modern forming methods like Electro-magnetic forming, Super Plastic forming and Fine Blanking. Based on the understanding and analysis of each forming processes, the best one is suggested. II. Introduction: In the world of automotive industry a lot of metals have to be used to make the parts of an automobile. The metals found are of very rigid shapes and sizes and it cannot be directly used, to make the required sizes and shapes in the automotive industry the main metal working process used is the sheet-metal forming process. The sheet metal forming process is a process in which solid metals can be made into thin or flat pieces, and sheet-metal forming is one of the very fundamental methods in manufacturing. It can be defined as, a manufacturing process which fabricates by shaping or moulding a piece of metal into a sheet.Sheet-metal forming has a number of processes in the present world but a lot of modern processes are being preferred to the classical processes. Usually, fabrication of complicated sheet metal components requires a complex combination of various shaping processes and the final assembly involves welding, riveting and other binding methods. Henceforth a very much afforda ble solution for sheet metal forming is by applying efficient and modern processes like Electro-Magnetic forming, Super-plastic Forming, Fine blanking, Explosive forming, Hydro-forming, Electro-Hydraulic forming, etc.In this report the most modern processes of sheet metal forming are discussed and III. Main Body: 1. Electro-magnetic Forming: Electromagnetic Forming is one of the advanced methods of sheet-metal processes. It is basically called as EMF in short form. Electromagnetic forming has been in use for nearly three decades. The principle of this process is that it makes use of the electromagnetic forces to make a sheet or a part by using high speed velocity forming techniques. Electromagnetic forming works in a way, in which, a current is produced from a capacitor and it is made to pass through a coil to form a strong magnetic field around the coil. The coil is situated in the work piece, thus forming an induced eddy current around the coil the eddy current generates another magnetic field in the metal work piece (El-Azab et al. (2003)). The two magnetic fields have repulsive force with each other and cause a deformation to the work piece. This deformation is permanent due to the stress created on the work piece by the force and this is called as Electromagnetic Forming. So EMF makes the material to stretch at very high speeds. 1.1 Advantages of EMF: EMF has many advantages, they are listed below, It has very high property of repeatability because of the energy output which can be adjusted as many number of times. There is no such contact between any tools to the work piece due to the magnetic fields. EMF does not need any lubricant because there is no tool acting on the whole process and hence leaving no marks created by the tool on the work piece. EMF is basically called as a non-contact process thus it does not have any damage on the work piece. Due to no physical contact extra bits and pieces will not fall out and will thus have less cleaning to do with the sheet. By doing this process the work piece will get a good coating. There is very less time consumption in this process. There will be no friction or physical stress on the work piece as no mechanical forming methods is used. 1.2 Limitations: This process can only make thin sheets because only a less amount of pressure is applied by the coils. The work piece material will have a very short time to stretch as the whole EMF is process occurs in a very short time. 1.3 In Automotive Industry: Aluminium is the main material used to make parts for the automotive industry. There is a great demand for fuel-efficiency in present world and the weight of the automobile is another basic factor. The only possible ways of weight-reduction is by making a controlled design or by using lightweight materials. Aluminium is the best considered material as it satisfies the regarding properties, by using aluminium die-cast materials can be used to make highly complex materials form a single piece, thus it helps in attaching fewer parts more rigidly and hence a rigid body can be created by using Aluminium die-cast materials (Davies et al. (2004)). When taking aluminium in to consideration with its characteristics, increase in rigidity and passenger protection can be achieved without considering the lightness. 1.4 Uses of EMF in Automotive Industry: It is a non-contact process and no touching of the part is needed because the only effect affecting the part is the magnetic field and thus the automotive parts are made damage free. The ductility is very high. Anyone operating the machinery does not need any special training due to the process being noncontact. If there is a comparison between this method and another method, the main benefit for the EMF will be the repeatability. Due the method being a non-contact process and electrical, there is wear and tear of the part even though many numbers of parts is made which can look exactly the same to each other. 1.5 Limitation of EMF in Automotive Industry: This method being electrical, if the materials used have less electrical conductivity then there is no point in using this process. The aluminium part is slightly expensive and that can be one of the problems or the companies which use Electromagnetic forming. 