Biology Microarray Lab report Essay

The analysis of DNA using the microarray technique has become one of the most significant methods in the area of research genetics. This technique falls under the area of gene expression profiling. Most of the time, this procedure is applied by scientists in the effort to investigate a wide range of conditions. This is because experimental procedures cam be performed on numerous genes at the same time. They include researches on cancer to finding numerous solutions to the problems that are presented by pests. With this advancement an opportunity has been offered for the performance of personal DNA microarray experiments. Among the basis of such experiments is the determination between healthy cells and the cancer cells. Based on the complexity of the microarray experiments, it is vital that all scientists obtain a solid understanding on the DNA basics as well as the way through which genes express themselves. DNA microarrays have been used in the extensive survey of the relative transcription in any gene within a genome. Most of the cancer cells in human beings are found within the developing nerves. Howevber, they do not allow the complete quantification level of gene expression. Moreover, the DNA chips do not make it possible to determine the amount of mRNA produced from a relative sample with that produced from the control population. As such, it can be used to compare the rate of gene expression in a lung cell with cancer and a helthy lung cell. Therefore, the main goal of this practival test is to ptovide a way to understand how microarrays are used tostudy the gene expressions. It allows the investigators to determine the level of gene activity for a complete gene. As such, they make it easier to diagnose various diseases that injmclude cancer. Two main steps will be involved in the performance of the microarray lab experiments. These include the prehybridization and the hybridization steps. These are conducted through a number of 7 mini steps. They will involve the collection of the tissue or sample, the isolation of the RNA, isolation of the mRNA, creation of a labelled DNA copy, application off DNA, scanning of a microarray and the analysis of data (Campbell et al., 333). Different pH indicators that are colorless at neutral and colored at high pH of above 10 will be applied. They will be mixed with molten Agarose; this includes Madison, Promega, WI and V312A. It will later be allowed to cool. They could also be placed in a hot bath of 650 and kept molten. They will be melted if to be used days later. Pipettes will be used to apply the DNA onto the slides. Collection of mRNA The plate will be incubated for 5 minutes to allow for the release of mRNA. It will then pipetted in a Tri reagent for extraction. 80 uL of chloroform will subsequently be added and shaken vigorously then centrifuged to separate the cells into layers. 2 ml isopropanol will be added, the mixture centrifuged and the supernatant poured off. After this, the preparation of the RNA for spec by will be done by adding Agarose gel. The pre-hybridization steps will involve the preparation of stocks and obtaining of the microarray slide and steaming it on a hot plate for between 30 seconds and 1 minute. It will then be cooled at room temperature. It is important to warm the solution in case there are any crystals. The two slides can then be treated back to back and dipped in distilled water severally; it will be dried and spun for 2-3 minutes in a centrifuge. The slide is then hybridized by placing in a clean 50ml tube in a heated incubator. A coverslip is prepared by dipping into 0.2%SDS, then water. Blot, dry and continue to the hybridization step (Campbell et al., 338). Hybridization It includes the hybridization of the DNA chip using 3DNA array 350 protocol. Chips containing 70mer oligos and 2 copies of the known cDNAs in the human genome are used. This should be done at least 24 hours before the experiment. Make the solution only when it is ready for use. It is mainly 0.1M NaOH. The first step includes thawing vial at 7.2X. Make the hybridization solution with 50 ul total to fit across the cover slip. Incubate it at 800 for ten minutes. The entire 58 ul is then transferred on the microarray and the short edge of the cover slip placed on the short edge of the slide, which is then transferred to a 50 ml tube. The arrays after washing 2 must be read immediately since the color of the chips goes bad quickly (Kushner 1-5). References Campbell, A., Malcolm, Zanta, A., Carolyn, Heyer, J. Laurie, Kittinger,Ben, Gabric, M.Kathleen and Adler, Leslie. DNA Microarray Wet Lab Simulation Brings Genomics intothe High School Curriculum. CBE Life Science Education. 2006 Winter; 5(4): 332–339. Kushner, B. David. DNA Microarrays in the Undergraduate Microbiology Lab: Experimentationand Handling Large Datasets in as Few as Six Weeks. Journal of microbiology andbiology education, 2007. Vol. 8 Source document

Globalization & Development of economies Essay

Globalization has been perceived as a beneficial factor in the development of economies, technological advancements as well as sociological and political development. However, not everyone gains from these benefits. Instead, other nations particularly the developing states are subjected to the dangerous effects of globalization. The truth about globalization is while the benefits may be enjoyed by a few individual states, the negative impacts of globalization are felt by all the nations in the world. Globalization and the associated changes in the social work organization has led to a creation of economic systems where various corporations are increasingly moving around the world to find the cheapest labor possible. A good example is out the trend of outsourcing, which is quite common in the modern world of business. Cheap labor in this context is reproduced through political, social, technological and economic means which allows corporations to pay extremely low wages to the workers. Globalization has led to a number of technological innovations and technology has played a pivotal role in the reshaping of the social organization of work. The introduction of computers and information technologies has greatly changed the work setting. For instance, the shift from demands for physical work to mental, intellective operations and information handling has substituted the skills of all collar workers. This has reshaped the social organization of work. The overall effect of such changes is the reduction of employment and the eventual reduction in the wage levels among the workers performing physical work. The social organization changes of capitalism have intensified the effect of globalization and affected how employment and labor relationship is regulated. This has mainly been seen through the intensification of acquisition and cross-border mergers where companies value the importance of mergers and acquisitions in order to increase the strength of business. There has also been a pronounced trend of the global corporations of transforming themselves into organizers and coordinators of activities performed by suppliers, contractors and sub-contractors. This has had a significant effect to the regulation of employment and labor relationship leading to the production of cheap labor. Through globalization, employers can easily subcontract and outsource cheap labor from different states which further allows global corporate to externalize and reduce the costs that are incurred from employing directly. Outsourcing of labor makes the employers to pay low wages since they can choose to employ from states where cheap labor is readily available. The political instability, poor living standards and poorly developed economies in developing states have all contributed to the reproduction of cheap labor and global corporations are taking advantage of this. In order to avoid further tearing of the social fabric caused by globalization, consumers and /or producers of cheap labor should devise machineries to provide salient working conditions with improved wage levels. This can be achieved by setting the international wage minimums that will prevent the overexploitation of workers from the developing countries. All workers with similar qualifications should earn on the basis of a unified wage rate. The increased acquisition and merging of companies can be beneficial as it increases the strength of business in a synergistic manner. However, agreements should first be made to integrate the social values of each company and respect the rights of employees of each of the merged companies. Through this, the benefits of globalization can be reaped by both the developing and the developed states or the producers and consumers of labor. Reference: Amin, M. (2009). The effect of globalization, labor fexibilization and national industrial relations systems on human resource management. International Business Research. 2(4), 36-45. http://www. ccsenet. org/journal/index. php/ibr/article/viewFile/3910/3434

Benito Cereno †Reader Response Criticism Essay

Most readers of Benito Cereno will be surprised when the African conspiracy is finally revealed. Although Melville begins the novella with ominous imagery, the text is designed to lead the reader away from the true events of the San Dominick. The point of view of Benito Cereno is the major tool Melville uses to trick the reader. The story is written in the third person, but expresses Delano’s thoughts and observations. Most readers will trust Delano’s judgement, and his observations of Don Benito and his crew set the reader up to be surprised. Firstly, Delano’s mistrust of Don Benito caused me to suspect the Spanish captain of taking part in a conspiracy against Delano. Benito asks him strange questions about The Bachelor’s Delight â€Å"with a guilty shuffle† (188). When Delano becomes nervous while watching Benito conversing privately with Babo, I was also alarmed. The image that I was most struck by was Benito Cereno standing with his face downcast, as Babo, who is kneeling down, looks upward at his master; Delano noted this contrast, and I interpreted the scene as symbolic of Cereno’s guilt. Secondly, I believed Babo to be a devoted and loyal servant. Delano was impressed by Babo’s concern for Don Benito, as was I. I never interpreted Babo’s constant service as anything but well-intentioned; in fact, all of the slaves on the ship appeared to be good-natured. Delano even reflected on the ability of the African race to mix work with pleasure after observing the â€Å"negroes† onboard performing what he thought were the orders of Cereno. He was completely unaware of the slaves’ true intentions. I, like most readers of Benito Cereno, was completely unaware of the mutiny of the slaves until Delano realized upon his departure that Don Benito had been terrified all along of Babo; however, upon rereading the text, there are many clues as to what was going on. In this new context, the image of Don Benito looking down while Babo looked up at him takes on an entirely new meaning. This clearly represents Babo’s power contrasted with Cereno’s helplessness. The same dynamic is shown when Babo is shaving Don Benito and cuts him. Delano notes that nothing â€Å"could have produced a more terrified aspect than was now presented by Don Benito† (215). During a second reading, I was also able to notice several other assertions of the Africans’ power. The two Africans who pushed aside the Spanish seaman, and the African boy who attacked the Spanish boy were demonstrating their control over the ship and its passengers. Also, when a Spanish seaman tries to answer Delano’s questions about the San Dominick’s troubles, the Africans take over: â€Å"as they became talkative, he by degrees became mute, and at length quite glum† (197). These are all important details that illustrate the underlying events of the ship, but the reader is not able to correctly interpret them during the first reading. These events are only significant to the reader once the conspiracy has been revealed. The text of Benito Cereno is designed to mislead the reader. Delano’s point of view caused me to misinterpret the events onboard the San Dominick. The typical reader is only able to uncover the hidden clues of the story once Delano himself becomes aware of the real conspiracy.

Foreign Exchange Markets and Globalization Essay

Foreign Exchange Markets and Globalization - Essay Example For corporations the four main roles of the foreign exchange markets are: currency conversion, currency hedging, currency speculation and currency arbitrage (Madura, 1992). Currency conversion is one of the most used functions of the exchange for corporations trading or doing business internationally. Entities use the exchange to convert one currency to another. From the purchase of finished goods or raw materials from foreign suppliers to being able to sell your product or service internationally being converting one currency to another efficiently is paramount to global business. The foreign exchange quotes two rates the spot and forward rate prices. The current daily exchange rate between two currencies is called the spot exchange rate (Bodie & Kane & Marcus, 2002). It is used for immediate payments or financial transactions. The value of any currency is realized by the interaction between the demand and supply of a currency relative to the demand and supply of other currencies. I t is a dynamic market where rates are constantly changing based on the volume of activity for any given currency. Since a lot of business transactions do not require payment until a later date, the forward exchange rate provides a currency exchange rate for 30, 60 and 90 days.

