Supporting Change

The organisation this report is based upon is NCO Europe Ltd (NCO) their European Head Office is based within Preston’s City Centre and the organisations head office is based in Pennsylvania US. NCO is part of a much larger group of companies namely Expert Global Solutions (EGS). The EGS Group is a business process outsource market leader employing in excess of 43,000 employees in 118 contact centres around the globe currently in 14 countries, with an annual turnover exceeding $2 Billion. EGS is a recognised tier one player in both Customer Relations Management (CRM) and Accounts Receivable Management (ARM) whose clients include 40% of the fortune 500. At the European Head Office, NCO currently employs approximately 500 employees at this site and is currently undergoing a rapid expansion program.An explanation of why your organisation needs to change identifying at least 6 internal and external factors that drive or influence the change.Over the last few years, businesses with in the UK have needed to adapt and change to the economic challenges posed by the long lasting recession that hit the financial markets back in the 2nd quarter of 2008. A major part of the organisations income stream is from debt recovery also known as ARM. The economical downturn had a direct impact on the organisations strategic objectives as this impeded revenue collected from those who fell into arrears. The organisation implemented a change in business strategy a new department was created to solely deal with debt management companies (DMCs) and customers in financial difficulties, as a result an increased revenue stream was created.The increase in business has resulted in a huge expansion both in the capacity of new employees required but also it has seen the organisation needing to relocate to a newly refurbished building along with investment in new technology to ensure they have both the capacity and the capability of fulfilling the client’s requirements. Change can be described as being inevitable, and those organisations who do not keep up with change may become unstable, with long-term survivability in question. There are events, or situations that occur that affect the way a business operates, either in a positive or negative way such as; Out-sourcing, Internal Reviews, Resignations, Mergers, The Recession or even Employee / Client expectations can all lead to change needing to be implemented within an organisation.Explain how change can impact an organisation’s businessChange can impact an organisation in numerous ways such as;I.Size – This is frequently a driving factor for a company’s structure. Smaller businesses won’t usually have a vast structure as the owner is usually responsible for all tasks. Larger organisations usually require a more intense framework for their organisations structure.II.Business Strategies – These can be a factor in a company’s organisational development structure. High -growth companies usually have smaller organisational structures so they can react to changes in the business environment quicker than other companies.III.Profitability – A positive effect of companies generating operational profits is the ability for companies to expand and grow their operations. Companies often reinvest a certain amount of profits earned from current operations into new business opportunities or expanding current operations to increase business output.Explain the main factors involved in the change process.There are a number of factors involved in an organisations change process such as; 1.Selling the benefits of change –Identifying potential threats and develop scenarios presenting what could take place in the future. Examining opportunities that should be, or could be exploited.2. Communication – Talk about the change vision, if people have anxieties then address these openly and honestly. Tie in the vision to all areas of the business from training to performance reviews3. Planning the change – Ensure that all research has been completed; examine the organisational structure, job descriptions, and performance and compensation systems to ensure they are in line with the vision.4.Analysing progress – After progress has been made analyse what went right and what needs improving. Set goals to build on the progress further to ensure that this is measurable this can be completed by using either a SWOT or PESTLE analysis.A comparison between at least 3 different approaches to managing changeK, Lewin is responsible for introducing force field analysis, which examines the driving and resisting forces in any change situation. The underlying principle is that driving forces must outweigh resisting forces in any situation if change is to happen. The second is about moving to a new state through participation, involvement and internalisation. The third focuses on refreezing and stabilizing the new state of affairs by setting policy, rewarding success and establishing new standards. Driving forces – These are forces which push in a direction that causes change to occur, facilitating change as they push the person in the desired direction. Restraining forces- They are forces that counter driving forces, these hnder change as they push the person on the opposite direction. Equilibrium – This is a state of being where driving forces equal restraining forces and no change occurs. Equilibrium can be raised or lowered by changes between the driving and restraining forces.Describe 3 behavioural responses seen when change occurs in an organisation.Fear Of The Unknown – Change often brings with it substantial uncertainty. Employees facing a technological change, such as the introduction of a new computer system, may resist the change because it introduces uncertainty into what was once a comfortable environment. Fear Of Loss – When change is about to occur, some employees may fear losing their jobs, especially where there is a merger or takeover about to happen. Employees may be worried that their operational site will be closed down and the work relocated to another site to save costs or they may fear their roles will become redundant.Poor Communication – Changes within an organisation start with key decision makers. It is up to them to pass along the details to team members and ensure all questions are answered before changes go into effect. Unfortunately, as news of a change spreads through the senior management, details are sometimes skewed and managers end up receiving second – hand information. Poor communication can therefore cause resistance to change.Explain at least 3 ways that HR can support individuals during change.At NCO the HR function is described as being a support function that assists with the operational running of the organisation. Whenever change occurs, the HR function acts as a role model for change, demonstrating th e behaviours that create a climate for change which includes communicating clearly any plans for change and developing a change strategy that aids with the implementation. It is also supportive to create a shared vision for the future of change within an organisation, employees are better placed to conform if they understand the benefits of any change which is implemented and understand exactly how this will affect them in there day to day interactions whilst being within their workplace. Encouraging discussion is another way the HR function can support employees, when the change process is implemented team members may experience negative feelings towards this such as surges in anxiety or fear of the unknown.Opening the lines of honest and open discussion can assist employees put their negative feelings or emotions aside? Employees who have had their voices heard and have had chance to ask questions surrounding the impending change are better placed to conform to change. Communicati on can also have a positive effect; it has the ability to instil excitement and create the acceptance once the change is fully understood and any questions posed have been answered fully and honestly.

