Friday, December 27, 2019

Effect Social media on the consumer buying behavior model - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2754 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/04/05 Category Psychology Essay Level High school Topics: Behavior Essay Did you like this example? Summary This course project is about how internet based life influences the purchasing conduct of buyers. Web based life will end up being valuable as a fair instance of new mechanical advancement that is having an unimaginable impact in the relationship of today. In time past, the web based life impelled developments were seen as an area. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Effect Social media on the consumer buying behavior model" essay for you Create order Regardless, time has disproved that. We have seen the world being changed step by step by these new total advances, which is giving another might want to relationship with impacts which were never considered to exist at first. Web-based social networking gives the one of a kind chance to utilize informal promoting to a boundless gathering of people, supporting shopper to-customer interchanges and propelling brand mindfulness through a huge scale interpersonal organization. Loyal Consumers Casual associations have furthermore transformed into where buyers race to show their steadfastness towards brands and the lifestyles they address. Apple purchasers leave no real way to march their latest advancement at these destinations and neither do Harley Davidson customers miss the chance to show their sturdiness. These locales by then hand-off these plans to all of the all-inclusive community in their framework. As needs be the point at which one individual creates something perfect about a brand on Facebook, the impact on that brands reputation on others in the social affair is massive. This is by virtue of people are most likely going to confide in the information that they get from their very own friends rather than far away sources since they trust their partners extensively more. Having the ability to talk about explicitly with a brand operator online can fabricate a customers faithfulness to your association by setting up an individual affiliation that the purchaser presumably wont have the ability to achieve with various associations. Despite when the customer has a protest, if your agent is capable, benevolent and seeing, a noteworthy piece of the purchasers rage can be died down. Regardless of the way this is equivalent to a customer advantage authority working in a store with an irate advocate present, the online condition empowers your association to take as much time as vital in itemizing the best response and ensures consistency in responses to different customers. The voice of a new consumer Today, most affiliations are principally captivated by uniting electronic life into the business structures of their affiliation; yet dont have a real know-how of what online life is about. They in like manner dont have an indisputable channel to discover the gain that these developments hold for them. In an audit finished in 2009 by McKinsey and Company, it was discovered that with the reasonable usage of the web based systems administration an extensive proportion of affiliations could benefit by each other in courses, for instance, sharing of considerations, correspondence ending up better and the workplace condition getting the opportunity to be progressed. The regard that online life incorporates affiliations is tremendous as a growing number of affiliations are currently supporting and abusing the distinctive open entryways in web based life mechanical improvement. Cooperating on the web requires that your association misuse any and each opportunity to talk with customers. Online life areas allow more conspicuous reach than at some other time, with centered correspondences that about accreditation your associations message is gotten. Individual to individual correspondence also empowers correspondence to go both ways, making insight among associations and customers that has had a few direct ramifications for buyer lead. Making a virtual home for your business on an online life website offers you expansive opportunities to manufacture your deceivability with purchasers. Welcoming them to the site thinks about free correspondence. On the customer end, regardless, that open door infers that a man would now have the capacity to voice his or her estimation about your thing or association in a semi-open setting where different people can examine or see it. Regardless of the way that this endeavors further bolstering your associations advantage if the conclusion is perfect, an unpleasant remark possibly could take off business. Eradicating the negative messages from pages you control is simply not completely feasible, as the investigator can post the negative evaluations elsewhere, or even develop a page focused on the negative end and your oversight sharpens. Since relational associations are proposed to make information easy to share, the opposite columnist can then easily get the message to others inside the framework. Individual to individual correspondence thinks about the dissipating of a great deal of information around an association or thing. This information isnt compelled to what your association alone puts out there, in light of the way that various goals inside an online life orchestrate are devoted to buyer accumulated information. The extended openness has changed the essential client into a pro. Preceding making a purchase, the purchaser can sign on to an online life framework and see what different people consider your things and how you handle customer advantage. The more information available, the more plausible the client will settle on the acquiring choice that meets his or her necessities and that most likely wont be your associations items in case others have itemized negative experiences. Branding Scientists for the most part perceive the significance of the idea of marking as it applies to item and showcasing advancement (Campelo, et al., 2014; Keller, 1993). Original work on the