Diabetes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Diabetes - Essay Example In order to reach stern measures, a well thought-out primary and community care is required. 15 years ago responsibility for care of the people living with diabetes has moved away from hospitals to primary care (Goyder, McNally, Drucquer, Spiers & Botha, 1998). Throughout this period, general tests have been established that when regular analysis of patients is ascertained, the quality of primary care can be as good as the hospital or can even surpass hospital outpatient care in the short-range of time. There are a number of outlines and diabetes management plans that have been formulated globally to advance diabetes care in the community. In contrast, empirical information indicates that conformity with diabetes clinical practice suggestions is insufficient in primary care and a huge population of patients living with diabetes remains at high risk (Goyder et al., 1998). As a result, a diverse range of involvements targeted at advancing the provision of diabetes care and acquiring a better metabolic management for patients living with diabetes have been put into practice. ... This is for the reason of trying to advance the management of patients living with diabetes in primary care, outpatient and community situations. The media is seen as an advocate of this trending issue, diabetes. The media strives to create awareness of the disease and fosters on lifestyle change. Above all, the media enforces the need to come up with a decisive primary and community health care for the patients living with diabetes. This is clear by the extent which heath care policies are mentioned in the articles and further the way nurses are mentioned in the quest to point out effective health care programs. It is evident that the media can influence the public’s opinion on a public health problem like diabetes. The media as seen in the chosen four articles published in The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post and The New York Daily News, influencing the opinions of the members of the public on the significance of diabetes as a problem and provides room for find ing what should be done about diabetes. In an article published on New York Times, In Diabetes, a Complex of Causes (2012) Amanda Schaffer states that, â€Å"Early on in type 2 diabetes you may be able to reverse the disease with lifestyle changes.† In the USA Today, Worried about type 2 diabetes? Walk after every meal (2013) Nanci Hellmich indicates that, â€Å"If you're at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, then take a 15-minute walk after every meal.† In an article published on New York Daily News, â€Å"Now you've got even more good reason to eat a heart-healthy Mediterranean diet. A new study finds that middle-aged women who do so may live a healthier, longer life.† (2013). In an article published on The Washington Post, â€Å"Yes, the nutrition advice

ITM Innovation Technology Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

ITM Innovation Technology Management - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the study of the innovation process in and amongst organizations has evolved as a multi-disciplinary endeavor. Innovation is the process of making changes to sumfink established by introducing sumfink new that adds value to customers and contributes to the knowledge store of the organization. One can use all they need to introduce some advancement and innovation, yet one cannot promise achievement. In today’s world, some companies are striving hard to bring sumfink innovative in the market or introduce some innovation in their existing products. As the market has become more competitive over the past few years that businesses now have to focus much on the changing trends of innovations, whether its technologies or strategic plans of some companies. Companies are much more likely to gain the positive response from the consumers if they fulfill the demands of the customers. However, many companies still avoid from going to any inn ovation process as they think that the unique or new change might not be acceptable to their customers. Nonetheless, there are many companies who thought out of the box and introduced such amazing products and services in the market and within their organizations that they are now counted amongst the top 10 innovative companies of the world. No wonder, every company would have to pass through some experiences, both negative and positive but the ones who surpassed the hard times and took the risks are now the ones who are the most appreciated amongst their customers.

Strategies for Implementing Accounting Software Systems within SMEs Essay - 1

Strategies for Implementing Accounting Software Systems within SMEs - Essay Example This especially relates to small businesses as their owners often lack the expertise beyond their core activities. Therefore the outcome of the research project will bring a list of recommendations for entrepreneurs based on the information concerning software implementation strategies acquired within the research. There is a wide choice of accounting software packages currently presented on the market addressing various needs of customer. In this highly diversified area, choosing the 'right' software system becomes an important and at the same time difficult issue leading to the importance of picking out the 'right' strategy for implementing accounting software. This problem requires further research, as it brings better understanding of links between accounting performance and strategies of software implementation. At first the researcher will contact from 10 to 15 SMEs to conduct interviews for gathering data needed for preparing a list of software implementation strategies used within those companies. Then the effectiveness of strategies will be evaluated and compared through measuring their accounting performance basing on the data gathered through interviewing. ... For that purpose the researcher will need a measuring system which will be developed within the research with the help of secondary data gathered through the literature review. The results of analysis will be used in the final report to recommend which strategies should be implemented with SMEs and which ones are better to avoid. Context: Setting, Background and Scope The proposed project will be based on the analysis of accounting performance of SMEs contacted during the research. Although temporal limits do not allow contacting a large number of SMEs in order to make the results of a research statistically more accurate, the project will be able to identify the most general trends in accounting software strategies. Then these trends are to be analysed from the scope of influencing the accounting performance of SMEs, i.e. from looking on their effectiveness. The measuring system developed within this project will particularly deal with changes in the accounting performance that occurred after the implementation of a certain strategy.' Project Strategic IT Value and Intention The results of the proposed research will be presented in a form of report analyzing software strategies used with SMEs with recommendations developed during the research. The recommendations on choosing a certain strategy for implementing accounting software systems developed within this project will be a useful contribution to the general theory of software implementation strategies explaining through evaluation of strategic approaches what steps a small to medium enterprise should take to implement a suitable accounting software successfully.

E-mail spams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

E-mail spams - Essay Example nsensus on a policy framework to tackle spam issues† (OECD., 2006, p.2) The task force on Spam was approved by the OECD and resulted in the OECD Anti-Spam Toolkit. The OECD’s drive against spam resulted in the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs implementing the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 (the Act), which came into effect on the 5th September 2007. The focus of this analysis is to review how far the Act has gone to implement the recommendations in Element 1 of the OECD Anti-Spam toolkit. Element 1 of the OECD toolkit on spam addressed regulatory approaches to tackle spam. Element 1 extrapolates that â€Å"the development of anti-spam legislation which tackles spam and related problems is fundamental† (OECD, 2006, p8). Moreover, Element 1 observed: â€Å"as the legal, political and cultural environments of different countries vary, there is not a global uniform approach to spam or a common definition of spam accepted at the international level. For this reason the Toolkit, rather than advocate a single approach, aims to underline decision points that need to be discussed while elaborating anti-spam legislation and examine the related policy questions† (OECD, 2006, p. 24). In order to achieve these goals, Element 1 of the toolkit proscribed that legislation should conform to four general principles, namely policy direction, regulatory simplicity, enforcement effectiveness and international linkages (OECD, 2006, p. 25). 2) Require commercial electronic messages to include accurate information about the person who authorised the sending of the message and a functional unsubscribe facility to enable the recipient to instruct the sender that no further messages are sent to the recipient; The Act further aims to encourage consistent direct marketing practices by requiring electronic messages to include an unsubscribe facility and ensure that electronic messages are only sent to customers who have consented to receiving it (New Zealand

Clash of science and religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Clash of science and religion - Essay Example On the other hand, the religious perspective of human evolution is based on the readings (Geoffrey, 2011). The readings develop the assumption that human beings are created by God. In addition, the creation of man is the most valuable creation of the deity. The discoveries of an evolution theory that can be explained through scientific evidence undermine the significance of the religious creation theory (Philip, 2009). On numerous occasions, religious fanatics have questioned the originality of scientific theory citing that there must be a source of life. Consequently, this can only be explained by the existence of a supernatural power. The scientific discoveries that explain the existence of the universe also create conflict with religion. For instance, the continental drift theory does not value the importance of religion in the creation story (Philip, 2009). The theory is developed on the assumption that the world was a one piece of land mass that drifted due to cosmic activity. The movements enable the creation of continents separated by seas. From a religious perspective, the complete format and existence of the universe was as constructed by God. Mathisen (2006) is of the assumption that religion perceives the continental drift theory as a way that undermines the significance of their deity. The author further points out that; religion increases its dissatisfaction on the theory every time a new discovery is attached to the theory (Mathisen, 2006). The modern day scientific discoveries also attract opposition from religion. For instance, modern day scientists have dwelled so much on the creation of an artificial life-form. Over the years, discoveries on human robotics have been made to justify that man can develop a more complex form of human. McRae (2010) is of the assumption that creating an artificial human being is automatically perceived as act that provokes God. From a religious perspective, creation of

The Role of Strategic PR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Role of Strategic PR - Essay Example The first priority will be entrenching the image of Unilever UK as a healthy, eco-friendly, and happiness-inducing company. With this foundation should come smaller, internal and external campaigns to spread the firm declaration of these ideas to the Government, trendsetters within the community, investors, Unilever UK employees, and both traditional and social media outlets. Each situation has unique challenges and potential rewards, and thus must have tailored campaigns. In addition, Unilever UK will push into the young boy and girl deodorant market with the introduction of Dove Boy and Dove Girl. This will utilize some of the strategies of Unilever UK as a whole, with the addition of some specific marketing moves. The first step is to analyze the position and necessary response for Unilever UK to achieve its goals in 2011. A combination of anti-corporatism and fiscal restraint by individuals and the government alike has resulted in a new set of problems for Unilever UK. The UK had a .5% decrease in the fourth quarter of 2010, and expected GDP for 2011 was recently reduced to 1.5% (Archer, 2011). Because of this, consumers in the UK will spend less than before the global recession. Thus, marketing techniques and results must be upgraded if Unilever UK is to maintain or expand its current position. Positively, commensurate with the decline in the global economy came a decline in demand for advertisements, making advertising prices in the UK through traditional media fall significantly (Daily Mail Reporter, 2009). But pure economics will not make Unilever UK’s advertising plans successful- it will take a seasonal, trendy, and multi-genre campaign to ensure Unilever UK improves its sales and image as much as possible. Also, Unilever UK needs to maintain positive relations with the government of the UK, which has taken the middle ground on corporate relations, both prosecuting (Murphy, 2011) and permitting (Sweney, 2011) anti-competitive practices. Good re lations with the media, influential individuals, investors, employees and the traditional media will depend on a personal relationship with each, coupled with the enforcement of the companies values across the spectrum of society. Next, it is necessary to determine the aim of Unilever UK for this year. 2011 needs to be a year of enforcing the values of Unilever UK. That is: always working with integrity, positive impact, continuous commitment, setting out our aspirations, and working with others (Unilever). To promote all of these values, Unilever UK should utilize a widespread campaign to garner public support. This should include traditional and nontraditional media. Also, Unilever UK should ensure the support of the government, influential individuals, investors, employees, and the media. Some specific objectives of the campaign should be increasing the positive public opinion of Unilever UK, to be determined through non-invasive surveys and scouring opinions on the Internet. If an instance of a negative public image of Unilever UK comes about, Unilever UK should respond with a reasonable out showing of goodwill, addressing the problem directly, on as personal a level as possible, and positively. Another of Unilever UK’s objectives for 2011 should be to establish a personal relationship and dialogue with as many players in the UK marketplace as possible. This means Unilever UK must establish itself as an available resource on social media, as well as