2. Super Plastic Forming: This process is one of the modern processes used in the automotive industry. In short form it is called as SPF which means Superplastic Forming. It mainly involves the super plasticity which means the point at which the metal ruptures due to the strain produced in the process and in which the metal can stretched and made into thin sheets. Super plastic forming process is takes place at increased temperature, where the stress-flow of the sheet metal is less. At first the metal sheets which are supposed to be used is heated at the ends and then a gas pressure is implied when the whole apparatus is inside a simple shape or a complex shape to make a required shape (Davis and Hyrn (2007)). The process involves expanding of the materials but it cannot be applied for materials that do not have super plastic properties. Normally super plastic materials can elongate up to 10 times. Whereas titanium naturally posses super plastic properties and some aluminium alloys and a few stainless steel a lloys also be made to show superplastic properties. Aluminium alloys can expand about 1/4th during the forming process.It was first used widely in making parts for jets and aerospace regarded objects but as time grew automotive industry has used a lot of benefits from SPF. In general superplastic forming uses the sheet forming processes to mainly elongate the work piece by using very high temperatures and SPF can be used to materials which accept the properties of superplasticity. This process helps to make very complex geometry of parts. It is mainly used in making aircraft wings and automotive parts as the metal aluminium is used in which it are stretched by heat. The basic materials used in the SPF are the aluminium alloy which is quiet expensive. The process basically needs nearly 900 Â ° C regarding the alloy used, dueto this heatthe flow of the stress involved in the sheet material is low(Gallagher (2001)). The sheet material is placed on a SPF die in which a simple or complex geometry is present and then the tooling is given high heat and a gas pressure is implied which in turns deforms to the shape of the simple or complex cavity. There are many different types of properties of superplasticity with regards to microstructural mechanisms and deformation and the materials which undergo these types of superplasticity can be considered as a superplastic material; Micrograinsuperplasticity Transformation superplasticity Internal stress superplasticity The following processes can be used for forming superplastic sheet materials and they are: Blow forming and vacuum forming Thermo-forming Deep Drawing Superplastic forming with Diffusion Bonding a) Blow forming and vacuum forming basically has a die cavity in which the superplastic sheet are placed, the sheet is placed in between the cavity and a gas pressure is implied to the cavity, from which the superplastic sheet takes the shape of the die cavity. b) Thermo-forming is generally used for forming thermoplastics. In this type of forming there are two dies which in this case is male or female and they are moveable, this moveable die enables the sheet to stretch before a gas pressure is imposed on the sheet to make the required shape of the die cavity. c) Deep Drawing with heat can be imposed on superplastic materials. Firstly deep drawing depends on the hardening of strain to get the needed formability and to prevent damage while forming the material and thus has less advantage compared to Blow forming and thermo-forming. This is because superplastic materials can only harden strain to a limit. d)Superplastic forming (SPF) with the use of Diffusion bonding (DB) is a method which combines both qualities of SPF and DB, but DB is basically not a sheet metal process, since the temperatures used in the process of SPF and DB are similar they can be made use in unique fabricating methods for the materials. The aims of this combined process is to make a damage free forming process and to reduce the number of components and joints used in the processes. 2.2 Materials used: The most common materials used for superplastic forming are as follows: Titanium alloys Aluminium alloys Bismuth-tin alloys Zinc-aluminium alloys Stainless steel Aluminium-lithium alloys 2.3 Advantages of SPF: Less weight and which increases fuel efficiency Performance of the design is improved with the help by its structure Can make very complex parts which in turn has great formability Low cost tooling thus resulting in low cost of the parts Low noise and Does not affect environment 2.4 Limitations of SPF: Low strain rate The time consumption of the process in which it forms the part is one important limitations of the SPF. The whole processs cycle can vary, thus it is used on materials which has less volume. 3. Fine Blanking: Fine blanking is a process in which a type of metal stamping is used to make the flatness of metal and very precise sheared edges of a metal. It is one of the modern methods used in the automotive industry for sheet-metal forming. The process is mainly made use by the automotive industry because of the quality level and the size of the materials and tools used which in turn makes it cost effective. At firstfine blanking was first discovered in Switzerland to make small gears and levers for a watch and clock company and after that grew to be more versatile and feasible for it could be made use in the automotive industry. In this process there is no chance of fracturing of the metal while shearing, for example it can make a number of holes in a metal sheet with perfect shearing and no damage with regards to the size of the metal, thickness of the metal and how far the holes are spaced. The process can generally make very complex shapes in a quick span of time without having to do too m any procedures in the whole process. It is basically a bypass for processes like casting, forging and fabrication in manufacturing. The process is a combination of stamping, punching and an extrusion process. Fine blanking is less expensive than processes like forging or casting but fine blanking although being a very versatile sheet-metal forming process it cannot make 3-d shapes of any use, but some innovative thinking and designing can be put forth to make such products which can economically benefit fine blanking. 