long-standing ways to deal with understanding marking mirrored the association between marking procedure and advertising. A brand can be characterized as a name, term, sign, image, or plan, or blend of them which is proposed to distinguish the products and enterprises of one vender or gathering of dealers and to separate them from those of contenders. Explicit brands can incorporate various diverse brand personalities through which affiliations are made dependent on focal brand qualities. Shoppers every now and again survey brands, make correlations between like brands, and settle on buying choices dependent on brand connection. In arrangement with this view, mark significance stretches out from social develops identified with the brand and customer recognitions that depend on both brand examinations and marking procedures (Campelo, et al., 2014). The social component of marking is a standout amongst the hugest parts of how marking shapes the focal point of promoting. In the case of taking a gander at Nike items or electric vehicles, the messages used in marking techniques turn into the safeguard that buyers use to decide their buying choices. Campelo and partners (2014) kept up that marking is frequently affected by social discernments, including the esteem that people put on the brand, and social weights, including the social messages that others put on brand proprietorship. Esteem connected to marking is impacted by segments of the brand procedure, including brand message and brand learning. Brand Related Social Media Brand faithfulness turns into an expanding center when organizations think about the utilization of online networking. Facebook, for instance, has in excess of 955 million dynamic clients, the greater part of whom sign on in any event once every month. About portion of Facebook clients get to their records every day, either by means of the web based stage or through their versatile application. Because of this across the board utilize, sponsors see Facebook and other online life stages as the most useful innovation to present brand-related substance and advance band affiliations. While organizations consider Facebook to be a way to advance brand mindfulness and gain customer consideration, not the majority of the reactions to promoting in web based life are sure. While mark related substance is being presented at an expanding rate in the Facebook stage, web based life based promoting is some of the time seen as an undesirable component, and organizations must know about how purchaser reactions to their ads can affect the estimation of that mark related substance. Specialists have kept up that it is critical that organizations perceive that the way toward presenting promoting and mark related substance in online networking requires an investigation of the substance and an emphasis on bran Brand society habitually outline reliant on the proximity of brand trustworthiness and helpful response to stamp driven substance. While making a web based life closeness for a brand, the headway of this kind of system requires an appreciation of how electronic life capacities and how stamp systems function through the usage of online life. Brand social order are included individuals who take an intrigue and demonstrate a relationship to the basic information, substance, or materials that are being shared in the system. This can consolidate examination on things, responses to new things, supported segments that shape decisions about interest in the system, and procedures to make a social affiliation that has eager or socially decided experiential parts, including making a sentiment of having a place. A key part for pioneers like Facebook is to make social affiliations and make associating with conditions (Laroche, Habibi, and Richard, 2013). This suggests individuals may be asked to participate in substance by activities organized into the plan. For example, content about an explicit brand may appear on Facebook, associated with a mans Web examine for an unequivocal thing. The client is then asked for to Like (show underwriting) or Offer the substance (demonstrating support by publically giving the information to other individuals) (Wallace, Buil, de Chernatony, and Hogan, 2014). These direct endeavors associate with the individuals in a cooperation that energizes them settle on decisions around things and offers contribution to marketing specialists-based network building. Consumer Advertisement Verbal publicizing has reliably been an imperative bit of achieving bargains for an association. No commercial is as convincing as having someone you trust recommends a thing or organization. With online life, verbal publicizing can go worldwide in a minute with a lone message sent from a singular buyer. With a couple of frameworks, the buyer can talk with countless at the snap of a catch, viably spreading a message about your association. Clearly, this has its inconveniences, as negative information is essentially spread by this ultra-interpretation of verbal trade as positive information is by all accounts. Brand Awareness and Buying Intention Early inclusion in a purchasers basic leadership process can decide if they proceed to the following stages or not. This does not ensure that early contribution will convert into acquiring goal yet it shows that early inclusion or early social acknowledgment and brand mindfulness can guarantee that the item stays on the up and up of conceivable obtaining options (Hutter, Hautz, Denhardt, and Fuller, 2013). As the purchaser moves further along all the while, evaluative structures and basic leadership techniques are more individualized and may take more time to play out. For instance, if a customer is taking a gander at a top of the line car, they may instantly discount seven unique brands for brand-explicit, information based reasons. They may likewise preclude these brands on account of online life portrayals of brands, shopper remarks on explicit brands, and social systems that shape mark discernments (Hutter, Hautz, Denhardt, and Fuller, 2013). When the customer proceeds onward to the following stage where mark observation never