Tuning Out to be Heard Loud and Clear Essay Example for Free

Tuning Out to be Heard Loud and Clear Essay There is a reason TVs and radios come with an on-off switch, so people can use them. TV and radio are as commercial as any other industry, and they should be.   Preserving the people’s interest in available public broadcasting by presenting information in a balanced manner is a nice ideal, but ultimately a foolish one if you want to maintain a free and capitalistic society.   It is drafted in The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that â€Å"Congress shall make no law.    .   .   abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.† Yet in 1949 the Fairness Doctrine was enacted which stifled this right.   It was a point of much controversy in broadcasting for nearly 40 years until it was repealed in 1987, but now there are discussions about re-enacting it.   The FCC should not require radio and television to comply with the Fairness Doctrine if they want to maintain the rights of U.S. citizens. At their core, radio and television are forms of entertainment.   One of the initial arguments of the Fairness Doctrine was that there were a limited number of frequencies available to license and that â€Å"there are many fewer broadcast licenses than people who would like to have them† (Rendall, 2005). Following that rationale there are a number of different entertainment venues people would like to operate, but they are limited by space or money or the abundance of that business present in their community.   Television and radio aren’t essential to life; they are a luxury, a form of entertainment and should be viewed as such. It is true that they also act in an informative and educational way, but it is and should be at the discretion of the broadcaster what to publish, just as it is and should be at the discretion of the recipient whether or not to tune in.   Radio and television may be available to the public, but stations/ frequencies are owned and operated by corporations.   What they offer will be driven by public interest in so much as the public will disengage if it doesn’t like what is available. Particularly with the advent of cable/ satellite television and digital radio the possibilities for viewers are virtually endless.   In 1984 the Supreme Court in FCC v. League of Women Voters concluded that the â€Å"scarcity rationale underlying the doctrine was flawed and that the doctrine was limiting the breadth of public debate† (Thierer, 1993).   Ultimately broadcasting is just another sellable product.   Mark Fowler, the FCC chair appointed by Regan in the 80s was quoted as saying, ‘The perception of broadcasters as community trustees should be replaced by a view of broadcasters as marketplace participants.’ To Fowler, television was ‘just another appliance—it’s a toaster with pictures,’ and he seemed to endorse total deregulation) ‘We’ve got to look beyond the conventional wisdom that we must somehow regulate this box.’ (Rendall, 2005). Fowler is right; it is not a broadcaster’s responsibility acting as a mouthpiece for entertainment, providing a marketable product that we have to ‘buy’ into, to act in the community interest.   Eventually the broadcaster will respond to community interest because they are the audience and essentially determine what is played on the air by their willingness to engage, but it is not a broadcaster’s responsibility to do so.   Government should not be regulating available information because broadcasting is a consumer driven market. The only discrepancy would be if we were talking about national or local government owned stations.   In the special case of those, it is in the best interest of citizens to have a balanced stream of information available particularly in a democratic political system.   Those stations would be used to inform and should be objective and/ or balanced because citizens would be using them as trusted unbiased resources.   However all other ‘public’ broadcasting sources currently available are privately owned by corporations and are and should be exclusively market driven to protect our right to free speech. It is interesting that PBS the touted public broadcasting station was generated out of a demand from citizens to create just such a network of more balanced and educational information.   It was created and driven by the market and is funded primarily by its viewers (it does get some government grant funding and private grant funding for programming), so it is clear that tuning out or more to the point demanding alternate forms of entertainment (ultimately even PBS is still a just an alternate form of entertainment) works and there is no need for regulations. The Fairness Doctrine addresses more specifically the coverage of political or current social issues. The Fairness Doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their airtime to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Stations were given wide latitude as to how to provide contrasting views: It could be done through news segments, public affairs shows or editorials. (Rendall, 2005). In enacting such a doctrine you limit the diversity available on the airwaves. In trying to follow regulations stations will be more guarded in what they present to avoid being fined or shut down by the FCC.   It actually stifles the opportunity for rigorous debate and challenges to opinion; by either not offering up the discussion of more controversial issues or by censoring them.   In 1974 the Supreme Court, while still upholding the doctrine in the Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo case concluded that it, inescapably dampens the vigor and limits the variety of public debate (Thierer, 1993). It also runs into the issue of who decides what fair coverage is.   .   .   a bunch of bureaucratic stuffed shirts at the FCC a board ultimately designed to enact ‘rules for censorship’.   How do we ensure that their own views wont taint their ‘fairness’ decisions. With the amount of available stations, forms of media, just access to get information in general, the concept of a Fairness Doctrine is outdated when people can just change the channel or disconnect all together.   Broadcasting whether for public or private availability is still just a form of entertainment and should be treated as such.   Its regulation should be deemed by its market segments because viewers are (or at least should be) more than capable of influencing what is available to them. Viewers should also be allowed to filter their own information, seek out differing opinions; after all just because an opposing view might be offered doesn’t mean that listener is obliged to stick around.   Just tuning out is the loudest and clearest form of speech and is all the regulation that is really needed. References Rendall, Steve. (2005). The Fairness Doctrine How We Lost it, and Why We Need it Back. FAIR, February 12, 2005. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0212-03.htm Thierer, Adam. (1993). Why the Fairness Doctrine is Anything But Fair. The Heritage Foundation, Executive Memorandum #368, October 29, 1993. Retrieved March 15, 2009, http://www.heritage.org/Research/Regulation/EM368.cfm The Constitution of the United States. Amendment 1.