Aetiology Of Rotator Cuff Tear Health And Social Care Essay

Throwing jocks are prone to shoulder hurts as a consequence of the high forces placed on the shoulder during the throwing gesture ( Sepp Braun et Al. 2009 ) . The rotator turnup is made up of four sinews that emerge from the shoulder blade and connect to the caput of the humerus. Their map is to stabilise the shoulder. A rotator turnup tear can happen as a consequence from insistent throwing, emphasizing the rotator turnup sinews and bad technique. The hurt in baseball hurlers constitutes a tear in either sinew ( the subscapularis or the supraspinatus ) which are both impinged during the throwing gesture. In this essay I am traveling to depict two mechanisms, one three manner mechanism and one two manner mechanism of how a rotator turnup tear would come about. A three manner disciplinary hurt mechanism could come about get downing with a baseball participant being psychologically excessively mentally tough. While mental stamina can be a great feature in an jock it can besides be damaging to their wellness during athletics. It is an jock ‘s ability to continue when stressors are moving on their head and organic structure but they need to cognize their ain bounds and when it is appropriate to halt for their ain wellness and safety. In the ESPN the Magazine ( May 16, 2011 ) an article was released look intoing the exposures to injury that some jocks have chosen to confront to accomplish their end. There are many illustrations over the old ages were jocks have chosen to disregard warning marks refering their safeness and in some instances have become awfully injured. Socio-cultural factors express attitudes and features that are frequently observed in jocks that promote mental stamina. For illustration attitudes that digesting hurting shows Fe will and strength and reluctance to seek medical aid from fright of being seen as weak ( Wiese-Bjornstal and Shaffer, 1999 ) . Mental stamina can be instilled in an jock through constructing their assurance utilizing challenges and support. This may be from parents, friends or their manager. Most jocks are rewarded for ‘being tough ‘ which enforces the thought that mental stamina is a valuable property and many jocks live by the well-known stating â€Å" No hurting, no addition † . When an athlete becomes excessively mentally tough they may set themselves in danger of hurt. Baseball hurlers need to develop and play, each throw seting huge force on the rotator turnup musculuss of the shoulder. Mental stamina can do a hurler to transport on throwing even when his rotator turnup musculuss are fatigued. The hurler may non cognize of the dangers that he/she is confronting if their shoulder begins to hurt.— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — â₠¬â€ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —Rotator turnup cryings in hurlers are the consequence of a chronic tear from insistent throwing gesture which impinges one of both of the 2 of the four sinews ( the subscapularis or the supraspinatus ) . If the musculus becomes fatigued so its strength and the force it can use are weakened. ( Carsten Juel, 2006 ) Fatigue is a multifactorial state of affairs and that the confining factors may change with force strength, exercising continuance and musculus type. Coevals of metabolites in the fibers can step in with the release of ca2+ to excite contraction and inhibit reactions in the fibers. Metabolites such as Hydrogen ions ( H+ ) can do the intracellular fluid ( cytosol ) of the cell to go acidic ; this inhibits enzyme activity for bring forthing energy. H+ ions are used in the Creatine Kinase ( CK ) reaction and will displace this reaction to favor PCr dislocation. They besides inhibit Phosphofructokinase which phosphorylates fructose in glycolysis. H+ ions may besides lend to tire via: supplanting of ca2+ from adhering with troponin C, stimulation of hurting receptors in musculus ( could do negative feedback mechanism ) , decelerating the release of ADP from myosin ATPase. Although recent research has shown that intracellular acidosis may really heighten the ability of the T-tubule system to transport on action potencies during weariness ( Pederson et al, 2004 ) . Pederson et Al, Intracellular acidosis enhances the irritability of working musculus. Science 305:1144-1147, 2004 Other subscribers to increased H+ degrees are a decrease of intracellular [ K+ ] , synthesis of CP, and the buffering of CO2 produced in the chondriosome. Intracellular chloride can roll up and do little stimulations which make the fibers contract ( vellication of the musculus ) ; this has the consequence of cut downing the force of voluntary contractions. Potassium ( K+ ) released from action potencies can suppress the release of ca2+ when it builds up around the musculus fiber and in the T-tubule. The K+ changes the electric gradient around the fiber and causes a lessening in the release of ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic Reticulum into the myoplasm. Ca2+ within the myoplasm binds to troponin C, instigates motion of tropomyosin, and allows the cycling of cross Bridgess, which finally result in force development ( Allen et al, 2008 ) . Therefore amplitude of contractions will be reduced if there is less ca2+ to adhere to troponin C. If there is less ca2+ this besides allows for more H+ ions to adhere to troponin C, doing weariness. There are besides effects to muscle weariness concerned with the balance between K+ and Na ( Na+ ) but these take topographic point outside of the musculus fibers in the nervousnesss that innervate the fibers. Substrates within musculus cells normally serve as an energy supply for the cell. Substrates such as ATP, animal starch and creatine phosphate are depleted during exercising. When animal starch is used to bring forth energy lactate and H+ ions are produced as a byproduct. These H+ ions create an acidic environment in the cell that non merely inhibits the action of enzymes but besides block nervus signals from the encephalon. If there is non a sufficient O supply to take the H+ ions so fatigue will put in and the musculus will hold to decelerate down to let oxygenated blood to take the them. If there is non sufficient O so pyruvic acid ( besides a byproduct of glycolysis ) will accept H+ to organize lactic acid which is a well-known term used my jocks and managers. All of these factors I have merely talked about can do weariness. If the musculus begins to go fatigued the cross-bridge rhythm will non be working to its full consequence. This means when the rotator turnup musculuss are used to decelerate the arm down in the slowing phase the actin within the musculus fibers will non be able to adhere to the myosin as strongly. This locking mechanism is critical for keeping the musculus and doing certain that it does non stretch past its tensile strength which would do harm to the tissue ( micro cryings ) .— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —During throwing there are strong musculuss on the anterior plane of the shoulder ( pectoralis major, teres major, latissimus dorsi, subscapularis ) executing internal rotary motion of the humerus ( upwards of 7000 grades a 2nd ) ( Dillman et al, 1993 ) . It is estimated that merely half the force generated is produced from the shoulder, the other half is produced by the lower limbs and bole and travels through a kinetic concatenation to the upper limb. There are five stages of throwing which are wind-up, cocking, acceleration, slowing, and follow-through. There are about 200 grades rotary motion in the humerus during throwing ( 90 external and 110 internal ) so this velocity needs to be decelerated in a really short period of clip. ( Sepp Braun et Al. 2009 ) Show that the continuance of the acceleration stage, is merely 0.05 2nd, the greatest angular speeds and the largest alteration in rotary motion occur during this stage. While the concluding two stages, slowing and follow through last for around 0.35 seconds. In concurrence with this statement Kirchhoff and Imhoff 2010, have shown that in the slowing phase the compressive forces created by the rotator turnup is on norm around 1090 N and shear forces are created on the posterior plane of around 400 N. The rotator turnup musculuss do non hold great endurance and are far weaker than the musculuss on the anterior plane of the shoulder, so it is easy to see how cryings could develop. The supraspinatus is normally the musculus that is torn in baseball hurlers. This is because it is non considered an external rotator ; its chief map is to kidnap the arm. Due to its place it takes the initial strain of the stretch with internal rotary motion. It originates on the top of the shoulder blade to its interpolation on the greater tubercle of the humerus so it is easy to see how it is pulled when maximum internal rotary motion is exceeded. The tensile and shear forces placed on the musculus combine to do a tear to get down. Insistent usage of the rotator turnup musculuss to slow the throwing force can do micro cryings in the musculuss. These micro cryings can increase in figure if the rate of tissue dislocation exceeds the rate at which the organic structure can replace the damaged tissue. Reasoning the information I have provided above, it can been learned that the aetiology of rotator turnup cryings can affect a figure of subjects. This is merely one of the many fluctuations of subjects that work together to do the hurt. Mental stamina has caused a hurler to disregard marks of hurt in the shoulder, after uninterrupted throwing the forces moving on the musculuss fatigue the musculuss and do micro cryings which can develop into big painfull tear.— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — –A two manner disciplinary hurt mechanism could come about get down ing with a baseball hurler under psychological emphasis. Stress is a reaction by the organic structure when the individual feels under force per unit area or overwhelmed by something in the environment around them. It is caused by two things, whether the individual thinks the anxiousness is needed in the state of affairs and how their organic structure reacts to certain cognitive and thought procedures. If a baseball hurler is under emphasis this can do tenseness within the shoulder musculuss. Emotional emphasis can be caused by a figure of things such as jobs at work or a feverish agenda. Hans Selye ‘s GAS ( General Adaptation Syndrome ) theory from 1936 suggests that when emphasis is place upon a individual the individual undergoes 3 phases. The phases are alarm reaction, the phase of opposition and the phase of exhaustion. The dismay phase is described as an acute phase were the cardinal nervous system sends out signals to assorted countries of the organic structure to originate the â€Å" battle or flight responses † . The phase of opposition is when the organic structure begins to reconstruct homeostasis back to normal degrees or if the nerve-racking conditions continue the organic structure adapts and remains in a province of rousing. Lastly is the exhaustion phase, this is when the organic structure ‘s ability to defy the stressors has failed because its energy supply has gone. This is frequently referred to as adrenal weariness or overload. Findingss from research lab experiments ( Forsman et al. , 2002 ; Larsson et al. , 1995 ) show that non merely physical demands but besides cognitive factors and mental emphasis may bring on musculus tenseness. Small, low-threshold motor units are recruited at low degrees of contraction, before larger 1s, and are kept activated until complete relaxation of the musculus. If these recruited motor units are non relieved of their tenseness via exercising or massage etc harm to the motor nerve cells can happen ( Sjogaard et al. , 2000 ) . Therefore long permanent psychological emphasis may maintain low-threshold motor units active causing harm. An experiment ( Lundberg, Forsman et al. , 2002 ) utilizing intra-muscular recordings showed that these low threshold motor units can be activated by mental emphasis aswell as physical emphasis in the trapezius musculus. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.macses.ucsf.edu/research/allostatic/muscle.php # psychobiological Stress can do the baseball hurler to keep their shoulders in an unnatural defensive stance which creates tenseness. When a individual becomes under menace norepinephrine is released from the encephalon as portion of the â€Å" battle or flight † mechanism, this endocrine induced tenseness in the musculuss. If this tenseness is non relieved from the musculuss the musculuss will go stiff and will non hold their full scope of motion.— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — –If the shoulder does non hold full scope of motion because it is tense, its snap will be r educed as the musculus attempts to keep its ego in a inactive province. Every tissue has an elastic bound, this is described as the maximal burden that a stuff can prolong without lasting distortion or harm. Elasticity is needed to convey a musculus back to its normal length after it has been stretched out. Decreased snap can besides do stiffness in the musculus. Hill ( 1968 ) has provided grounds that in normal resting musculus cells, a little grade of cross-bridge interaction occurs and moderate cross-bride interaction occurs in tense musculus. This interaction must lend to evident musculus stiffness and loss of snap. If the hurler has a stiff shoulder with decreased elastic capacity, when they carry out the sequence of throwing stages the musculus will non shorten back to its original length every bit rapidly as when it is non tense. Repeatedly throwing will get down to weaken the musculus even further and the musculus will go even stiffer to seek and protect its ego from over stretching. This alone could do cryings in the musculus. The hurler may disregard the stiffness and seek to work the musculus harder to antagonize the fact that the musculus is stiffening its ego. The hurler will damage the tissues if they carry on and micro cryings will develop which could increase in figure and do one big tear. hypertext transfer protocol: //fionastefani.hubpages.com/hub/PhysiologyofStress In baseball hurlers, the overload of pitching has been linked with hurt and redness of the musculuss of the shoulder girdle composite. Pappas, A.M. , R.M. Zawacki, C.F. McCarthy. 1985. Rehabilitation of the fliping shoulder American Journal of Sports Medicine 13:223-235. Dillman CJ, Fleisig GS, Andrews JR. Biomechanics of fliping with accent upon shoulder kinematics. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 1993 ; 18:402-8.— — — — — — — — –Int Orthop. 2010 October ; 34 ( 7 ) : 1049-1058. Published on-line 2010 May 19. Department of the Interior: 10.1007/s00264-010-1038-0 PMCID: PMC29890322.Posterosuperior and anterosuperior encroachment of the shoulder in overhead athletes-evolving constructsChlodwig Kirchhoff and Andreas B. Imhoff— — — — — — — — — — —3.Skeletal Muscle Fatigue: Cellular MechanismsD. G. Allen, G. D. Lamb, and H. Westerblad Department of the Interior: 10.aˆâ€ ¹1152/aˆâ€ ¹physrev.aˆâ€ ¹00015.aˆâ€ ¹2007 Physiol Rev January 2008 vol. 88 no. 1 287-332