again quickly shapes their reaction, choices might be founded on another level of discernments that can be affected by web based life, including the shoppers needs, qualities, and interests, and the qualities and interests of those in their social aggregate (Hutter, Hautz, Denhardt, and Fuller, 2013; Yuksel, Bilim, and Yuksel, 2014). Choices are not generally as straightforward as choosing an item or not; frequently shoppers wind up looking for better methods for assessing an item and seek interpersonal organizations for brand or item pieces of information. The extending usage of web based life has incited a critical move in the best approach to manage looking for after buyer check care and making relationship between brand care and mean to buy. A key move is how marks are no more basically static descriptors or affiliations, yet live as a bit of a social method. Brands are as of now observed as a ceaseless social process whereby regard is co-made in the trade and exchanges of various accomplices. Brand care and brand regard, by then, are associated with social joint efforts and the response inside casual networks in which regard transforms into a segment of exchange as a bit of social instruments. Experts are dynamically aware of the social thought of brands and the essentialness of brand associations in making worth and supporting buyer fundamental initiative. Collective Value Creation At the point when mark networks are produced, social recognizable proof in the network and social drivers assume a job in the making of significant worth. The utilization of internet based life to make these networks associates the developing innovation use with the improvement of significant worth making rehearses in business conditions (Schau, Muniz, and Arould, 2009). These people group help to make an incentive by sharing data, creating extra roads to help utilization, making dynamic and essential reactions to items and building up a main impetus for commercialization (Schau, Muniz, and Arould, 2009). Most analysts perceive that these components fall into two unique classes: components made the organization (firm-made), and components made by clients (client produced) (Schivinski and Dabroswki, 2014). Often, internet based life stages like Facebook bolster a high level of client created content that can be utilized to help social practices around items and upgrade mark acknowledg ment (Wang, Yu, and Wei, 2012). Probably the most useful assets identified with the utilization of online networking to help purchaser basic leadership mirror the social instruments engaged with making aggregate esteem. Socialization around explicit brand desires and learning can impact basic leadership and shape the manner in which purchasers survey mark based data. In a similar light, peer correspondences and social instruments can likewise impact how purchasers see firm-made substance (Wang, Yu and Wei, 2012). As often as possible, mark esteem and buying choices are connected more to the quality of companion correspondences and social instruments supporting brand picture, as opposed to the firm-made substance accessible in promoting sections. These components bolster the conviction that esteem is lined up with brand mindfulness (and the instruments that help mindfulness), and these components in this way impact how shoppers react to a brand or item. Strategic Approaches From a general perspective, most sponsors conviction that social responsibility through advancing requires a strange condition of appreciation of the goals of both the customers and the associations in making a web based life proximity. What is rarely tended to be the manner in which that electronic life stages give a setting to the new development of brand identity and for both useful and critical explanations of brand commitment. Electronic life makes a scene through which PC based casual correspondence would altogether be able to affect the brand picture. Since one purchaser can accomplish hundreds if not a colossal number of enthusiasts in a singular post, associations must convey their approaches to manage directing casual networks beforehand making an online closeness. This now and again occurs early of the introduction of the association in online talks. Or maybe, customer duty that isnt sure is regularly the primary marker that the association needs to apply revolve around directing for negative internet organizing responses. Thusly, customer delivered content, which has been assessed as a gainful gadget in making purchaser duty, isnt commonly the fundamental choice for a few associations. Conclusion Growing usage of web based life worldwide has incited the conviction this is a noteworthy instrument in supporting customer responsibility. Associations are reliably looking for new procedures for accomplishing buyers and for framing customer works on, including brand unwavering quality and expect to buy. The changing inventive period has provoked extended activity in casual network stages like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, all of which have influenced frameworks through which buyers to can make liking and make collaborations with image express substance. Associations that are capable at planning indispensable approaches to manage the use of casual association stages are most likely going to be best in accomplishing, attracting, and keeping up a purchaser base pushing ahead. Parts that affect stamp acknowledgment and expect to buy join things like the social instrument that drive client perspectives, and the points of view of others posted showed in web based systems administration posts. A rising imperative spotlight is on the use of customer delivered content, content that is made by clients in light of express brands or brand requests and effects the perspective of various buyers. This kind of fundamental procedure requires an abnormal state of upkeep and associations utilizing this methodology should be set up to allot a displaying organization to the organization of online customer associations.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

The New Stadium Fantasy Sport’s Effects on Sports...