Limitations of Marketing Research Essay Example for Free

Limitations of Marketing Research Essay Explain the limitations of marketing research used to contribute to the development of Nivea. No matter how small or large a market research project may be, any type of research performed poorly will not give relevant results. In fact, all research, no matter how well controlled, carries the potential to be wrong. There are many reasons why research may not give good results but a common problem is deciding whether the research is really measuring what it claims to be measuring. There are 3 types of limitations of market research. These are Cost effectiveness, reliability and validity of data collected. Reliability is chiefly concerned with making sure the method of data gathering leads to consistent results. For example; Nivea need to make sure that in their market research that they were asking the same questions asked of each person, was the sample big enough and reflective of the people who will use/buy the product would the same results be obtained from a different set of people. Reliability estimates the degree to which a product is measures in contrast to validity which involves the degree of accuracy. In research, Nivea will want to use measurement tools that are both reliable and valid. They will want to create questions that offer consistent responses when asked multiple times as this shows reliability. Validity asks whether the research measured what it intended to. Validity implies reliability: a valid measure must be reliable. But reliability does not necessarily imply validity: a reliable measure need not be valid. Validity is usually considered more important than reliability, because if an instrument does not accurately measure what it is supposed to, there is no reason to use it even if it measures reliably. Nivea needs to consider when carrying out their market research for a product is does the product measure what it claims to measure and is it accurate, this reduces the chances of the business making the wrong decision. If they so happen to make the wrong decision this will affect one of its marketing objectives which is to retain customers and gain new ones, if the validity of their data is not correct then they will not reach this marketing objectives as customers opinions of the company will differ. Costs are also an important consideration in market research, Nivea need to consider whether or not the product theyre promoting is cost effective. Their market research has to weigh up the cost of undertaking the research against the potential benefits that may result. You could spend a lot of time and effort in trying to solve a problem through market research, only to find that the solution may not be worth implementing. Also, marketing is one of the few areas of a budget that can be reigned in without hurting Nivea too much as they are a very successful business however, one of their marketing plans is to continue producing successful skin products and boost sales yearly. To do this they have a few cost-effective ways that a company can market its products. Search Engine Optimization- Niveas customers are no longer waiting for direct mail pieces to arrive before ordering–they are finding products when they want them through Internet searches. In fact, almost 90% of new visitors to a web site originate from major search engines. And clearly, a top ranking on Google can translate into hundreds or thousands of visitors– and orders–a month. As web pages proliferate, increasingly more aggressive search engine optimization strategies are needed to remain visible to Niveas customers. Permission-based Email Marketing. Permission is the difference between legitimate email marketing and spam, turning email marketing into a highly cost effective marketing strategy. The idea is simple and time tested: Nivea deliver highly relevant, timely, and personalized email messages to their customers and prospects at a fraction of the cost of direct mail to avoid any cost limitations. 3. Public Relations- News releases, white papers, case studies, awards, and sponsorships of educational events are just a few of the relatively inexpensive ways Nivea keep their brand name in front of other competitors. Although these methods have succeeded so far for them in the near future they will have to alter their methods as well as their approach to the types of market research they decide to carry out, otherwise poor market research will increase the chances of Nivea making a wrong decision. D2) Make and justify three recommendations for improving the validity (the extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure) of the marketing research used to contribute to the development of your chosen organisation’s marketing plans. In this assignment I will be explaining how Nivea uses marketing research for its marketing planning by applying a Marketing Planning Process Model, a SWOT analysis on Nivea – giving at least 3 factors for each box) and their SMART objectives (stating what their business objectives are/might be) Marketing planning is concerned with establishing objectives and goals, allocating resources to meet these and setting out a clear plan of action. It also involves setting out ways of evaluating performance against marketing targets. Typically, the marketing planning process involves: a PESTLE audit, a SWOT analysis, setting SMART objectives, determining strategy and tactics, implementing strategy and tactics and evaluating effectiveness of marketing activity. A Marketing planning process model involves a PESTLE and SWOT As part of the marketing planning process, Nivea has to analyse its external environment. One useful way of analysing the external environment is by grouping external forces into six areas using a PESTLE analysis. PESTLE stands for political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental influences. Political factors that affect a business are usually beyond the control of the organisation. However, the business needs to anticipate changes and identify the action it needs to take to either make the most of an opportunity or mitigate a threat. For example, a political factor that Nivea need to consider is that during a recession, any banks or financial services providers would have to consider the likely government scrutiny of any of their business decisions. Economic factors can affect the performance of a business. These relate to he national – or international economy. A economic factor that can affect Nivea are the periods of prosperity that they go through. This can happen in three ways for example when high employment and income drives demand within the organisation. It can also happen in the form of recession when demand falls, leading to lower income and employment within their organisation. Furthermore, in the form of recovery, when demand, income and employment gradually rise within the business. Social factors relate to the values and beliefs of society. This includes the population’s demographics (for example, size, gender, ethnicity, income, education, occupation). These social factors provide useful information for Nivea as it allows them to target their services at broad segments of the population, such as newspapers and magazines. Technological developments can affect businesses in a range of ways. For example, the development of e-commerce benefited business such Amazon. co. uk. Due to the rise in e-commerce Nivea had to produce a e-commerce website which eventually took business away from traditional shops.. Legal developments affect businesses in a range of ways. For example, if there was a change to the Data Protection Act it would affect Nivea and all other businesses that hold customer data. For example If a change in the act occurred then Nivea may not be able to expressly agree to the use of personal data for advertising or marketing purposes any more. Environmental factors can relate to the social, political and legal aspects affecting a business. For example, if Nivea decide to package their cream products in recyclable packaging. This may prove to be popular with consumers if there is a growing level of concern over waste. Similarly, the government may put pressure on businesses to increase the amount of recycling. SWOT analysis A useful approach to examining the relationship between a business and its marketing environment is by conducting a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for: †¢ Strengths †¢ Weaknesses †¢ Opportunities and Threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal to the business and can include issues such as the buildings, quality of the staff, IT systems and so on. The external element looks at the opportunities and threats present in the environment in which the organisation operates. Carrying out a SWOT analysis requires research into an organisation’s current and future position. The idea is to match an organisation’s strengths and weaknesses with the external forces (opportunities and threats). SWOT analysis draws together all the evidence from the various analytical techniques used. It is a way of producing a summary, which then provides the basis for developing marketing objectives or aims and ultimately strategies or plans. Strengths refer to the internal features of Nivea, which provide a competitive advantage. An example could be a highly efficient IT system which they use to design their products. The company also has a sound financial base, so it had the resources to put together a strong marketing campaign. Also, Nivea has staff with relevant skills – researchers with the scientific skills to develop products that men want and marketing staff with the skills to help promote these products effectively. Weaknesses are internal aspects of the organisation, which may not stand comparison with competition or are not performing effectively. An example might be major concerns and questions that Nivea have when launching a product For example; Was the product range still relevant for the target audience? Did it have the right sales and distribution outlets? Was its market research up-to-date? Opportunities focus on events and developments external to an organisation. This might include new territories for a product or service. Opportunities that Nivea will want to undertake is to open a new segment of a market. Also, NIVEA FOR MEN had seen an increase in the sales of male skincare products and it wants a greater share of this market, Nivea might might consider this. Furthermore, the company wants to take advantage of changing social attitudes such as men becoming more open, or certainly less resistant, to facial skincare products. Threats are developments external to the organisations, which could damage overall performance. These threats can originate from governmental policy, such as an increase in corporation tax or new laws. Threats to Nivea are consumers who are becoming more knowledgeable and price conscious. They often expect sales promotions such as discounts and offers. Also, the risk of competitors entering the market.