Underlie Essay

What values underlie your desire to help others? The value that I feel that underlies me to help others Is my ability to put people first, as In being able to put my feeling aside so I would be willing to be there for them. For example my father was dating a woman that I felt was a woman after his pocket, she lied a lot and was a fake.But besides how I felt about her my father loved her and he new how I felt about her, but I stood by him and was respecting his wishes. Now If she was putting him In harm's way then I would have to step up and something. 2. Which client behaviors would you have trouble accepting? I would have a hard time accepting a mother who has abounded her child for their to have a child in their lives to give them love and support.This is very personal to me, as a child left on the front door of their father's house with a white trash bag by y mother at the age of 11 is very hard to understand especially since I am a mother now and there is no chance I could do tha t to my own child. 3. What would you like to accomplish in human services? I would like to accomplish a lot in human service; first I would like to help as many children as I can, give them a good home with a happy family. Being able to make a person or child smile is my main goal, help them in their lives in any way I can.My main mission is to be there for the worst and turn that situation upside down into a better situation. 4. How do you go about solving personal problems? Solving the problem is based on the situation, one thing I always follow is get all of the facts, hear both sides of the stories. But once you have lied and crossed me, it is hard to build my trust back. Solving personal problems is hard at times but there is always a solution to a problem so I never give up until I find that answer.

Pathophysiology- gasrtic acid stimulation on PUD,GERD,GASTRITIS Essay

Pathophysiology- gasrtic acid stimulation on PUD,GERD,GASTRITIS - Essay Example There are four main phases in the process of gastric acid production and these include basal phase which is constant acid release into the stomach. The cephalic phase involves the preparation for eating and acid secretion is triggered by impulses from higher CNS structures through CN X. Acid secretion in the gastric phase is due to distention of the abdomen and the intestinal phase is stimulated by amino acids and intestinal distension (Malfertheiner, 2009). There are several disorders that can occur as a result of hypersacidity which include peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux and gastritis. The acid accumulation in these cases is due to a series of aggressive factors such as alcohol, h. pylori and NSAIDs. For example in patients with hyperacid dyspepsia due to Helicobacter pylori there is an increase in gastrin production which stimulates the the parietal cells to produce HCl. Dietary factors and consumption of alcohol leads to stimulation of gastric mucosa leading to hypersecretion of acid from the parietal cells (Patel & Gyawali, 2012). Genetics have a role to play in the development of PUD, gastritis and GERD due to several reasons. Firstly, hyperacid dyspepsia can be a genetic condition whereby an individual naturally produces an elevated amount of acid therefore making him or her predisposed to developing the above mentioned conditions. Other genetic conditions such as hyperpepsinogemenia play a role in the development of peptic ulcer disease. Genetic defects of lower esophageal sphincter function also predispose an individual to GERD. Autoimmune disorders, cancers and allergic reactions increase an individual’s chances of developing peptic ulcers or gastritis (Patel & Gyawali,

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Business Strategy - Essay Example to remain progressive and contemporary with the changing business environment and has always tried to meet the consumer demand (Hitt, Duane and Hoskisson, 2012, pp.76-77). The company carries extensive research on the needs and tastes of the customers and at the same time constantly changes their advertising campaigns. The main aim of the company is to develop their products in the best possible way and give their customers a great place to socialize, eat and have a great experience. McDonald’s has achieved its competitive advantage through charging low price for its products and increasing the volume. McDonald’s attracts the consumers on a regular basis and at the most affordable prices. It aims at regular visits of the customers and hence does not display very high priced products on their menu. The product prices of McDonald’s are not standard for all the countries. It differs according to the location or rather the pricing strategy of McDonald’s depends on the local competition and promotions. McDonald’s has even changed the eating habits of the customers and attracts people at the peak hours by offering very low rates. McDonald’s follows an aggressive pricing strategy. McDonald’s products taste the same whichever country they operate, but they try and indulge some local taste so as to make it more appealing to the local consumers (Jeannet and Hennessey, 2005, pp.213-214). The company expands its operations internationally through franchising. They even aim at being the quick service restaurant and give their customers a good experienc e in terms of product quality, taste and cleanliness. The business strategy of McDonald’s comprises of the franchisee model, product consistency and act like retailer think like a brand strategy. The franchisee model that is adopted by the company helps it to maximize on the returns and minimize the investment. According to this model only 15% of the total number of restaurants of McDonald’s is actually owned by