Fantasy sports has evolved from its humble roots as the niche Dungeons Dragons-esque intersection of sports fandom and statistical nerdiness. According to Fantasy Sports Trade Association market research conducted by Ipsos, there are over 36.6 million people playing fantasy sports in the United States and Canada and is a rapidly growing industry that generates over a billion dollars per year. The once maligned cult hobby has grown into an undeniable sports subculture, commanding regular coverage from all major sports networks, in addition to active online communities, podcasts, and even paid services catering to fantasy sports players. With the development of such a massive fantasy sports community, one has to wonder whether the†¦show more content†¦Team success takes a backseat to individual success in fantasy sports; if individual players on a losing team do well, that is considered a success in fantasy, yet if all players are statistically mediocre in a winning team effo rt, that results in a poor fantasy outcome. I set out to analyze the extent to which fantasy sports affected the social bonds established by traditional sports. The expected result was that as involvement in fantasy sports increased, social reasons for enjoying sports would decrease. I focused the research on fantasy football for convenience purposes, as it is the largest and most active of the fantasy sports communities. Furthermore, as I participate in fantasy football myself, I already had an understanding of not only the specific knowledge and jargon, but also of the current trends and developments. This allowed me to gear the research towards this particular community, and helped connect to respondents as one of their own as opposed to an outsider. I tested my hypothesis in several ways, both quantitatively and qualitatively, with the hope that my dual approaches would support one another and help guide my research towards a comprehensive answer. Quantitatively, I administered online surveys to online fantasy football communities on Facebook and reddit to a self-selected convenience sample over a one week period. Qualitatively, short interviews were conducted both in person and via

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Key Features of HR Practices-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp.com

Questions: 1.What course of action would you recommend to the CEO in the first hospital as a way to Improve the Operation of HRM at the Hospital? 2.What are the key features of building a Sustainable HR Capability? Answers: Introduction Human Resource Management practices in an organisation is based on an official system that assists the company to look after in managing their workforce, recruitment of employees, staffing and maintaining a methodical and formal work design within an entity. Productive outcome of company is dependent largely on effective HR planning and practices. This business report aims on focusing lack of supervision in HRM practices that can cause disruption in internal environmental condition of organisation that can affect sustainability of company in market. Examples of two health care organizations in Australia are considered where contrasting HRM is implemented and a comparative study on HRM within the organizations is demonstrated. The learner has conducted a secondary methodology analysis here to gather information from secondary sources to provide insight into the HRM functions and their sustainability in the organisations. Thesis statement of this report shades light on the significant factors of prolonging sustainable HR practices within an organisation and probable recommendations in improvement of HRM operations in a healthcare organisation. 1.Recommendations for improving HRM operations The two hospitals that are considered in studying effective HRM prolongs contrasting practices of human resource within the organisation and subsequent consequences are faced by them. The first hospital lacks a specific HR department and consequently face challenges in market sustainability due to large number of employee turnover. On the contrary, the second hospital possess an HR department in the organisation that consists of a dedicated HR team that looks after employee that looks after organisation designing, employee recruitment and resourcing, their performance as well as rewards and recognitions. Ehnert, Harry Zink, (2014) mentioned that successful employment flexibility always allows an organisation to maintain an integrated HRM within the organisation. In the first hospital, lack of HR department has resulted in nil flexibility among employees and as a result huge internal disruption has taken place due to non involvement of key HR practices. CEO of the first hospital along with the finance manager have taken the responsibility of HR department and a consultant is appointed, who visits the hospital once in a week to look after the HR policies. Bogdanovic, Durian, Cingula, (2016) mentioned that it is not possible to acknowledge the factors and develop policies of human resources by a finance manager who has no relevant knowledge about the particular field. Figure 1: Three components of Karon Legge model (Source: Nazeer, Zahid Azeem, 2014) As per Karen Legge Model, HR practitioner within an organisation can involve