Space For The New Orthopedic Service Line

Space For The New Orthopedic Service Line Before the decision to build is determined there are several mitigating factors that must be considered first which are: creating customer surveys based on more defined community interest, doing market research to see the location to build the facility, taking time with the other specialist or constituent groups to listen to their input on building the facility given their past knowledge, taking time to focus on the other nonprofits within the city and the state to analyze their strategic positions, and any other knowledge source that can be utilized to make the best decision on building the medical office. The consideration to focus would be to meet the needs of our possible primary customers or patients, any supporting current customers, professional medical staff, board members of the hospital or medical group in order to meet the expectations of the five year strategic plan. Another decision could be to focus not on having patients come to us but building the office in neighborhood communities which is the new focus for building smaller medical office next to shopping which makes it more convenient for patients. In reviewing the advantages of building the new facility there are slight amounts given location of the facility such as if the facility was built on campus it would cost an estimated amount of $600,000 versus the facility being build next to the campus which is a slight increase of $700,000 which is a difference of only 100,000. By building a secondary facility there would be additional cost for building an additional MRI which would be approximately $3,000,000 however, the off-set would be additional patients could utilize the MRI which would increase revenue. By building the facility the physician group is able to use the concept of build-to-suit in order to design a facility that has the capability to focus on space efficiency and maximize productivity. When mapping out plans for building a facility one aspect is the cost of per square foot to focus on. So if our medical office is between 6,000-7,000 and $350.00 per square foot which includes the land purchase price which would equal maximum of $2,450,000. However, if we build an office that is 10,000 square foot the price drops by $200.00 per square foot which then equals $1,500,000 which would be less than the first amount the better decision would be to build the 10,000 square foot building so in essence there would be more building at less cost and room to expand. When a medical institution is considering expanding it is highly essential to focus on the four areas listed below: Quality and Safety Service Excellence Staff Achievement Growth and Profitability By building a facility the focus will have a stronger success rate given the individualized location and being able to have a bigger impact based on being blended in with the hospital numbers. If the building were built the classes attendance might increase to >75% and the CMS orthopedic indicator set could also increase to >90th percentile which would specifically improve the quality and safety focus. By being in a location that is accessible by patients the best marketing tool is by word of mouth of the patients and they might be likely to increase the score of this measure of >90th percentage as well as the physician satisfaction score which all in all would meet the service excellence measures of the facility given the location the building is built in. The other aspect would be having a close medical office that specializes in orthopedics might decrease consensus of the hospital by decreasing the surgeries which is at 14,800 and decreasing the number of ER visits which is currently 36,100 which in turns would increase revenue of the medical office. By branching off from the hospital and building a facility the physician group would start from the beginning and higher the best orthopedic nursing staff to care for the patients and given the positive environment of the new office the retention rate of the staff would increase to >90% which would improve the staff achievement measures. Lastly, the surgical cases could increase to over 2100, and the physical therapy visits could increase to over 6,500 given the size of the building and amount of physicians of therapists that were hired to care for patients. This would in-turn increase the margin of greater than $2,171,500 which would exceed the growth and profitability measures. Another measure to focus on is the tax factor because a business can deduct the taxes taken out on the structure on an annual basis which can be a great cost savings including deducting interest on the purchase loan, property taxes and other qualifying expenses. Building this medical office it would implement a successful strategic plan outlined in the boards five year plan and increase not only in volume and improved financial performance for the hospital business. It will in-turn increase services offered to the community by using the most advanced approaches to prevent, or diagnose, including treating disease processes impacting thousands in the community. b. BUYING SPACE FOR THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC SERVICE LINE. Advantages of buying would include the tax benefits for example the interest on property taxes including mortgage could be tax-deductable and the investment property alone could possibly depreciate and the costs included with owning this type of space deemed as commercial could also be tax deductable. When buying a pre-existing building it gives more opportunity to convert the space to the business needs which can include building onto the existing property, or reconfiguring the property for a better business flow effect or even removal of certain parts of the property. The tax factor would also include any type of improvements that are made to a commercial real estate investment could be deducted for up to 39 years. A depreciation of a building could be taken into account for 39 years as well which is another advantage. If the building is purchased for $251,000 and say the land it stands on is valued at $61,000 then the company could write off a bit less than $5,500 annually. The annual interest can also be deducted on the purchase loan, any type of property taxes and additional expenses that qualify under tax codes. When borrowing money for a commercial investment from any lender the percentage could be between 60%-80% or even higher given the increase for being medical users which could be up to 90% for a acquisition cost or project cost which can require a type of investment of the left over cash and stipulate that the difference in cash be reinvested in the business anywhere between 10%-40%. A bank lender could require a higher down payment but in exchange include a reasonable borrowing term would be negotiated in the contracts. The advantage to buying a commercial building is that a bank lender looks at owner-occupied type businesses in a medical capacity more favorably and would grant the request for lending. In buying a commercial building there would be no rent adjustments and the mortgage would be a set amount each month so that there is a clear idea of any costs in the future. The fixed/variable cost factor is costs that would be set especially if the fixed-rate type of loan was issued for the property. As a selling point to owning commercial property if the value of the property has increased that is another advantage for making increased profit. The appreciation factor is considered a second business for example it could be considered real estate investing by the company. If there is additional unused space the decision could be made to rent out parts of the building to outside opportunities to create additional income from the rent of those parties. c. LEASING SPACE FOR THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC SERVICE LINE. Leasing advantages to physicians could be a great opportunity for using the finances to invest in the latest and greatest medical technology of equipment or computerized electronic medical record systems instead of using cash for building or buying a medical office and having cash tied up in investment properties. Leasing is better on a business cash flow because when purchasing occurs there is a large amount of finance tied up in the equity of the building itself. By leasing advantage it really wont require a large amount of capital to start. By having this money available which is known as working capital it opens the door to new opportunities that can arise in the future. When leasing a building it makes it simpler to be able to move into prime locations in the future such as a neighborhood medical office mixed in with shopping malls and this in-turn will eliminate the task of hiring a real estate agent and all that is involved with selling the property before vacating. By leasing the medical office building the money paid in the lease could possibly be used as a tax deduction. Using the cash outlay factor effect the company would not have to put forth much money as it would if building or buying a medical office. The growth factor would focus on if the space is outgrown given the amount of patients seen by the physicians in the medical office within the five year plan then the decision could be made to purchase or buy a larger building. If part of the building was leased to several different businesses and the owner was occupying part of the building than it is money in the bank by vacating that particular space and moving to a larger one but still having other businesses resume the open space. In some instances if more space was needed to expand and the office space was available by the owner then leasing more of that medical office space could be an opportunity to expand without the cost of purchasing a building which would eliminate the cost of moving. 2. DISCUSS THE DISADVANTAGES (LIABILITIES AND RISKS) FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS: a. BUILDING SPACE FOR THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC SERVICE LINE. Part of building the facility takes into account the site selection either on the hospital campus or off campus and analysis, any land development and regulatory approvals that must be followed, management of the design professionals and consultants specific to technology. The most important piece would be the knowledge of medical office building designs and the appropriate licensing and permit requirements by city and state required could be costly by having to hire the professional that has up to date knowledge and experience. Another important aspect is the regulatory approvals based on healthcare facilities and any start-up requirements mandated specifically to specialized practices such as orthopedics to include day surgery or procedures and radiation MRI buildings that could be a costly disadvantage. All of these specialized areas could be a building disadvantage if the wrong person is making the decisions because fines and penalties could be imposed if there are mistakes. Another piece to consider is the cost of construction companies to build the office which could be decided by requesting competitive bids from the construction companies and then choosing the best bid for the job given the specifications of the project. The bids themselves could be a disadvantage because of the time it takes to get the bids needed in order to make the decision. The other price to focus goes with construction such as the producer price index of materials. As the economy improves in society the price of the finished product could increase based on increased cost of materials. Building a facility is really the deployment of capital that is being considered on all aspects of this project and is seen as a very large disadvantage because the capital is tied up. The growth factor cold be a disadvantage given today buying a building is the current need and maybe attractive to the business at this time. However, this disadvantage cant predict 100% what the business will need in space or the growth in the next 5-10 year span. Time is money and the disadvantage of building would mean that there would need to be made contracts of negotiation created and signed for not only the construction company that will build the facility but also the companies in which the materials to be used would need contracts specific to price and the negotiation that would need to occur for pricing. These contracts would need to be negotiated so that both parties come to agreements on the terms and this could take up to 90 days to complete in some cases. b. BUYING SPACE FOR THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC SERVICE LINE. Buying disadvantages would be there would be more upfront costs than expected. The initial capital would include a down payment, and the possibility of improvements to property which increases cost and this would include any type of property appraisals and maintenance costs. There should also be an analysis of the cost of this opportunity of the money being spent and what other options are available if the buying of the medical office wasnt an option which if an analysis wasnt completed then this could be seen as a buying disadvantage because all options werent considered. There could be a possibility on the property balance sheet that could result in restrictions of future borrowing which can be the result of this real estate debt owed. This in-turn complicates things by making things difficult to change the business based on any type of market trends in the future because of the capital being tied up in real estate. By buying this could take the physician group time to purchase the exact property needed based on business purposed and this would restrict practices until the building was found and purchased. In medical offices today the location is essential and by owning the building a large disadvantage would be making things difficult to follow market trends and move to locations that are more convenient for the community and for the business. By owning the building this creates unforeseen operational costs and time and energy in maintaining the building and the existing property surrounding the building. This can be very costly and deter from business with time and money. If the decision was to lease out part of the building then that is adding a whole other amount of expenses that is unforeseen into the process. There would be additional expenses in being a landlord as well owner of the building. The cash outlay factor would be another disadvantage given more money would be needed in order to purchase a building instead of leasing. c. LEASING SPACE FOR THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC SERVICE LINE. Leasing disadvantages would include costs that are unexpected such as possible rent increases especially during the time in which the lease expires. Sometimes in the leasing contracts there could be an allowance of annual increases includes based on the consumer price index that if not pointed out could be extensive. By leasing there is a restriction based on the space and it adapting to the needs of the business there might not be room for expansion. When the business needs expansion and the space is limited there is only one choice which is to vacate which means if the lease or contract is for a period of time and the need of the business is under that amount of time then by the terms of the contract there would be fines and penalties involved if vacating before the expiration date of the contract of the lease. The fixed/variable cost factor is a large disadvantage based on the market trends especially when the lease expires. The huge disadvantage to leasing is that the business will be dependent on the landlord and what they are willing to change or modify for business needs. One piece a landlord owner can do is to terminate the contract lease if they have other plans for the property such as selling. Leasing a building is not an easy one given the market trends, the tax involved, and the financial analysis that would need to be completed before this decision to lease a business building was complete which takes time and money. An owner of a medical office can be forced to increase rent of the leased property to meet fair market value in adherence of Medicare regulations. Another disadvantage is regarding the fact of it being a medical office and the negotiated contract of a long term lease which varies between 5-15 years to estimate the improvements that can be costly to the building which are known as all-inclusive contract leases and triple net contract leases which means that the cost of the operating expenses in be changed to impact the physician group that leases the building which can be very much a huge costly disadvantage. 3. RECOMMEND WHAT YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE BEST OPTION FOR THE FACILITY. The recommendation regarding building, buying, or leasing a medical office would be to focus on clear objectives in the first step of the analysis. The impact of the decision will affect the finances of the business and any relationships with vendors and customers. The list of objectives needs to be compiled to identify all aspects needed for ownership versus leasing. By analyzing this information it could bring forth aspects that werent previously considered at the onset of the beginning which can change the overall decision. Some of the facts to consider in the recommendation are: Cost Control: When needing office space this is considered due to the change in market trends and business strategies as far as where the business needs to change or improve or expand. Businesses when making these type of decisions usually have capital to invest over long terms. However, if buying a building the structure itself, may need updates or improvements which would decrease the amount of capital for the improvements to occur. Location of the building: Business successful is highly dependent on the location of services it offices to the community. One of the critical factors in physician practice today is the accessibility and proximity for the patients which can justify paying a larger lease of office space based on this factor. If the building is bought or built and the areas that surround it is less desirable for patients then, the decision to resist any long term agreements might be considered. In this type of situation a lease would be more desirable based on the open door of being able to relocate to another facility when the business needs change. Expansion is another factor to consider based on the needs of the community and the business needs. If a lease was signed then the permission to expand or alter the building would need to be made by the owner and the costs of those changes would be based on the negotiated contract terms that were signed at the start. By owning the structure the difference is it makes it easier to change the space of the building without going through a landlord. Tax advantage focus would be to consider the current tax laws of the state and have the ability to shelter any type of taxable income. The write offs are increased over the last 20+ years including annual operating losses to be claimed that can no longer be used to off-set other taxable income as it was in the previous years. The losses that occur can possibly be used against real estate ventures and brought forward in order to still save on the taxes. The advantage could be that any revenue of the real estate itself could be taxed at the capital gains rate of return and this could be in fact lower than normal tax rates. In all there is tax advantages of real estate property that is owned versus leased but the entire decision should not be solely based on the tax factors. When leasing a property the related occupancy cost including rent, could be tax deductable for some sort of a tax reduction. The ROI (Return On Investment) has shown that physician groups have been disappointed at the retirement age because of lack of equity in the business. Several factors include property overpayment, property that has been leveraged over, lack of maintenance on the property, and unknown market conditions based on the economy. If an appraisal is done properly before the building is purchased it would show the current fair market value, financing that is lending favorable to a bank institution, and ways for equity build up on the property in question. If owning the building there is a way to make debt service payments each month, which in-turn increases the equity of the property by reducing the principal debt. By leasing the property instead of buying there is no concern regarding equity that is lacking or principle debt needing to be paid off base dont eh negotiated contract terms of the loan. By leasing the up keep of the building is the responsibility of the owner not the tenant that leases the building. Finance numbers should be evaluate by a CPA (Certified Public Account) to prepare a type of financial projection that can show costs associated with leasing the building versus purchasing the building or building the structure. This estimation will be needed in the event the decision to purchase a building is decided. This report can show income that is taxable or at a loss and can also show the cash flow analysis of what payment is needed is bought, built or leased. Negotiated contract terms are considered in all three aspects of building, buying, and leasing. These contract terms show financial lender rates and terms for financing or they can show terms based on leasing from the owner of the building structure. Recommendation would be to lease the building structure in order to have capital in reserve. By engaging a design architect and estimate costs of any renovations needed in advance gives a better picture of what is needed in finances to start. Given the opportunity to change based on market trends and location is appealing and an option based on leasing the space of an office building. In reviewing the fact that an OB/GYN specialty group was not successful in a previous attempt allows for a trial period to show if the needs of the community will be met with the orthopedic office. If the market trend in times shows that the need is not as anticipated as expected then it is easier to terminate a lease then selling an office building. Any costs associated with leasing is not always the tenants responsibility this can be an advantage based on the negotiated contract terms of the lease and maybe the costs could be shared or possibly a negotiation of several months of rent would not need paid while the physician group paid for the necessary changes to the building based on the business. By giving the orthopedic practice time to access any long-term goals, and focus on cash requirements needed weighed against the risk of long term building ownership the decision to else would increase revenue to invest in new technology equipment and computer electronic medical record systems. The lease option would in-turn free up some of the capital for other type of business investments to increase revenue. Given the unpredictability of the current economy, loss of jobs for people in the community which amounts to loss of healthcare coverage which in-turn is loss of business for the orthopedic practice. It is better to make a temporary decision to lease a facility and see what the community need will be in 5 years from now.