Fire Control Project Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Fire Control Project Overview - Essay Example This project arose from a report which the government commissioned having been raised by the management, engineering as well as development consultancy which was published in April 2000. The conclusion from the report was that maximum efficiency could be attained if the number of control rooms could be reduced from current 46 (as at that time) to only 9 regional control rooms. The objective of the project being to ensure community safety by providing strategic framework for the Fire and Rescue services (FRSs) as well as other agencies which would prevent and respond to emergencies as they arose. The benefits that would accrue from the project were increased resilience. In this case by using the resilient networked technology, staff in any RCC would be able to answer calls within any part of the country. Secondly, the project would integrate all services by use of new risk management tools which had the ability to deploy specialist equipments. This would necessitate introduction of a common call handling, process mobilization, technology and training which would guarantee consistency across various regions. The communication system would also be changed to be data based rather that voice which would be readily accessible through the MDTs. This would hence ensure greater fire and rescue services capabilities (Great 2010, p.30). Extent of Failure Originally, each FRS had its own local control room charged with the responsibility of handling its own emergencies. All the 46 control rooms were independent with each using different levels of technology, network capacities and also their own back-up arrangements. The challenge faced by the control rooms was the increased number of calls and levels that exceeded the local control room. This made the calls be transferred to a different FRS or police control room. By using the police control room, information would then be sent back to the local control room using telephone, radio or fax machine. Due to the fact that different control rooms employed different technology levels and variable quality, this made the transfer process difficult for the FRSs to effectively back each other up. This resulted to the local control rooms being flooded hence being hard to cope using the current technology to handle the high volume of calls which then resulted in long queues or even lost calls. This was another example of a Government IT project in which it was absorbing increasing resources but never achieving the objectives initially set. The essential checks and balances done at the early stages of the project were ineffect ive. This was due to the fact that approval of the project was done based on unrealistic cost estimates as well as under-appreciation of the IT complexity that was to be involved. This made the project be implemented in a hurry with poor management. The Communities and Local Government Select Committee after closely examining the project hope that the project should go live by mid-2011 if there is an agreement on a viable project plan. The realization of the above has been put on substantial risk as a result of the following. Reasons for failure Project Environment There are several issues that ultimately led to the downfall of the said project which if they had been handled before would have made the project a complete success and be completed on time. Failure by the Department to sufficiently incentivize Fire and Rescue Services The Fire and Rescue authorities were under no legal obligation to use the regional control centers once completed. Despite this, the department failed in its mandate by not communicating the benefits to be accrued by transferring to the regional structure. The Department charged with the

How to succeed at team-building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

How to succeed at team-building - Essay Example Organisational behaviour encompasses many areas including employee engagement, employee motivation, communication, personality development and so on. This paper will review the article â€Å"How to succeed at team-building† written by Martin Goodwill (n.d.) using some theories and concepts in the area of organisational behaviour. Literature review As the title indicates, the given article specifically focuses on the aspect team building. Team building is a management approach whereby employees are considered as interdependent team members instead of individual workers. As scholars point out, team building encompasses a wide range of activities ranging from simple bonding exercises to multi-day retreat programmes designed for improving the overall performance of the team, and ultimately the organisation. In a business context, the process of team building falls under the framework of organisational development. Majority of the organisations shape their day to day operations in a way team building is enhanced. A strong and efficient leadership is necessary to improve the team dynamics. The article writer strongly says that employee engagement is an integral part of successful team building. ... Tuckman’s model The â€Å"forming, storming, norming, and performing† model of group development was developed by Bruce W. Tuckman in 1965 based on his 50 studies of group behaviour. Tuckman argues that all these stages of group development are essential for any team to address problems, deliver desired results, and to grow further. The Tuckman’s model is particularly concerned with the way individuals would behave when they work together in a group for the first time or when they are assigned with a challenging task like diversity training. This model is greatly helpful for team members to get a clear view of the group dynamics while working in professional contexts. It is also useful for group leaders to monitor their groups’ development when their group members are resistant to change. Forming is the first stage of team building and is initiated for the completion of a particular task; and during this initial stage, team members pay specific attention o n team organisation, work schedules, and meetings (Clements & Jones 2008). They try to collect information about each other and to avoid serious feelings for ensuring smooth flow of the team building process. At this level, individuals’ behaviour may be influenced by their aspiration to be accepted by others (ibid). This is what Goodwill call ‘employee engagement’ in his article. Since team members are extremely focused on themselves at the forming stage, proper employee engagement would bring desired outcomes. In the second stage (storming), the group discusses matter like how individual members can work independently and together to solve various issues and what leadership model they are about to follow. Referring to Goodwill’s views, a leader has an important role to play in

Nursing research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 30

Nursing research - Essay Example On the hand, reading a report and critically assessing it will help an organization identify whether the research was evidence-based before utilizing the report. In effect, an organization will only implement a research report that was peer reviewed and its utilization will promote positive outcomes in an organization. The fundamental role of nursing research is to provide evidence-based practice that aims at improving the quality of care that an organization provided. However, improving the quality of care in a healthcare organization is only possible if an organization’s process of research utilization is in an approach that was both effective and efficient. To achieve a successful research utilization process, an organization should use the most effective research utilization model to turn the knowledge in research into practice. In line with this, nurses should identify a model that fit into an organization’s culture and structure in order to maximize the knowledge from research into practice. On the other hand, evidence based practice provide the approaches that the findings and knowledge from research will be utilized in an organization

Research Proposal (Political Psychology) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Research Proposal (Political Psychology) - Essay Example This research project intends to analyze the failed diplomacy efforts of former UN Weapons Inspector Hanz Blix that precipitated the excessive levels of distortion surrounding his official testimony and related exchanges that took place after 9/11. To that end, political psychology can help to demystify these failed efforts at international diplomacy demonstrated in his efforts to diffuse an extremely tense and volatile international crisis. Although Blix fulfilled his ideologically-neutral role as a UN Weapons Inspector throughout the debacle, his middle road diplomatic style can be summarized, in retrospect, as an unmitigated disaster. In the shadow of an imminent invasion of Iraq by the US, neither US nor EU hegemonic superpowers scrutinizing his inspection efforts were satisfied with his reports. To explore these failed diplomatic efforts, the current research project intends to compare and contrast the historical and psychological forces at play that wedged Blix between two disp arate styles of international superpower diplomacy in operation at the time of his analysis, discuss the possible justifications for his middle road approach that failed to diffuse these tense international interactions, and describe how his inability to directly negotiate or otherwise influence US or EU officials exacerbated his failed diplomacy; all factors of failed diplomacy expediting the subsequent invasion of Iraq. The working hypothesis therefore, suggests that both the US and the EU have very different styles of diplomacy, that as an allegedly neutral operative of a neutral international peace-keeping committee associated with the United Nations he was prohibited from formally demonstrating an orientation toward either a US or the EU diplomatic style, and that in his desire to objectively and rationally approach the question of WMD in Iraq, he chose the middle road diplomacy approach which failed to endear his team to either US officials