three types of innovative approaches that can help in operations on HR departments (Lakshmi Kennedy, 2017). The primary recommendation that is required to be provided to the CEO of the first hospital is to develop a specific Human Resource Department within the organisation following the Conformist Innovator approach of Karen Legg model. Conformist Innovator approach of Karen Legg model will help the company to identify objectives of the organisation, strategies of conflict reduction, cost reduction and increase organizational productivity (Psychogios et al. 2016). HR team of the second hospital has framed a strategic HR capability, dealing with the visions of the organisation, thus enhancing their profit and productivity. Figure 2: Components of Six Sigma lean approach (Source: Veloso, Tzafrir Enosh, 2015) The second hospital has maintained an effective monitoring of different HR practices, policies and processes of their organisation. As per Kemayou, (2014), quality and performance measurement of an organisation is done by six sigma model, which can be utilized by HR departments. The second hospital has identified and measured the internal and external market factors that are followed by undertaking the six sigma lean approaches in monitoring organizational HRM. CEO of the first hospital is strongly recommended to conduct a methodical monitoring of the HR practices with the help of Six Sigma model that would assist to frame an organizational chart, designation of each employee, their performance and scope of improvements. Specific training and development requirement, key performance indicators along with rewards and recognitions of the employees can be identified from this model. Benn Rusinko (2013) stated that in HRM, key performance indicators portray the metric of performance eva luation of several HR activities. 2.Key features in building sustainable HR capability The second hospital has taken successful measures in developing the vision of organisation, identifying key performance indicators, monitoring effects of organizational HRM, motivating their employees and employee retention. Longoni, Golini Cagliano, (2014) opined that a sustainable HR capability is developed within an organisation on individual considerations of HR activities and specific analysis of those activities for future improvement. Figure 3: Key performance Indicators (Source: Story et al. 2014) Key performance indicators identified by second hospitals are: Training and development Absenteeism Workforce cost Employee retention Employee motivation Employee turnover Workplace health and safety Determination of each of the key performance indicators has allowed the second hospital to improve their job designing in HR practices. As per Smith Synowka (2015), a company can develop a proficient strategy in executing HR practices, which would help them to prolong a smooth workflow and also increase competence to survive tough market competition. Capability of HR department of the second hospital is judged by their sustainable position in the market and this has been possible because a smooth relation is maintained between the HR departments as well other departments of organisation. On the contrary, the first hospital has not established a specific HR department, thus their sustainability in HR capability is questionable. They have only appointed a consultant in reviewing their HR policies, processes and practices. As per Akhtar et al. (2014) appointing only a consultant to supervise HR policies is not sufficient in evaluating the HR capability of the organisation and its conse quent sustainability in market. Healthcare organisation Key performance Indicators Monitoring HR processes Employee retention Sustainable HR capabilities First hospital No No No No Second hospital Yes Yes Yes Yes Table 1: HR practices in two organisations (Source: Created by learner) HR department of the second hospital has considered the motivation of their employees as a crucial factor and had introduced several reward and recognition processes to increase the encouragement and loyalty of employees. This has helped the company in retaining their employees, reducing staff turnovers and overall production quality of the company has increased. Lack of all these systems in the first hospital has resulted in huge employee turnovers, staff grievances, absenteeism, and reduction in overall company productivity. Varma (2013) has stated that effectual production is indirect in the HR department, utilization of staffs is being initiated from this department itself. Hence, it is obvious that the first hospital will face reduced productivity as their employees are not enough encouraged and motivated. CEO of the first hospital is content with the supervision of an HR consultant in their organisation to look after HR policies set by CEO and financial manager. As mentioned by Lussier Hendon (2014), an HR consultant can oversee and supervise the prevalent HJR policies but cannot undertake measures in introducing new strategies as well as look after employee benefits that are essential for company benefits. Options Characteristics Creating HR functions Staff engagement Organisational commitment Quality of patient care HR manager Planning Job analysis Recruitment Selection Table 2: HR practices in second