A Feminist Journey through Beethovens Musical Structure Essay

A Feminist Journey through Beethoven's Musical Structure Traditional analysis of Beethoven's use of Sonata Allegro form tends to focus on harmonic or melodic movement and key relationships. This study stretches such investigations to include questions of historical context and philosophic motivations that drive a composer to structure music in a certain way. Ultimately this leads to an inquiry about how these traditions affect us as listeners, and more specifically how they relate to gender issues in a musical tradition primarily made up of male composers. Music of the 1700s is often characterized as highly structured and balanced. A favorite form for pieces of many kinds was the sonata form, which relies heavily on the basic movement between different tonalities (especially tonic and dominant or relative major). Ludwig van Beethoven wrote over 30 sonatas for piano alone and used the structure for symphonies and many other instrumental works. Most other composers of the classical time period also used sonata form, and music historians have spent much time discussing why this might be so. Some historians pose this question strictly within a musical world: How did earlier musical structures give rise to sonata form? Others ask what it was in the surrounding historical context that made sonata form appealing. William Henry Hadow and Charles Rosen are two historians who talk primarily about musical context. Hadow sets his discussion in the framework of classical composers' movement away from Baroque forms. He says that when Beethoven and his contemporaries chose ternary form over Baroque binary, typified in the dance suite, they chose a structure that was then used successfully into the twentieth century. This was only poss... ...s in history. Works Cited Abbate, Carolyn. Unsung Voices: Opera and Musical Narrative in the Nineteenth Century. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991. Ballantine, Christopher. "Beethoven, Hegel and Marx." Music Review. Vol. 33, 1972. Drake, Kenneth. The Beethoven Sonatas and the Creative Experience. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994. Hadow, William Henry. Sonata Form. London: Novello and Company, Limited, 1979. McClary, Susan. Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1991. Mann, Thomas. Doctor Faustus. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1948. Rosen, Charles. The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven. New York: The Viking Press, 1971. Subotnik, Rose Rosengard. Developing Variations: Style and Ideology in Western Music. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1991.

Carrying out Administrative Skills Based on a Project on the Old Bailey :: Administrative Operations Old Bailey Essays

Carrying out Administrative Skills Based on a Project on the Old Bailey In this coursework, I have to show I am capable of showing a variety of administrative skills for a project of my own choice. I have chosen to base my project on the Old Bailey. In order to carry out my administrative skills, I had to carry out an activity such as, setting up and participating in an away day trip to an organisation for at least six people, in which I am the key administrator. I also have to show knowledge and understanding of the roles of administrators in organisations. In this coursework I’ am required to work in a group of people that have specific roles in the group and plan and organize (or administer) our own event for AVCE Business Studies Year 2, unit 20 – Admin Ops. Our event has to be well planned and multi-layered, as this will allow each individual in the group to act out their role. My group is built up of 6 people. They are, Rachel, Chris, Sophie, Asif, Ashraf and me. We have all worked together in Unit 1 (Business At Work) and have all obtained experience of producing information. Examples are in, Unit 3, 4 and 10 (Marketing, HR and Customer Service). We all set each other positions or roles in the group in order to get our event started up. Below are my group’s roles/positions. * Rachel – Boss * Sophie – PR/Phones * Chris – Planner * Asif – IT * Ashraf – Research * Ravi – Research and minute taker. As you can see from above I have a second job role. This is taking down minutes (or notes) at every lesson. This is to make sure we don’t forget to mention anything in-group discussions and can help all of us in every meeting the group holds. These are all our roles in the group. We are also called Group A as there are 2 groups that have to organise an event. We also have to organise and record our event by taking a camera. IT is a critical path as it allows us to broaden our knowledge on the place we want to go to for our event. We also must use a computer database to store information and manage our project efficiently to ensure a smooth running of it. We had our first meeting at 11.33am on the 16/9/2004 and in the meeting we had to be sorted n groups and then allocate roles to each other. We also had an agenda. The agenda was to discuss project

Free Trade? Essay -- essays research papers

In an economic age in which speedy transactions of imports and exports are essential, is free trade a necessity for aiding worldwide economic development? At least John F. Kennedy thought so, he being the initiator of removing tariffs and other limitations on U.S. imports. His hypothesis was that by doing that, other nations would follow America’s example and leadership. However, that never happened because the other nations were more concerned with their own problems. Even today, the United States continues to support free trade, an example being NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement). The problem is that America’s generosity has caused the foreign industry to take over the U.S. marketplace. This unfortunately has resulted in high unemployment rates just because consumers and firms can purchase foreign goods for a little less than domestic products. But with this country’s abundant resources, is free trade really necessary? From a conservative viewpoint, the only remedy to decrease unemployment and stimulate our own economic growth is to abandon the free trade policy and raise tariffs. Free trade has only crippled the American work force, increased poverty, and added to our national debt. If the liberals in Washington D.C. need proof, look at the figures: today there are about 10 million unemployed citizens and 35 million Americans are living in poverty because of free trade. It’s obvious that the foreign industry is taking advantage of us. Just visit any clothing sto...

Global Communications

For many companies, how they should survive in a changing market is very important to them and often results in many difficult decisions being made. These decisions can include whether to lay off employees, outsourcing some work to other countries, pay and benefit cuts, and many other concerns. Since this is the case, companies such as Global Communications have very serious issues that must be resolved in the best interest of the future of the company while still ensuring that the employees and others that have some stake in the company are treated fairly and in the best way possible. In order to understand some of the problems that Global Communications is facing, it is important to understand the issues of globalization and outsourcing, which is the act of sending work to other countries because of less expensive labor costs in those countries. There will be three main topics that will be addressed in the paper. These include outsourcing and globalization and their effects on a company, leadership concerns when it comes to IT, and the problems that are faced between companies and unions when they have difficulties in resolving issues based on contracts and other concerns. Many of the new technologies that are created and implemented today are often promoted by the suppliers and are only through channels that actually reach fellow technologists such as managers that specifically deal with management information systems (Connolly, 2004). This does not help those that are designed to lead organizations do their job effectively. These individuals learn about the new technology but quite often they do not know about the problems and challenges that are faced by middle management and other end users, such as front-desk employees (Connolly, 2004). Not only are they not aware of the challenges and problems that are being faced and should be handled but they do not know how to present the various capabilities of these new technological products to the individuals that will be using them (Connolly, 2004). The role of the leader should be much more than what it is in many companies, and therefore it is important to look at the problems that leaders face when it comes to information technology. Most of these problems come about from what was mentioned above – individuals that are too technology-minded and do not take the time to explain things to leaders and others that might not understand some of the technical terminology, but would certainly understand what is needed and what they should have. A system can then be designed around that, but many individuals that work with and understand technology do not look at this type of issue. Leadership, however, is not the only issue. The outsourcing of many companies to other countries is also one of the main problems for many companies that feel that they need to expand and need cheaper labor to do so. The plight of the American worker is something that has been lamented throughout history for various reasons. Some of these reasons were really more significant than others, and some of the reasons were simply complaints that the workers felt that they could get away with. However, outsourcing is somewhat different than just a workers' complaint. The reason behind this is that outsourcing affects so many different people for various reasons. From the poorly-skilled immigrant that is desperate for a job to the corporate executive that loses his job because there is no longer anyone for him to supervise, outsourcing can affect almost everyone. Those that use outsourcing companies do not have to pay these temporary individuals the same type of salaries that they would pay to keep their full-time workers, nor do they have to pay them any type of benefits. Many people are concerned that outsourcing might cost them their jobs that others wonder if outsourcing is simply a trend that is passing through. Many business owners are also asking themselves whether outsourcing actually works and whether the company that they own should offer services that are outsourced or contract out some of their departments for outsourcing. This is especially true of many companies when it comes to the aforementioned information technology (Clark, 2004). Individuals that work in the telecom services dealing with information technology, call centers, and other similar issues are becoming more interested in outsourcing, or what is sometimes known as offshoring (Clark, 2004). Those that work as agents in call centers and those that work as engineers in information technology are becoming very concerned about this issue as well because many of the jobs that they hold or want to hold in the future are being sent to other countries (Clark, 2004). The issue came up recently in the last presidential election debate because the idea of keeping jobs here is very important to the American public but there are also good reasons to outsource specific jobs. Most people believe that outsourcing is a relatively new concept but this is simply not the case. Starting as far back as the 1950s the United States contracted many manufacturing programs with various Asian countries (Clark, 2004). The outsourcing area that is often called offshore has generally become synonymous with the idea of losing many American jobs to India (Clark, 2004). A survey that was recently taken by a human resources consulting firm found that information technology is the largest area for outsourcing. Over 67 percent of the companies that outsource utilize this for information technology, 49 percent of them utilize outsourcing for customer relations, 41 percent of them for the processes in the supply chain, and 42 percent of them for manufacturing (Clark, 2004). The survey, which looked at 500 corporations, found that approximately 45 percent were utilizing some type of outsourcing model that dealt with a global level or they planned to introduce this type of sourcing model within the next three years (Clark, 2004). There are risks to human capital that also come along with outsourcing jobs. Typically, saving money in a business by outsourcing jobs generally means that American employees must be laid off. As this trend continues and grows stronger labor unions and other employee groups are paying much more attention to what type of relationship is seen between unemployment and outsourcing (Pagach, 2004). There are many cases of employee groups becoming much more vocal on the issue and taking the concerns that they have to federal and state politicians hoping to encourage initiatives in the Legislature that would stop or reduce the outsourcing arrangements that can be made with companies offshore (Pagach, 2004). Naturally, there is also an information technology risk, once again because there is a great deal of expense that often takes place with the infrastructure and because the use of information technology makes keeping the secret and confidential items confidential somewhat more difficult (Pagach, 2004). The specifications for much of the technology that is needed may be very strict and some developing countries might not have everything they need in order to ensure that the technology that they are using is up-to-date enough to handle what they will be doing for a particular company (Pagach, 2004). Even though there are many concerns, however, there are also opportunities that can be seen from these issues. In regards to outsourcing, many other countries (in this case Ireland and India) can do certain activities or create certain goods less expensively than the United States can. Because of this, sending some work to these countries can help the profitability of the company that does so, and can also help that same company hire other workers that have more technical jobs and higher salaries. Some of these individuals can be hired from the money that is saved when the company outsources other jobs. For leadership, there are many ways that individuals can better themselves as leaders, and dealing with outsourcing and other IT issues can help leaders grow and change. This can be very significant, not only for the leaders, but for those that follow them and look up to them. Problems with labor unions are also significant, as they can also be very difficult and cause many problems. For those that must work with labor unions, there are opportunities to renegotiate issues and problems, and to come to a better understanding of what each party to the transaction actually needs from the other party, which is sometimes difficult to understand. The opportunities that are presented by the challenges that are faced by Global Communications are very significant, but in addition to these opportunities, one must also be aware of the stakeholders that are involved. Not only do the leaders of the company have a stake in what is happening with the company and where it is going in the future, but the workers in that company also have a stake in what is going on and what will happen later. Those that work with the company from other companies that exchange goods and services are also stakeholders, because what one company does might affect other companies that it works with. Those that lose their jobs because of the outsourcing often feel rejected and as though they lost everything. Those that end up ‘taking' those jobs in another country then become stakeholders as well, interested in hanging onto the jobs that they have acquired and hopeful that the company will continue to prosper so that they can keep their jobs. Others may become stakeholders in the future, if the company expands and brings more people in to work for it. All of the stakeholders and worthwhile individuals, and all of them have rights that the company must be careful not to tamper with as it goes about the changes that it chooses to make. As for the actual statement of the problem, it must address many issues, since there are three significant concerns that were discussed above. However, that must also be condensed into one statement so that it is easier to define. Knowing this, the statement of the problem is as follows: The issues of outsourcing and globalization, labor union concerns, and proper IT leadership are all significant concerns that must be addressed by Global Communications if the company is to continue to expand, keep its employees content, and ensure that the transitions that it makes goes as smoothly as possible. This type of problem statement is very open-ended and allows for a future that has many different ways of providing multiple opportunities for the company in the future. There are a significant number of different things that Global Communications can do to implement the changes that they wish to make in the future, and the goal for them is to ensure that they implement these changes in such a way that they are the least harmful to the largest number of individuals. As for end-state goals for Global Communications, these are somewhat more specific than the problem statement. The goals for this company are to: expand their business by outsourcing some of their work to India and Ireland; move as many people as possible to other jobs so that they will not be laid off; and work with the union to provide a satisfactory answer to the problems that are being faced. In order to do these things, Global Communications must work very hard and be willing to listen to and discuss new ideas and opinions. If the company is not willing to do this, it is quite likely that they will fail in at least one of their goals. Since leadership, outsourcing, and labor union difficulties are all concerns for Global Communications, and it has been seen how significant these issues can be, the company has no real choice but to work with others in such a way that as many people as possible can benefit from the changes. This will not be an easy road for the company, but it appears as though the labor union struggle will be the most difficult. If the outsourcing is done well and carefully and the leadership of the company is strong, it is likely that the labor union can actually reach an agreement with the company that everyone can live with. Clark, R. 2004. The real cost of outsourcing: turning over IT operations, call centers and network maintenance often involves more than service providers bargained for. America's Network. Clark, R. 2004. The real cost of outsourcing: turning over IT operations, call centers and network maintenance often involves more than service providers bargained for. America's Network.