Natural environment Essay Example for Free

Natural environment Essay It has been long debated the importance of nature verses nurture. It is hard to prove one from the other since it is shown for them both to play major roles in the development of a child to an adult. I believe that my personality is a combination of both nature and nurture but I think that I am +more nurtured. There are so many behaviors that I have developed from the environment I grew up. I have learnt to respect all people from being influenced at school and by my parents. I have also been trained to be responsible of things such as doing my work. I learnt that if I am not responsible and dont do my work, then I must pay bad consequences. I have also learnt from experiences that if I do what I am supposed to do, I may be rewarded for good things done. My environment has influenced me in many ways to act upon certain things automatically. Things like looking both ways before crossing the street, or other things that appear to be common sense are learnt from nurture. I have gone through many experiences in which I have learnt different lessons. These lessons have taught me how to act in my life. I know that I am very different person than my mom or my dad. I dont have very much in common with either of them. Although we do share some of the same aspects, I feel that I am more different from them than alike. I have developed the majority of my social skills from my friends and not my parents. Most of my social life revolves around my friends, who have influenced me a lot of the decisions I make and in the way I act. I dont socialize with my parents nearly as much as I do with my peers. I dont think I know my parents well enough to say if I am like them when they are around their friends or not. The nature and nurture of a person can vary greatly. Sometimes there are certain things that are hard to decide whether they are inherited or learnt. I might share some qualities with my parents, but they could just be characteristics that I learnt in my life that my parents also learnt in their lives too and were not inherited. I believe that genes indicate the potential for ones behavior and personality, and that the environment helps create the extent as to how that behavior is carried out.

Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma

Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma and its paraneoplastic manifestations: Review Abstract:  Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma (FDCS) is a rare neoplasm arising from dendritic cells. The paraneoplastic phenomena are an underreported aspect of FDCS. Here we present a case report of FDCS presenting with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia and have done a detailed review of all its paraneoplastic manifestations. Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma (FDCS) is a rare malignancy, which arises from the follicular dendritic cells. It was first described by Monda et al who describes a series of 4 cases(1). Being a relatively new entity, its classification remains a subject of controversy. It has been variously described as lymphoma, sarcoma and histiocytic neoplasm. It has been grouped under histiocytic and dendritic cell neoplasms by the WHO 2008 classification(2) There is considerable under-reporting of this[G1] entity as it usually presents with unremarkable clinical and radiological features. It is not uncommon to misdiagnose these cases as lymphoma due to many similarities in the morphological features between the two entities. With the emergence of modern immunohistochemistry, the dendritic cell lineage can be confirmed and therefore, there is increasing recognition of this group of disorders. Since the first description in 1986, nearly 350 cases of FDCS have been reported(3) including 11 cases from our country(4) FDCS generally presents as a slow growing, well circumscribed painless mass with a median size of 5 cm(2).   Constitutional symptoms are not usually seen at presentation.   Young to middle-aged adults are affected, without any sex predilection. Over fifty percent of the cases are nodal with cervical and axillary lymph nodes being the most common sites(2). The common extranodal sites include tonsils, nasopharynx, palate,entire gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, liver, peritoneum, and lungs.Computerized[G2]Tomography (CT) scan typically shows morphological aspects of an expansive mass with an increasingly inhomogeneous enhancement, directly proportional to lesion size (due to central necrosis, hemorrhage, and cystic changes with a patchy pattern) (5)[G3] Local recurrence in FDCS is more likely than distant metastasis. More than 50% of the cases recur locally after wide local excision while only 25% cases develop distant metastasis.   FDCS is considered as a low-grade malignancy by some while others consider it as an intermediate-grade malignancy[G4](6, 7). Liu et al have proposed [G5]histological criteria for grading the tumor and assessing the risk of recurrence.[G6](8). [G7][G8] Variations in clinical behavior of FDCS are described in the literature.   At one end of the spectrum, FDCS presenting with multifocal abdominal or pelvic mass behaves like an aggressive tumor (13) on the other hand, FDCS of the liver and spleen presents like an inflammatory pseudotumor and usually has a female predominance. (3) Castlemans disease has been found to be associated with FDCS in a few patients(9-11). It has been proposed that the dysplastic changes and FDC proliferation which occur in Castlemans disease may act as the nidus from which FDCS can evolve.(12)Ebstein-Barr Virus has also been described in association with FDCS especially when the liver or spleen is involved.   CD21 expression on the FDC cells has been suggested to be the entry point for EBV in affected cells.(7) FDCS has also been reported to be associated with secondary amyloidosis(13) FDCS mostly arises within lymphoid follicles and has a known association with Castlemans disease. Hence it was postulated that it arises from lymphoid precursors. But studies by Krautler et al suggest that they may arise from prevascular stomal precursor cells, which express platelet-derived growt[G9]h factor beta(14) FDCS has a distinct picture on histopathology a storiform arrangement of spindle-shaped cells with elongated nuclei, delicate, dispersed chromatin and pale eosinophilic cytoplasm. Lymphocytes are seen scattered among the tumor cells and they may also be seen gathered around blood vessels,creating a cuffing pattern. Another characteristic pattern is a concentric whorl.FDCS is specifically immunopositive to CD21, CD35, and/or CD23, vimentin, fascin, HLA-DR, EMA, D2-40, clusterin, and CXCL13. It shows variable positivity to CD68, CD45, CD3, and CD20.[G10](7) a unique point in IHC of FDCS is expression of clusterin which is almost always strongly positive , while in other dendritic cell neoplasms, this marker is weakly positive.(13) Surgical excision of the tumor has been attempted in well circumscribed FDCS. Although some reports suggest that they recur soon afterward(15). Pooled data analysis confirms that surgery remains a good option for localized disease(3, 16). In view of the rarity of FDCS, there is no standard chemotherapeutic regimen for the same. Both lymphoma and sarcoma directed therapies have been tried.   CHOP regimen is one of the commonly used with variable results. [G11][G12]CHOP therapy has been postulated to have an indirect action on FDCS by some authors. It has been postulated that CHOP therapy depletes the B lymphocytes leading to a reduction in the growth factors for FDCS[G13](17). Other regimens which have been tried include ABVD, EPOCH, ICE, and cisplatin/epirubicin(13). Gemcitabine and cisplatin in combination with imatinib(18)and single-agent rituximab[G14]are the other reported regimens with some activity against FDCS(19).[G15][G16] Case Report A 60-year-old female presented with 2 months history of easy fatiguability[G17] and low-grade fever. She was detected to have severe anemia[G18] and mild icterus with difficulty in blood cross matching at a local hospital. She was referred to our institute for further evaluation. General examination revealed marked pallor and generalized lymphadenopathy. The liverwas palpable 5 cm below right costal margin and the spleen was palpable 6 cm below left costal margin. Laboratory evaluation revealed Coombs positive hemolytic anemia, which partially responded to steroid therapy. Her Lymph node excision biopsy showed diffuse effacement of nodal architecture with multiple fascicles of spindle cells traversing the lymph node and wrapping around the pre-existing vessels admixed with many eosinophils and plasma cells (Figure 1a-c). Immunohistochemistry for CD20, CD3, S100, CD 45 and PD-1 were negative, whereas CD23 showed strong membranous positivity in these spindle cells (Figure 1d-i).   Th e histopathological examination was suggestive of Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma. Due to the disseminated involvement by FDCS and associated autoimmune hemolytic anemia, she was treated with CHOP chemotherapy. Both disease and anemia responded to therapy. There are numerous case reports of FDCS presenting with similar paraneoplastic manifestations. They are reviewed below.[G19][G20] Paraneoplastic manifestations of FDCS Paraneoplastic manifestations are a constellation of signs and symptoms that are not directly caused by the malignancy(20). All paraneoplastic manifestations reported with FDCS are of an autoimmune nature. Although they appear similar to classic autoimmune diseases, paraneoplastic autoimmune disorders tend to be more aggressive. Their management too is centered in part on the underlying malignancy (AI) A systematic search was performed on Medline and the paraneoplastic manifestations reported with FDCS in English Literature were identified. (table 1) I. Paraneoplastic Pemphigus (PNP) PNP usually presents secondary to an underlying malignancy, mainly Chronic Lymphocytic leukemia, Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, Thymoma and Castlemans disease(21). PNP is the most commonly reported paraneoplastic manifestation with FDCS. There are 22 cases reports in English literature till date. While axillary and cervical lymphadenopathy is the most common presentation of FDCS, PNP has been reported mostly with retroperitoneal FDCS.   The clinical course of PNP is at variation with the relatively benign course of FDCS and most authors have reported death soon after detection of PNP.   