organisation (Source: Created by learner) The second hospital has effective HR department that deals with all the HR activities of the organisation and essential measures of improvement are recommended. This is another key factor in maintaining sustainability regarding capability of HR and consequently assists in profit enhancement of the organisation. (Refer to Appendix 1) Conclusion Findings and analysis in the above report shows that there is an effective relationship of HR department of an organisation with the enhancement of companys profit since the primary lookout of this department is towards the wellbeing of staff, who are the actual human resources of an organisation. Requirement of a specific department within an organisation deals with overall increase in productivity of an organisation and lack of presence of this department does not allow sustainability of the organisation in market. It is thus required to establish an effectual HR department within an organisation to look after the internal work culture of the organisation along with the sustainability of the company to survive tough competition in the external market environment. Reference List Akhtar, N., Azeem, S. M., Mustafa Mir, G. (2014). Impact of hrm practices on perceived organizational performance.International Journal of Academic Research,6(5).632-745. Benn, S., Rusinko, C. A. (2013). Boundary objects, HRM tools and change for sustainability.The Necessary Transition. The Journey towards the Sustainable Enterprise Economy. 2(4), 102-410. Bogdanovic, M., Durian, J., Cingula, D. (2016). Hrm choices for business strategy support: how to resolve the most important hrm strategic dilemmas?.Economic and Social Development: Book of Proceedings, 52(11) 429-745. Ehnert, I., Harry, W., Zink, K. J. (2014). Sustainability and HRM. InSustainability and Human Resource Management, 45(7), 78-214. Kemayou, Y. (2014). Organization and Assessment.International Human Resource Management, 74(22), 1020-2145. Lakshmi, V. R., Kennedy, H. (2017). The Role of Business Sustainability in Human Resource Management: A Study on Indian Manufacturing Companies.The South East Asian Journal of Management,11(1), 70-330. Longoni, A., Golini, R., Cagliano, R. (2014). The role of New Forms of Work Organization in developing sustainability strategies in operations.International Journal of Production Economics,147(6), 147-160. Lussier, R. N., Hendon, J. R. (2014).Human resource management: Functions, applications, and skill development. London: SAGE Publications. Machado, C., Davim, J. P. (2014).Human Resource Management and Technological Challenge,Berlin: Springer. Nazeer, S., Zahid, M. M., Azeem, M. F. (2014). Internal service quality and job performance: does job satisfaction mediate.Journal of Human Resources,2(1), 41-65. Psychogios, A., Szamosi, L. T., Prouska, R., Brewster, C. (2016). A three-fold framework for understanding HRM practices in South-Eastern European SMEs.Employee Relations,38(3), 310-331. Smith, A. D., Synowka, D. P. (2014). Lean operations and SCM practices in manufacturing firms: multi-firm case studies in HRM and visual-based metrics.International Journal of Procurement Management,7(2), 183-200. Story, J. S., Barbuto, J. E., Luthans, F., Bovaird, J. A. (2014). Meeting the challenges of effective international HRM: Analysis of the antecedents of global mindset.Human Resource Management,53(1), 131-155. Varma, A. (2013).Managing human resources in Asia-Pacific, Abingdon: Routledge Veloso, A., Tzafrir, S., Enosh, G. (2015). How employees perceive HRM practices: Differences between public and private organizations.Human resource management challenges and changes, 77(23), 19-36

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

The Crucible Essays (11811 words) - Salem Witch Trials,

The Crucible ARTHUR MILLER: THE AUTHOR AND HIS TIMES In Salem, Massachusetts, a dozen teen-age girls and a black slave woman are caught dancing in the woods around a bubbling cauldron. Today, you wouldn't even use the word caught. You might think these girls were strange, but you'd hardly call the cops on them. But it's 1692, and Salem isn't just an ordinary small town; it's a religious community of the strictest kind. The people and their laws are as harsh as the Massachusetts winter. When two of the girls pass out from fright and can't be revived, the others find themselves in serious trouble. Women who dance with the Devil are witches; and witches, when they are caught, are hanged. To get themselves out of their predicament, the girls try to spread the blame around. But the blame-spreading gets out of hand, and before long the whole town is in a panic, everyone accusing everyone else of witchcraft. Nineteen people will be hanged before the madness is stopped. Well, you say, people were superstitious then. Nothing like that could happen today. Maybe so, but in the early 1950s, at the time The Crucible was written, a similar kind of hunt was taking place, not for witches, but for Communists. Today it bears the harmless-sounding name of the McCarthy Hearings on Un-American Activities, but for the people who got caught up in it--some of them our parents and grandparents--this witch-hunt was anything but harmless. in fact, to the playwright Arthur Miller, the McCarthy Hearings bore an alarming resemblance