Retailing businesses Essay

Different retailing businesses have very different distribution methods based on the types of product that they sell, some arguably more effectively than others. As mentioned in an earlier assignment, there are three main types of distribution channels. The first is the channel that goes from the producer, then to the wholesaler, then to the retailer or sells to the consumer. The second channel starts with the producer who sells straight to the retailer, who then sells to the consumer. The third channel goes directly from the producer to the consumer. Channels one and two are classed as indirect marketing channels, whereas channel three is a direct marketing channel as it goes straight from producer to consumer. All of the distribution channels start with a producer who will create the products, for example the person that milks the cows to get milk. For the first channel, the producer makes the product and then sells it to a wholesaler, such as Costsco who will purchase a huge quantity of products from them. They would do this to make sure that they have enough to sell onto retailers. They would keep a large amount of the product, for example some kind of confectionary, in there warehouse so they’re in a suitable environment to be kept until they’re sold on. Next, the retailer, who could be a small store or a larger store, who would want to purchase a specific amount of products from the wholesalers, not in as bulk form as the wholesaler would have purchased them in. This method would typically be used by used by smaller, more personal stores, that don’t need to buy in such bulk. This channel is effective for confectionary products for example, as Costco can get sweets such as Dairy Milk bars, or Skittles, at an incredibly low price for huge boxes. It is good because it means that the businesses further down the chain will have confidence that they will be able to get the products that they want because the wholesaler gets the items I such bulk and if they sell all of their products, they can replenish easily. For the second channel, the retailer can give their consumers a guarantee that the product is fresher than if they used channel one, as they are getting the product directly from the producer before selling it to the consumer. This is because companies get the products directly from producers so they can guarantee the quality, unlike the first channel where the products go through two separate distributors which could contaminate the product or  raise the risk of it being damaged. An example of this would be the electronics company Sony. Due to the fact that Sony produces their own products and then sells them onto other electronic stores such as Currys/PC World who will then sell the products onto the consumers. The third Channel will typically deal with the consumer directly rather than using a middleman. This means that the customer will get the product or service at that moment on purchase. An example of this could be seen with Gregg’s Bakery. Due to the fact they will have their products made on site and would be able to sell their customers everything they have produced in store without using other stores ford or bringing in any assistance. By doing this it gives Greggs a better look by being able to say that they produce all of their products on site and they can also guarantee that the products are fresh. Different sectors of business will use different techniques when going through the distribution stage differently. This can be from the difference of storing products whilst distributing them and how they actually transport the product to the next person in the channel. For example, how a food retailer and gets their products distributed will be different to how a clothing sto re gets theirs. For a restaurant they use a wide variety of produces such as local farmers and local fishermen, depending on the type of restaurant that they own. They could have very specific producers, for example if they were a halal based restaurant they would have to be very specific about their supplier. Then they will have to either make a deal with the producer/supplier so they can collect produce direct from them. Then they will prepare the food ready to cook it and will store the prepared ingredients safely at the correct temperature. They will then wait for the person at the end of the chain – the consumer – to come to the restaurant to cook it for them. This is good for the producer because money will track back to them through the restaurant gaining the money from selling the meals. The money goes into the restaurant from customers pockets, and then the restaurant will use a portion of this money to re-purchase some supplies from the producer. This is when a good working relationship will develop between them as they will gain more sales and earn more money back. Continuing with a food retailer, Greggs or a restaurant will want to get fresher ingredients than other retailers so that they can make sure they produce all of their products to be as fresh as can be. This  can be done for example by Gregg’s own in-store bakeries having their ingredients delivered in the morning and then they bake them the same morning to make sure they are as fresh as possible. When they order the ingredients from the producers they will have to check that the supplier is storing the produce correctly before purchasing, otherwise they may purchase products that could be unsuitable for them to use and if they did use them, could create problems for them in the future. A good example of this could be seen with restaurants purchasing fish. A lot of the time they would send an employee to get it directly after it has been caught on the boat . They do this so that there are no issues with how the fish is stored, as if it is stored incorrectly whilst distributed it will cause severe food poisoning and could lead to the restaurant getting sued or shut down. A clothing retailer will start the process from the producer then they will involve the their designers and then they would create the products. If the retailer manufactures their own brand clothing for example Primark the producers send the finished garments directly to their warehouses fir distribution into their stores. If it is a clothing retailer that buys garments from fashion houses or via intermediaries then the finished items would go to their wholesalers and then potentially go to retailers depending on what business it is and then finally, they would be bought by the consumers. They would start the process by collecting the cotton from the cotton farmers then they would be shipped off to the factories where weavers and designers will create the fabrics, the fabric factories will then sell them to clothing manufacturing companies who will create something that retailers can sell on to make a profit from the whole process. When they have been created they will choose either to sell them onto a wholesaler or to only sell it in their particular stores. With some businesses having stores in other countries it means they have to have all of their products send to one area then they will have to have those products sent to other stores across to other countries, extending the distribution channels. A retail business such as House of Fraser will be using the second channel. This means that they will get their clothing material/parts sent to them and then thy will create their products, and then send them to their retail stores. Because they have a large area inside their stores to store and display their stock it means they can have a large amount of one clothing item on sale at once. Because  House of Fraser is a bigger company than Greggs they will be using more trucks to get their products to them. Another difference between the two would be that House of Fraser will be able to store their products for a longer period of time due to them selling the non-perishable products unlike Greggs, who make the majority of their products on a daily basis and at the end of the day would have to throw those products away otherwise they would go off. In terms of cost, a restaurant will be willing to spend money in order to get products distributed to them in a safe and hygienic way, as long as they know the full process that the products take. For other businesses, such as Primark, the aim is to get them distributed to them at a very low cost, as long as the products aren’t damaged. This is because the products aren’t perishable and there is no need to store them in any specific way to keep them secure.

Examine strategies adopted by the directors studied on the course to depict marginality in modern French society