3.1 Working of Fine Blanking: Fine blanking generally uses the materials like aluminium, copper, brass, carbon and stainless steel alloys. Fine blanking is a way of metal pressing processes but it has got extra parts to make it unique. It includes two dies (male and female), a guide plate and a V-ring which is also called as a stinger. The male die is the hardening punch which punches the material, whereas the female die is the hardening blanking die. The stinger basically is a sharp edge that surrounds the area of the material that has to be punched. Now, there will be a pressure applied to the punching die so that it cuts the metal and it pushes the cut metal into the empty die. The guide plate helps to hold the material into place firmly so that there is no movement of the material while the pressure is applied, thus the whole process acts like an extrusion rather than a traditional punching process (Hedrick (2006)). Due to the guide plate holding the material so tightly, the materials flatness in perfect, the re is no distortion or damage and there is a very minimum amount of edge burr. Burr is actually called as rough edge of a metal after a cutting, drilling or a punching process. After the punching is done while the material is held tightly by the guide plate, the slug and minute particles are pushed away to keep it clean for the net material to start the process. With a very good fine blanking process one can make many parts in a short period of time and with only one operation. The parts manufactured can be pierced fully like a hole, or partially pierced, embossed and also coined. Many gears, levers and materials have been made by the use of fine blanking. To make a fine blanking process function exclusively to manufacture a quality product, the following points should be required: Fine Blanking Press Fine Blanking Tool Ductile Material 3.2 Advantages: Fine blanking process has got many advantages and they are: By doing fine blanking we can get tremendous flatness of material that is merely never possible to acquire by any other cutting processes, thus it does not have to undergo any other flattening processes after the basic operation of fine blanking. Fine blanking can be used to make small holes in very thick and heavy metals and it can be used on many different metals. It can be used in embossing of metals or can be made use in coining and piercing. The process has got very good accuracy in making materials with precision, control and has good repeatability in production wise. Fine blanking helps to make the edges perfectly sheared,very straight and have no breakage of edges compared to other metal cutting processes. There is very high tolerance level in the tools of fine blanking when making holes and other parts which gives very good quality to the material. Many features can be put in while fine blanking in to just one operation other than having any secondary or tertiary operations. 3.3 Limitations: Fine blanking although being a very versatile and feasible process, it has got a few limitations and they are listed below: Fine blanking can cause damage to the tools used because of the small clearance level of the whole process thus the tools are generally coated with few materials to prevent the wear and tear. In general the stinger or the V-ring consumes a lot of space therefore a lot of material is needed to be used to make a small part. In fine blanking, after the material has been cut out, burring is present in large amounts, so, often there is a need for deburring. Fine blanking process is a slow process which consumes a lot of time to make parts in comparison with the other similar processes. The equipment used is slightly expensive than more conventional punching methods. Since it is a little expensive many companies who want to use fine blanking give a lot of consideration before investing in the tools IV. Conclusion: After doing research on the modern processes used in sheet-metal forming in the automotive industry for manufacturing the latest technology which is involved in this method are Electro-magnetic forming, Superplastic Forming and Fine blanking process. These processes were more efficient and cost effective while compared to traditional processes like bending, stamping, shearing and drawing, but these processes might not be the ultimate result with regards to sheet-metal process. From the three processes discussed above the most favourable process which can be recommended in the automotive industry is Superplastic forming process. The key advantages of Superplastic forming are design structure of the material used, formability of parts, fuel efficiency and low cost in tooling in comparison with the other two processes is much better. Hopefully in the future, there may be more processes which are more efficient for the production in sheet-metal processes in the automotive industry. V. References: A. El-Azab, M. Garnich, A. Kapoor, Modeling of the electromagnetic forming of sheet metals: state-of-the-art and future needs, Journal of Materials Processing Technology, Vol. 142, pp. 744-754, 2003 Accudyne Engineering Equipment Company: super plastic forming. Available at: http://www.accudyneeng.com/spf.htm [Accessed 12th January 2010] Gallagher, Helen (2001): thefabricator.com. Available at: http://www.thefabricator.com/presstechnology/PressTechnology_Article.cfm?ID=115 [Accessed 12th January 2010]. Harig Manufacturing Corporation: fine blanking Available at: http://www.harigmfg.com/fineblanking.html [Accessed 12th January 2010]. Hedrick, Art (2006): thefabricator.com. Available at: http://www.thefabricator.com/PressTechnology/PressTechnology_Article.cfm?ID=1402 [Accessed 12th January 2010]. R.W.Davies, S. Golovashchenko, J.A. Carpenter, Electromagnetic Forming of Aluminum Sheet, Automotive Lightweighting Materials Fiscal Year 2004 Report, pp. 31-38, 2010

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Albert Einstien :: essays research papers