to the trials in Salem in 1692. The Crucible was his way of trying to keep history from repeating itself. One of the most popular TV shows in 1953 was I Led Three Lives. It always began the same way: A man's face appears on the screen. His expression is taut with anxiety. The narrator says something like, This is the fantastically true story of Herbert A. Philbrick, who for nine frightening years did lead three lives--average citizen, member of the Communist Party, and counterspy for the FBI. For obvious reasons, the names, dates and places have been changed, but the story is based on fact. The show was scary and exciting, but it always left you worried, because Philbrick's job never seemed to be done. Communist spies were everywhere, and one man could do only so much against so many. There was a lot of talk in those days about the Red Menace. Red is the color of the Russian flag, and all Russians are Communists. So to say Better dead than red meant that you'd kill yourself before you let the Communists take over. The slogan was repeated over and over throughout America. My father said it; my teachers said it; I'm sure I said it myself, even though I was just five years old at the time. And in fact there were good reasons to be worried about the Russians. They had the atomic bomb, as we did. But a lot of people said they got the bomb by using spies, and that really made us worry. It was charged that secret agents, working under cover, had stolen our secrets and given them to the Enemy. Even worse, these spies supposedly were hardly ever Russians themselves, but often American citizens, as normal as you or me, the kind of people you see every day on the street and hardly even notice. Blacks are identifiable by their skin color, foreigners speak with an unusual accent. But a Communist could be anybody. It sort of makes a Communist sound like the bogey-man, doesn't it? Well, to many people in 1953, a Communist was just as scary as the bogey-man, and a lot more real. Soon after it was discovered that the Russians had the bomb, the U.S. Congress started investigations into so-called Un-American Activities, and one of the men they put in charge was Joseph R. McCarthy, a senator from Wisconsin. McCarthy claimed America was in great danger from a Communist conspiracy to take over the world. And, as if he were a surgeon hacking away tumors in a body riddled with cancer, he tried to root out every trace of Communism he could find. It soon became clear

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Leukocytes Essays - Biology, Medicine, Anatomy, Cell Biology

Leukocytes Leukocytes and the leukocyte differential count To consider the leukocytes together as a group is something of a granfalloon, because each type of leukocyte has its own function and ontogeny semi-independent of the others. To measure the total leukocyte count and allow this term to mean anything to the doctor is a travesty, yet the wbc count has traditionally been considered a cardinal measurement in a routine laboratory workup for just about any condition. I cannot emphasize too much that to evaluate critically the hematologic status of a patient, one must consider the individual absolute counts of each of the leukocyte types rather than the total wbc count. For such a critical evaluation, the first step is to order a wbc count with differential. In many labs, the result will be reported as a relative differential, something like this: WBC 6000/?L segmented neutrophils 60% band neutrophils 2% lymphocytes 25% monocytes 8% eosinophils 3% basophils 2% Your first task is to multiply the wbc count by each of the percentages given for the cell types; this gives you an absolute differential. Now you're in business to get some idea as to the pathophysiologic status of the patient's blood and marrow. Thus, the illustration above becomes: WBC 6000/?L segmented neutrophils 3600/?L band neutrophils 120/?L lymphocytes 1500/?L monocytes 480/?L eosinophils 180/?L basophils 120/?L The total wbc count is invariably done using an automated method. Routinely, the differential count is done by hand (i.e., through the microscope) in smaller labs, and by automated methods in larger facilities. The automated methods are amazingly accurate, considering the fine distinctions that must often be made in discerning one type of leukocyte from the other. One manufacturer's machine can quite reliably pick out one leukemic blast cell in eight hundred or more leukocytes. Now we shall consider each of the leukocyte types individually. A. Neutrophils The most populous of the circulating white cells, they are also the most short lived in circulation. After production and release by the marrow, they only circulate for about eight hours before proceeding to the tissues (via diapedesis), where they live for about a week, if all goes well. They are produced as a response to acute body stress, whether from infection, infarction, trauma, emotional distress, or other noxious stimuli. When called to a site of injury, they phagocytose invaders and other undesirable substances and usually kill themselves in the act of doing in the bad guys. Normally, the circulating neutrophil series consists only of band neutrophils and segmented neutrophils, the latter being the most mature type. In stress situations (i.e., the acute