Marginality within a society speaks of something or someone that is not important which results in them being excluded from society and leaves them feeling alienated. ‘La Haine' and ‘Sans toit ni loi' are two films developed around the period of ‘la fracture sociale', the former centred on the community in particular and the later centred primarily on the individual. The 1980's saw the rise of civil unrest in inner cities, which similarly led to a rise in unemployment and educational problems. There was also the perceived threat of national identity, and at the same time worries about Muslim integration had commenced. It was at around this time that there was the ‘affaire du foulard,' a very controversial period as the French republic separates the church and the state. The difficulty of integration and threat of national identity, developed into the French media using the ‘la fracture sociale. ‘ ‘La Haine,' was brought out at a moment in France during the Mitterrand period, where serious questions were being asked about integration and immigration. A controversial film, Mathieu Kassovitz' film ‘La Haine,' represents an account of ‘la fracture sociale,' or rather divisions within a society. Marginality is a result of divisions within a society, and in the case of ‘La Haine', these divisions are due to social and racial conflict. Because of such conflicts and divisions it results in certain social, as well as ethnic groups, being excluded from society as a whole. ‘La Haine,' is set in Paris and more specifically in the ‘banlieu's' of Paris, the outskirts of Paris. The fact that it is set on the outskirts of Paris already brings a long with it certain connotations, the fact that it is set a part from Paris itself, all of which are negative. A term particularly used to describe the people within les banlieus is ‘les exclus. ‘ This term quite clearly depicts that they are excluded from the rest of Paris. Kassovitz has translated this problem of exclusion by reinforcing its universal aspect, which represents a principally masculine world. La Haine is centred on a group of friends, all three of a different race, religion and ethnicity. They have been excluded by society and made to become the margins of society because of their accent, their geographical and economic isolation. They are three characters that have not been accepted into society, even though they were born in France and are not immigrants. Almost all the characters in ‘La Haine' are male and female characters; â€Å"underlining their disempowerment† (1) often boss the three main characters around. The citi is divided along gender lines as well as lines dividing social class. The interiors are home to the woman as is the middle to upper class, and the outside is masculine as well as working class. This is quite clearly creating margins for division within the French society as a whole. Paris is a tool that plays a part in upsetting spatial relations with the three friends, not only in the male-female sense, but it also causes them to be separated from Paris and the middle class of society. They feel that presence is not accepted within certain places in Paris â€Å"the spaces become prisons of one kind or another. (2) In this case it is the banlieue that is their prison, it is this space that is excluding them from the rest of society and thus alienating them. ‘La Haine is constructed around the opposition between Paris and the banlieue The exclusion and enclosure that this group of friends faces appears to have forced them to turn and adopt a different identity. The influence of the American culture, via movies and gangster films, is evident from the use of the informal language and slang which convey a feeling of the ghetto. They have practically been rejected by their own society/identity and they appear to have no other choice but to adopt certain American attributes. This is not only emulated in their use of slang, but also in their clothes and the music that they listen to. All of which are typical traits of the American culture. ‘La Haine pushes the idea of assimilation of immigrants into French society throughout the film, resulting in them having to cut off any links they have with their country of origin. Youth in the film are very distant from their parents and also their traditions. This may be because of the struggle; they face on a day to day basis, to fit in. They are considered insiders because they are resident in France while fitting into the youth culture of the banlieue while being outsiders because of racism because of their country of origin. This indicates that they must reject both heir parents and their country in order to survive, otherwise they will be unsuccessful in their assimilation. Lack of identity because of young age is often the case, but with the youth of the banlieue do not really have that reasoning behind their exclusion. It is perhaps the message behind the film that the youth of the banlieue are being forced into criminal and violent actions, because the French society is unwilling to acknowledge the predicament in which they are in. It then becomes a vicious circle, and this predicament into which the are forced becomes their destiny. It is just that the audience feel a degree of sympathy towards these main characters, s they are not necessarily violent, nor are they particularly involved in drugs or crime but due to their social situation they have been branded as ‘les exclus', the excluded ones of French society. Kassovitz offers his audience, through the space of ‘La Haine,' an experience, which is familiar to contemporary France either through personal experience, politics or more recurrently through the media. The portrayal of marginality in contemporary France and its problems, are often the result of the mediatisation of the banlieu and its social problems, which then creates a specific image of the banlieu and its habitants to the rest of society. At this time there were several films that were produced based largely upon the banlieue, and this emergence of films was labelled by critics as he cinema de banlieu. All of which tended to focus on social exclusion within the deprived boundary of cities within France. The effect of space appears to particularly poignant part in the film. The movement of the camera into certain spaces, alongside the sense that they are being forgrounded into the space immediately forces them to the front of the screen; this is created through fuzzy and unclear backgrounds. Another effect used to make a space feel in enclosed is the use of mirrors. All of which communicate the feeling of an enclosed space. Rather than the three friends being liberated, and being allowed to move freely in an open space, they appear to be trapped in such an enclosed space. This may be compared to Nikita, where we find Nikita herself moving in very elaborate spaces, she is not being restricted whereas the groups of friends are. In ‘La Haine' community members are linked by their own exclusion. What we see in ‘Sans toit ni loi,' presents a different form of marginality, that of a homeless woman roaming the streets. Its is normally perceived that when a person is hitch-hiking or even travelling by road that he/she will form certain friendships along the way. Mona represents not only a female figure, but also one of who is travelling alone. Not only is she reflecting her alienation from society by firstly being alone, but also by defying traditional female expectations of how she should be living. It puts into question her Feminine role, which is explored through Mona's life on the road after her death. To those who meet Mona along her journey, they find her radical and out of the ordinary. They are not used to meeting people, and woman of this nature and this prevents her from forming any sort of bond with those that she meets as they are incapable of understanding her. Mona also possesses an indifference to any forms of normality, and it is this indifference to normal social relations that enamours her to some while at the same time others find repelling. The people that appear to be enamoured by her are those that wish to be in her position, free to have the space to do what they want to do, those that are enclosed and caged in their traditional and suffocating female roles. These women at first sight see Mona's braveness and rebellion, and contemplate what it would be like to be in her position. Her presence affects middle-aged housewives, schoolgirls, truckers, mechanics, construction workers, academics, and domestics. Each reacts to her in a way that is indicative of her or his social position in the community. For example, a young farm girl helps Mona fill her water bottle at the family pump and later, during a family dinner, she tells her parents she wants to be free like the camper. When her mother asks who would make her dinner every night, the girl quietly replies, â€Å"At times it would be better not to eat. † To this girl, who lives a sheltered life with her parents in a tiny village, Mona represents the freedom to go where she pleases without answering to anyone, a life full of excitement. Other parents worry that their daughter will turn out like Mona. In reference to Mona, a wife tells her husband, â€Å"She's got character. She knows what she wants. Marry the wrong man and you're stuck for life. I liked that hippy. † To this middle-aged matron, Mona represents the freedom of choice. From these short observations on Mona, frequently given by witnesses who appear only once and are not involved in any of the more complex social relationships in the film, a complete range of views on Mona is expressed. Otherwise others find her, and this is for the most part, offending and disgusting. All owing to her smell, dirtiness and her appearance, all of which normal women who fit into society find disgusting and it is these women that are the main cause of excluding her from society. Not only is it the vagabond role or image that which excludes a person from society, but it is also these liberating and rebellious characteristics that cause Mona to be alienated from society. Mona has five significant relationships throughout the film. She has two female â€Å"friends,† Madame Landier and Yolande, two lovers, David and Assoun, and one intellectual partner, the Goatherd. Through encounters that Mona has along her travels and the relationships which she develops, Varda explores Mona's capacity for emotional warmth, her intelligence, and her independence, but more specifically these relationships explore other people's views of Mona and they express who she â€Å"should† be. It is society that imposes these views on people, forcing them to have certain expectations and notions about others. Madame Landier and Mona are societal opposites. Madame Landier has a career, she has a home, and she is clean and well fed, while Mona does not possess any of these qualities. Mona is a drifter, an outsider, and as such it is her role â€Å"†¦ to provoke self-examination and doubt in the minds of those who ‘belong'. † (3) We never really understand Mona or who she is, and perhaps this is because of the way in which she detaches herself from others. But it is more probably because we are incapable of relating to Mona, and this forms a kind of block in our thoughts and feeling towards her. We cannot understand her perhaps because we are unwilling to. We possibly in effect learn more about the interviewees and in particular ourselves as spectators. It is Mona's detachment from others leads to her deterioration in her health and her ability to read social situations in which she finds herself, and which eventually leads to her death. ‘Sans toit ni loi,' represents a woman's escape from patriarchal control, through utter braveness and rebellion, and an indifference to what is considered the norm amongst society. It is her death that is the first sequence in the film, and it is particularly shocking. The question may be asked whether Mona's life would have been cut so short, had she been accepted by society for her unique qualities. Mona faces several rejections in her journey, the harshest of which is the rejection given by the Goat-herder. In his own words he chose a â€Å"middle road between loneliness and freedom,† when he decided to reject mainstream society but to keep a family. The morning after Mona's arrival his irritation with her begins to show. He thinks she has slept long enough so he makes a great effort to wake her. As they speak he learns that she lives for the complete freedom of the road, that she has no desire for anything and that she is lazy and ultimately ungrateful too. He moves her out of the house and into an abandoned trailer in the yard in order for her to start a potato farm. To disguise her hurt at being moved away from him and his family, Mona exclaims, â€Å"You three and the herd are a crowd† as she moves into her tiny new home. Once in her new home Mona forgets about her potato farm. She stays in her trailer reading, smoking and sleeping. The Goatherd, in frustration, finally kicks her off his property telling her it's not fair that all she does is sit around all day while he and his wife work. During the conversation when he asks her to leave, Mona tells the Goatherd that if she had the chances he has had (he has a Master's degree in Philosophy) she would not be living in the squalor in which he exists. ‘You live in filth just like me, only you work more,† she tells him. Later when he offers his â€Å"testimony,† (which immediately follows Mona's rape) the Goatherd says: â€Å"By proving that she's useless, she helps the system she rejects. That's not wandering, that's withering. † The Goatherd is â€Å"†¦ till in the thrall to the work ethic of the society which [he] affects to despise,†(4) and cannot endure Mona's laziness. According to Varda the Goatherd is â€Å"†¦ the worst judge of all because he wants to be marginal but in his way. He doesn't accept other people. â€Å"(5) The Goatherd lives in some sort of system, although it too is marginal, whereas Mona has rejected the system entirely and functions in an even bigger margin of society. Mona's rejection of social and sexual productivity is counter the idea of women. Her identity as a woman stops her from having fixed identity, along with her constant moving about. â€Å"Mona's independence from a fixed identity is an assertish of her altiriti (otherness). â€Å"(6) In ‘Sans toit ni loi,' Tracking shots are very important, the importance of direction moving from right to left giving the impression of backward movement which may be interpreted as moving against the culture and the tide, which reflects Mona's character. Even her degree of independence is emphasised by the tracking shots; they do not follow her exactly, as the camera either overtakes her or she overtakes the camera. Although we consider Mona as part of the marginal of society, throughout the film we also see her interacting with other groups of marginals: the Mahgrebian migrant workers, the homeless and also the goatherd. Yet Mona also finds exclusion amongst these groups too, this is particularly obvious when the goatherd says to her: â€Å"You're not a drop out, you're just out. You don't exist. † This may as well be the case because although Mona is alive, it is as though she is not really living. La Haine' and ‘Sans toit ni loi' are two films which present the theme of marginality, the former questioning marginality in terms of femininity and female marginality and the later concerned with marginality within the community. ‘La Haine' and â€Å"The Banlieue is presented as a dessert, with no feeling of public space and precious little private space either; Paris where Vinz, Said and Hubert spend almost half the film, is rejecting and alienatory. † ‘La Haine' is in fact, to quote Olivier Mongin, â€Å"the impossibility of developping an identity, personal or collective. This film is concerned In ‘Sans toit ni loi,' the interviews function almost as verbal testimonies; they are not chronologically placed fading in and out, an unconventional style. They also create distance for the spectator, and it is this effect that allows us to judge Mona in some way. We also are able to judge Mona through Varda's use of art. When Mona comes from the sea it recalls the myth of Venus, but in reality Mona is the total opposite of this. Mona is dark from the dirt, smelly and of ‘undefinable shape. ‘