An association with the hyaline vascular variant of [G21]Castlemans disease has been described in 27% of these cases. Reports of other malignancies associated with paraneoplastic syndromes suggest that it is associated with an antitumor response. The underlying malignancy remained undetectable for up to a year after the paraneoplastic syndrome first manifested due to this effect. It has been suggested that the immune response against the paraneoplastic antigen in the tumor, slows down the growth of the tumor(22). The status of FDCS is not in remission in most of the available reports.   Thus, there is no evidence to suggest an antitumor effect in patients presenting with PNP. Resection of the underlying FDCS along with oral steroids for the PNP has been the usual treatment, but there are 2 reports of usage of higher immunosuppression to successfully control the PNP(18, 23). II.Myasthenia Gravis (MG) Seven cases of myasthenia gravis have been reported in literature till date. One case was also reported to be associated with Castlemans disease Interestingly, four of the seven cases also had paraneoplastic pemphigus. A similar presentation has been reported with another malignancy involving the immune system. Thymoma has a well-known association with MG. Less commonly, it has also been reported with PNP and there is even a report of Thymoma presenting with both MG and PNP. The authors have suggested that the linkage is indirect, through a triad, which also includes the tumor rather than a direct relation. [G22][G23][G24][G25] A similar linkage may explain the cases of FDCS with MG and PNP. Alternatively, CD which [G26]has known association with both these conditions could be the missing link[G27](24-26). But among available literature, there was no evidence of CD with FDCS and MG in all but one case.[G28][G29][G30] The treatment has been IV immunoglobulin, pyridostigmine, and steroids. Most of the authors have reported a good response to therapy with no mortality.[G31][G32] This is in resonance with the findings of MG with other disorders. Thymoma associated with MG is found to have a better prognosis than thymoma without MG. This has partly been attributed to earlier detection of the disease(27) III. Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia AIHA is a well-known phenomenon in lymphoproliferative disorders. Among the solid organ cancers, a majority of the available literature is with Kaposi sarcoma, lung, kidney and colorectal ca[G33]ncers. It may occur prior to, concurrent with cancer or well after the end of [G34]treatment (28). Two different responses to therapy have been documented with paraneoplastic AIHA. Some cases are steroid resistant and respond to treatment of the primary malignancy. While, AIHA present along with metastatic[G35] cancers are usually steroid responsive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   [G36] A search of the literature revealed that [G37]ours is only the second case of AIHA with FDCS reported. Conry et al. had reported a 36-year-old African-[G38][G39]American[G40] female who had presented with AIHA not responding to steroids or splenectomy. She presented 1 year later with the abdominal lump which was diagnosed as FDCS. She did not respond to radiotherapy alone but had a good response to chemotherapy with gemcitabine and docetax[G41]el(17). Experience in this case and our case may be insufficient to label AIHA as a paraneoplastic manifestation of FDCS, but several plausible mechanisms of occurrence of AIHA exist in patients of FDCS. And FDCS has known association with other autoimmune paraneoplastic syndromes. So with increased awareness of this association, we hope that more such cases will be documented. [G42][G43] Proposed mechanisms for development of autoimmunity[G44] Castlemans disease is known to be associated with PNP. Several authors have suggested that a preexisting Castlemans may be the cause of PNP in cases of FDCS. Maverakis et al divide paraneoplastic autoimmune disorders broadly into 3 categories:   (i) Disruption of central tolerance, (ii) peripheral immune dysregulation and   (iii) alteration of self-antigens[G45](29). The mechanisms proposed for the occurrence of paraneoplastic phenomena in FDCS are so varied that we could find at least one hypothesis under each of these three headings.[G46] Disruption of Central tolerance 1.Hartert et al and Kim et al have reported immature T cell proliferation, which is not characteristic of FDCS, in those presenting with Myasthenia Gravis. The resulting immune dysregulation may be lead to paraneoplastic phenomena (30, 31). 2. Spreading epitope phenomenon states that cytokines produced by the tumor induce immunoglobulin production, which in turn leads to paraneoplastic phenomena(32). [G47] Peripheral immune dysregulation[G48] 1. B7 is a ligand which required for activation of T cells. Most antigen presenting cells have a low expression of B7 ligand, the only exception being the dendritic cell. The B7 expression on NHL cells[G49] has been proposed as the mechanism underlying autoimmune phenomena seen in them(29). FDCS which arises from dendritic cells may also have a similar mechanism. Alteration of self-antigens[G50] 1.Antibodies directed against the tumor may cross-react with epiderm[G51]al antigens in the case of PNP(32). Shared antigens between FDCS and erythrocytes like CD 35 may be the link in case of Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia Conclusion The paraneoplastic phenomena are an underreported aspect of FDCS. The clinical scenario is not uniform among all FDCS with paraneoplastic phenomena. While PNP is associated with poor prognosis, the available reports on AIHA and MG suggest a relatively benign course. There are only 2 cases of AIHA reported with FDCS. Although the mechanism for the development of AIHA in FDCS has been proposed, there is a possibility that it is simply a [G52]case of 2 unrelated diseases occurring together.   In the times to come, better recognition of this entity amongst pathologists may lead to an identification of a larger number of patients. Thereby our understanding of this rare neoplasm and its even rare[G53][G54]r complication of PNS will improve Table I: Case reports of FDCS with Para Neoplastic Pemphigus No Year Age/Sex Castleman Location of FDCS Therapy given Interval to PNP Status of FDCS when PNP occurred Outcome and comments Ref. 1 1999 66/M + Abdominal Surgery 480 months Post-excision[G55] Died after 8 days (9) 2 2004 64/F Abdominal Surgery 18 months No Alive at 7m (33) 3 2005 32/M + NA Surgery + Chemo NA Not in remission Died at 3m (10) 4 2005 27/F Abdominal NA NA NA NA (34) 5 6 2005 53/F + Abdominal Surgery Simultaneous Not in remission Died at 1 year (35) 7 2008 60/M Lung Nil Simultaneous Post-excision[G56] Died at 6m (19) 8 2008 67/M Abdominal Surgery 1 months Post-excision Relapse at 12m MG+ (36) 9 2010 68/M Abdominal Surgery 1 month Post-excision Died at 24m MG + (31) 10 2011 NA NA NA NA NA Relapsed (11) 11 2011 NA + NA NA NA NA NA (11) 12 2011 NA + NA NA NA NA NA (11) 13 2012 39/F NA Surgery NA NA Alive at 60m (37) 14 2012 67/M NA Surgery Simultaneous Post-excision Died after 21m MG + (37) 15 2012 68/M Abdominal Surgery Simultaneous Post-excision Died at 3m Synchronous thyroid and renal cancer (38) 16 2013 61/F + Abdominal + multiple sites Surgery + Chemo 36 months Not in remission Died (39) 17 2013 28/M + Abdominal Chemo Simultaneous Not in remission NA (40) 18 2013 20/M + Rt pelvis Chemo simultaneous Not in remission Died at 1m (41) 19 2014 46/F Liver Surgery + Chemo 6 months Not in remission Died at 12m (23) 20 2014 20/M Rt parahilar Surgery + Chemo Nil Post-excision Alive at 12m (42) 21 2015 26/F + NA NA NA NA Alive MG+ (43) Case reports of FDCS with Myasthenia Gravis No Year Age/Sex Castleman Location of FDCS Therapy given Interval to MG Status of FDCS when MG occurred Outcome and comments Ref. 1 2008 67/M Abdominal Surgery 1 months Post-excision Relapse at 12 m PNP+ (36) 2 2010 68/M Abdominal Surgery Simultaneous Post-excision Died at 24m PNP+ (31) 3 2010 39/F Mediastinal Surgery 36 months prior to FDCS Not in remission NA (30) 4 2010 72/F + Mediastinal Surgery 7 months prior to FDCS Not in remission Alive at 8m (25) 5 2011 59/F Axillary Surgery 1.5 months Post-excision NA (44) 6 2012 67/M NA Surgery Simultaneous Post-excision Died after 21m PNP+ (37) 7 2015 26/F + NA NA NA NA Alive PNP+ (43) Case reports of FDCS with Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia No Year Age/Sex Castleman <