phase reaction), earlier forms (usually no earlier than myelocytes) can be seen in the blood. This picture is called a left shift. The band count has been used as an indicator of acute stress. In practice, band counts tend to be less than reliable due to tremendous interobserver variability, even among seasoned medical technologists, in discriminating bands from segs by microscopy. Other morphologic clues to acute stress may be more helpful: in the acute phase reaction, any of the neutrophil forms may develop deep blue cytoplasmic granules, vacuoles, and vague blue cytoplasmic inclusions called D?hle bodies, which consist of aggregates of ribosomes and endoplasmic reticulum. All of these features are easily seen (except possibly the D?hle bodies), even by neophytes. The normal range for neutrophil (band + seg) count is 1160 - 8300 /?L for blacks, and 1700 - 8100 /?L for other groups. Keeping in mind the lower expected low-end value for blacks will save you much time (and patients much expense and pain) over the course of your career. Obesity and cigarette smoking are associated an increased neutrophil count. It is said that for each pack per day of cigarettes smoked, the granulocyte count may be expected to rise by 1000 /?L. B. Monocytes These large cells are actually more closely related to neutrophils than are the other granulocytes, the basophil and eosinophil. Monocytes and neutrophils share the same stem cell. Monocytes are to histiocytes (or macrophages) what Bruce Wayne is to Batman. They are produced by the marrow, circulate for five to eight days, and then enter the tissues where they are mysteriously transformed into histiocytes. Here they serve

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The Bushido Code

The Bushido Code The Samurai's Tale, a book written by Erik Haugaard, portrays a perspicuous image of Japanese society in Medieval Japan. The Bushido Code, a code of conduct which stresses 6 values and is followed by all samurai, plays an important role in this book. The most prominent of these values are loyalty, courage, and honor.To begin with, loyalty, or being faithful to one's lord, is an important value because it strengthens a lord's rule over his lessers. "Your lord is like your father, you must follow him wherever he leads," (p.119) Wada Kansuke pointed out to Taro. Even though Taro may sometimes disagree with Lord Akiyama, he should still remain loyal to him. In a like manner, Lord Akiyama thought that Katsuyori wasn't as skilled as his father, but he remains loyal to Katsuyori because he was Takeda Shingen's son. Even though Lord Akiyama disagrees with Katsuyori, he follows his orders so the Takeda generals will not fight amongst themselves trying to become the next ruler of the Takeda.ta ro dares you to take his beloved stickIn addition, the ronin bandit was very loyal to Lord Obu in spite of his lord's revolt against Takeda Shingen. "I serve Lord Obu and no-one else," (p.116) the ronin bandit objected when Taro suggested that he should join Lord Akiyama. Although joining Lord Akiyama could save his life, the ronin refused because of his loyalty to Lord Obu. Loyalty is what unites the Takeda and other tribes from the lowly peasant to the powerful general.Courage is equally important since it is what enables the samurai to fight each other on the battle field or there would be no fighting because the samurai wouldn't be brave enough to risk their lives. Throughout The Samurai's Tale, Taro shows bravery by doing several remarkable feats. "Fate cheated me of...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

A Price Discrimination and a Single-Pricing Strategy Essay

A Price Discrimination and a Single-Pricing Strategy - Essay Example Instead of charging a uniform price to everyone, the cable TV company can think in terms of charging the customers with respect to the number of paid channels they would like to watch. For some customers may not like sports channels and some others may not like movie channels. The cable TV company can think in terms of allowing the customers to select the channels they would like to watch and based on that the company can decide the prices of the service. Thus customers will get much more flexibility in selecting channels and controlling their budget for watching television channels. At the same time, it should be noted that the cable TV company may not lose any revenue since more customers will come forward to purchases such services because of the increased flexibility in selecting channels. In a perfectly competitive market, sellers may not get the freedom to fix the price. If they set a price above the market price, nobody will buy their product in a competitive market. In short, they will get only a normal profit in the long run. Some firms may fix higher prices for their products if the competition is less. Such firms will get abnormal profits in the short run. The abnormal profit earned by a single firm in a market will encourage other forms to enter the market and therefore supply will increase and the price would come down. Long run average cost curves represent the economies of scale and diseconomies of scale as far as a firm is concerned. Economies of scale mean the ability of a firm to reduce the unit price of a product with the help of bulk production.