When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it seems like two minutes. When you sit on a hot stove for two minutes, it seems like two hours that’s relativity. I, Albert Einstein, am a German-born American physicist. I am best known as the creator of the special and general theories of relativity. I was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1879. My family owned a small business, which manufactured electric Machinery. I was a shy very child and did not talk until the age of three. At the age of twelve I taught myself Euclidean Geometry. When I was fifteen my family decided to move to Pavia but I stayed in Munich alone and finished the school year. I did not last but only a term on my one until finally I followed them to Pavia. I then tried to skip high school by taking an entrance exam to the Swiss Poly Technic, a top technical university, but I failed the art portion. So my family sent me to the Swiss town of Aarau to finish high school. I graduated from high school at the age of 17and enrolled at the ETH in Zurich. This is were I met and fell in love with a classmate named Mileva Maric who would later be my first wife. I didn’t enjoy the methods of institution there. I often cut classes and used the time to study physics on my own time or I would play my beloved violin. I passed my exams and graduated in 1900 by studying the notes of a classmate. I graduated as a secondary school teacher of mathematics and physics. In January of 1902, Mileva gave birth to our first daughter, Lieserl, but we put her up for adoption later on. In 1903 while I was working in the Swiss Patent Office I completed a range of publications in theoretical physics. I wrote these by myself. I sent one of these publications to the University of Zurich. By 1909, I was recognized throughout German-speaking Europe as a leading scientific thinker. I held professorships at the German University of Prague and at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. In 1910 my second son Eduard was born. In 1914 I advanced to the most prestigious and best paying post that a theoretical physicist could hold in central Europe, professor at the Kaiser Wilhelm Gegellschaft in Berlin.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

America, Russia, and the Cold War Essay -- essays research papers

America, Russia, and the Cold War The origins of the Cold War came about when United States President Harry Truman issued his Truman Doctrine. This doctrine stated that the United States would support â€Å"free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.† This would end up being the foundation of the U. S. involvement in the Cold War. The main idea of the doctrine was to support nations in the resistance of communism. Truman felt that if one nation fell to communism then this would lead to a â€Å"domino effect† resulting in many other nations in the region falling to communism. The greatest fear was that the Soviet Union would spread communism throughout the world thus the reason for the policy of containment. Truman felt it necessary to also provide economic aid to nations that surrounded the Soviet Union. The idea being that they would create a ring of Allies that would contain the threat of the Soviet influence of communism. Economic support would be given and if necessary military support as well. The basis for this economic aid was presented in the Marshall Plan. This plan called for $16 billion in economic aid to be used in the reconstruction of Europe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In April of 1949 nations from North America and Western Europe signed a treaty that stated if the Soviet Union attacked any of the Allies it would be considered an attack against the U. S. itself. In what was perceived as an escalating threat from the NATO alliance, the Soviets created a military alliance, known as the Warsaw Pact, with Eastern European Soviet bloc countries in May of 1955.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the Cold War there were numerous incidents on both sides which exacerbated the threat of an all out war. However, there were also several attempts at bringing about an end to the Cold War. One of the greater attempts came from Georgi Malenkov following the death of Stalin in 1953. Stalin had previously appointed several young fanatical Stalinists in a new politburo called the Party Presidium. This move limited the power that Malenkov and Nikita Krushchev had while at the same time giving more power to Stalin. Immediately following Stalin’s death Malenkov cut membership in the new politburo and threw out the young recently appointed Stalinists. Malenkov also announced that any new policies would come from... ...e Soviet Union and at the end of the Cold War became independent nations. The Soviet Union would frequently engage in wars by proxy such as the Vietnam and Korean wars. They also invaded many border nations such as Afghanistan and Czechoslovakia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ultimately, I believe that Mikhail Gorbachev had the greatest impact in bringing about the end of the Cold War with his sweeping changes to foreign policy, the economy, and the Soviet political system. He took the lead when it came to negotiating arms reductions with Reagan and when inviting new partnerships with Western corporations. Before Gorbachev was in power Reagan was committed to restarting the arms race. Later Reagan followed suit when Gorbachev led the way in the reduction of arms. The policy of the Reagan Doctrine was to fund and support resistance groups while Gorbachev worked instead to pull Soviet troops out of Afghanistan and worked to stop the U. S. supported revolt in Angola. Unfortunately, the damage that was done by the Cold War was severe and we will be working for decades to overcome the problems it created and will likely continue to create in both national security and foreign policy.