Antiglycation Studies of Pd(II)-Hydrazide Complexes

Antiglycation Studies of Pd(II)-Hydrazide Complexes Introduction Glycation is a non-enzymatic spontaneous reaction between sugars and coexisting protein followed by a complex cascade of reactions including dehydration, redox reaction and other rearrangements [1, 2] forming advanced glycation end products (AGEs) [3]. Glycation reactions depend on the generation of reactive oxygen species by trace amounts of redox active metal ions [4] and on the degree and duration of hyperglycemia in vivo [5]. Glycation damages the collagen and elastin throughout the body. It is generally accepted that accumulation of tissue AGEs together with enhanced oxidative stress has an important role in the progression of aging and diabetic complications including retinopathy, neuropathy, embryopathy, delayed healing of wounds and others [6-10]. The increase in diabetic complications is the major cause of increased morbidity and mortality rate that has enhanced considerably in the two decades [11]. It has been estimated that the number of cases of DM will reach to 366 milli on by 2030 [12, 13] showing in fact a great challenge to healthcare systems [14]. The failure of existing antidiabetic drugs are forcing researchers to find out new inhibitors of proteins responsible for glycation in order to have a long term and sustainable solution for management of diabetes and age-related diseases. Protein Glycation The protein glycation, also called Millard reaction, involves non-enzymatic coupling of proteins with reducing sugars eventually producing advanced end products. The glycation is a spontaneous reaction, which stimulates the degradation of proteins with modification of their structures and biological activity [1-3]. Various reducing sugars including glucose, lactose, fructose, xylose, deoxyribose and galactose may take part in protein glycation [15]. Chemistry and Mechanism of Protein Glycation The protein glycation process initiates with the reaction of carbonyl (keto or aldehydic) group of reducing sugar with free amino group of protein forming a labile Schiff base 16. This is called early stage of glycation. The Schiff bases are then transformed through Amadori rearrangement into comparatively stable compounds known as Amadori products. At acidic pH or under oxidative conditions, the Amadori products or Schiff bases undergo degradation generating extremely reactive 1, 2-dicarbonyl compounds, such as methylglyoxal (Figure 94) 17-21. The formation of protein dicarbonyls through a protein enediol may generate superoxide radicals in the presence of transition metal ions and molecular oxygen 22. The superoxide radicals can be converted into most reactive hydroxyl radical via Fenton reaction 7. The reactive carbonyl compounds subsequently react with amino groups of neighboring proteins producing protein dicarbonyl compounds, which further contribute in the formation of various types of protein crosslinks and adducts called ‘Advanced Glycation End Products’ (AGEs). The autoxidation of Amadori products to AGEs is described as glycoxidation process. Figure 94. Structures of some reactive dicarbonyl glycation intermediates Advanced Glycation End Products The advanced glycation end products (AGEs) comprise a complex heterogeneous group of compounds produced primarily through the reaction of reactive carbonyls and proteins. AGEs demonstrate to have diverse molecular biological functions and structures 18, 23]. The amino, sulphydryl and guanidinum functional groups occurring in the intracellular and extracellular proteins are the main targets of reactive carbonyl compounds. Various AGEs have been recognized in different tissues that can be categorized into three major groups: fluorescent cross-linked AGEs (e.g. pentosidine and crossline), non-fluorescent cross-linked AGEs (e.g. alkyl formyl glycosyl pyrrole and arginine-lysine imidazole cross-links) and non-cross linked AGEs (e.g. pyrraline and N-(carboxylmethyl) lysine) 18. The structures of some AGEs are presented in Figure 95. Figure 95. Structures of selected advanced glycation end products Factors Affecting the Formation of AGEs In physiological environment, the generation of AGEs is a relatively slow process. Accordingly, the AGEs accumulation is dominant in long-lived structural proteins, for instance, tissue collagens and lens crystallins. The oxidative conditions are known to accelerate the formation of AGEs, which slows down under anaerobic environment [24]. The transition metal ions may induce the auto-oxidation of sugars to produce keto aldehydes and hydrogen peroxide that speed up the formation of AGEs [25]. The amount of AGEs formed is increased as a function of time and concentration of glucose and hence the AGEs formation is enhanced with aging and under diabetic conditions [26]. Site Specificity of Glycation of Proteins Glycation of protein is considered as a specific reaction; however, it is less specific compared to enzymatic glycosylation. Glycation often takes place at specialized site in the protein, such as the substrate binding site (e.g. Arg-39) of RNase, the allosteric site (e.g. ÃŽ ²V1) of hemoglobin, and the drug binding sites (e.g. Arg-410) on albumin [27]. The specificity of glycation may be determined by endogenous ligands and the structure of protein especially an amino acid sequence within the protein. The specificity of protein glycation is usually affected by both basic and acidic neighboring groups [28], either via catalysis of Amadori rearrangement (the rate-limiting step of protein glycation), or via effecting pKa of amino group that contributes in enhancing its nucleophilicity and formation kinetics of Schiff bases. This shows that there is a variation in the respective rate and extent of glycation shown by amino groups in the protein. The anionic ligands also catalyze the pote ntial glycation of proteins at specific sites [27]. Exogenous Sources of AGEs The formation of AGEs via Maillard reaction was originally described for physical and chemical changes occurring during heating of food [29]. Beside the natural formation of AGEs inside the body, there are some exogenous sources of increased AGEs including diet enriched with AGEs and smoking. The extent of absorption of AGEs ingested with food is very small [30]. However, there is a strong relationship of AGEs circulating in the human body with the AGEs ingested [31]. It has been investigated that tobacco smoke increases the formation of AGEs on plasma proteins due to containing some products, which produce protein crosslinks and AGE-like fluorescence and mutagenicity [32]. For example, the diarbonyl compounds, glyoxal and metbylglyoxal, are most likely to be present in cigarette smoke that act as mediators of AGE formation and formed by thermal decomposition of existing saccharides. Accordingly, the serum of diabetic smokers reveals enhanced levels of AGEs relative to diabetic non-smokers [33]. Similarly, the smokers are more susceptible to incidence of cataract, cardiovascular and lungs diseases as compared to non-smokers due to smoke-mediated AGEs formation [34]. Toxicity or Pathological Conditions Associated to Glycation and AGEs Formation The AGEs are more prone to proteolysis and degradation as compared to the original proteins. The accumulation of AGEs has toxic biological effects, causing disruption of many cellular processes leading to various pathologies. The AGEs as well as intermediate glycation products such as reactive carbonyls induce the production of free radicals in vitro and in vivo [35, 36] and hence increased oxidative stress [37]. The glycation-mediated free radicals are the major cause of protein fragmentation as well as oxidation of lipids (lipid peroxidation) and nucleic acids [7]. The reactive dicarbonyls have ability to bind with naturally active proteins of diverse physiology via intra- and inter-molecular cross linking resulting in deactivation of enzymes, transcription factors, membrane transporters and signaling components with eventual protein degradation and cytotoxicity [38-40]. The AGEs also bind to cell membrane receptors inducing signal cascades leading to inappropriate gene expressions and cellular activities [18]. The elevated level of AGEs in tissues has a strong correlation with severity of diabetic complications [41, 42]. This is because of modification of enzymatic activity in multiple ways including binding of ligand, change in protein half life, increased membrane permeability, decreased binding ability of insulin to its receptors, increased atherogenicity of LPL and variation in the immunogenicity [43-45]. The main diabetic complications include impaired wound healing and the serious damage and failure of various vital organs such as kidneys (nephropathy), nerves (neuropathy), eyes (cataract, retinopathy), blood vessels (atherosclerosis) and heart (cardiomyopathy) [11, 34, 46, 47]. The AGEs formation is also associated to aging, Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic disorders [17, 10, 48-50]. Natural Biological Defense Mechanism against Glycation and AGEs The human body presents a certain mechanism to inhibit the glycation of protein and resulting AGEs formation. For example, ÃŽ ±-keto-glutaraldehyde dehydrogenase, a liver enzyme, has a capability to inactive 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG), Arnadori-derived reactive intermediate and hence prevents the generation of AGEs [41]. The other enzymes such as aldose reductase and glyoxylase system (I and II) can catalyze the deglycation of reactive intermediate methylglyoxal into D-lactase [51]. Amadoriases are the group of enzymes found in Aspergillus, which catalyze the deglycation of Amadori products [52]. Some NADPH-dependant exogenous enzymes such as aldose reductase and oxoaldehyde reductase that metabolize ÃŽ ±-dicarbonyls, have the ability to reduce 3-DG and thus regulate the formation of AGEs [53]. Similarly, different plasma amines may reduce AGEs formation through reaction with carbonyl groups of sugar and Amadori compounds [54]. Antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C, provide prote ction against glycation-mediated free radicals, whereas, ceruloplasmin and other transport proteins bind with transition metal ions such as Cu2+, preventing them to take part in glycoxidation reactions or autoxidative glycation [55]. Inhibition of Protein Glycation and AGEs Several attempts have been made earlier to explore pharmacologically active antiglycating agents to prevent or slow down the production of AGEs [56]. The major side effects associated with antiglycation therapy limit the use and necessitate the discovery of new inhibitors of glycation with reduced toxicity and long half life to be implicated for large time span. Currently, two therapeutic strategies are highly successful having great effectiveness against diabetic complications and normal aging; one is the inhibition of formation of AGEs and other is the breaking of already established AGEs cross-linkages [57]. Promising Inhibitors of Glycation with Their Mechanism of Inhibition The antiglycating agents such as aminoguanidine, rutin, antioxidants, aspirin and other AGEs breakers have been examined extensively and received great interest. The structures of some potential antiglycating agents are depicted in Figure 96. Aminoguanidine Aminoguanidine is a derivative of hydrazine that inhibits the generation of AGEs and glucose-derived collagen cross-links during in vitro studies [58]. Aminoguanidine does not act on already formed AGEs but it reacts with reactive Amadori products such as 3-deoxyglucosone preventing additional rearrangements and intermediates crosslinking [59]. In addition, aminoguanidine is a free radical scavenger that contributes in reducing oxidative stress [60]. The treatment of diabetic animal models with aminoguanidine reduces AGEs accumulation, kidney lesions, albuminuria and long-term diabetic complications including retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy [61]. Aminoguanidine also exerts positive effect on the speed of nerve conduction [22]. Aminoguanidine therapy is limited by serious toxic effects attributable to high reactivity, subliminal concentrations and rapid renal clearance. The human trials with aminoguanidine experience vasculitis (inflammation of lymph or blood vessel), liver fu nction abnormalities [62] and less frequent flu-like symptoms, nausea and headache [63]. Figure 96. Structures of some potential antiglycating agents Aspirin Acetylsalicylic acid commonly known as aspirin is an analgesic has well known analgesic drug that also shows the preventive action against formation of cataract under diabetic conditions. Aspirin may limit the sugar-mediated formation of Amadori products by acetylation of free amino residues of proteins. Aspirin also stops the crosslinking of tendon in rat tail in vitro through inhibition of glycoxidation. Furthermore, aspirin is a free radical scavenger [64]. However, the use of aspirin is unlikely in controlling late diabetic complications because of some serious gastrointestinal side effects [41]. Rutin Rutin is a common flavonoid of vegetables and fruits that modulates the AGEs generation in vitro. The flavonoids including rutin that contain vicinal dihydroxyl groups have established their significant role as antiglycating agents. The mechanism of inhibition by rutin is suggested to involve the trapping of amino groups in proteins at early stage of glycation, especially in ketoamine formation, by rutin metabolites like keto-quinone intermediates. Rutin has shown significant inhibitory effect against hemoglobin glycation and it is more efficient compared to aminoguanidine [65]. Antioxidnats Since non-enzymatic glycation of protein is significantly accelerated by excessive generation of free radicals, the antioxidants and other free radical scavengers are expected to inhibit the process of glycation [24]. For example, vitamin E has been reported to appreciably reduce the glycation of hemoglobin [66]. The compounds that exhibit both antioxidant and antiglycation properties e.g. aminosalicylic acid, can protect endothelial cells with better efficacy than aminoguanidine against adverse effects of glycation and high glucose levels in vitro [46]. Similarly, carnosine that is a naural antioxidant and antiglycating agent, inhibits sugar-induced cross-linking of proteins by reaction with methylglyoxal and also sequesters metal ions (e.g. copper and zinc). Carnosine has shown its role in the treatment of cataracts and other diseases [67]. The glycation-derived free radicals generation may be reduced by chelation of transition metal ions, which are responsible for monosaccharide a utoxidation. For instance, the metal chelator, diethylenetriamine penta acetic acid has shown the inhibition of glucose autoxidation [68, 69]. AGE-Breakers AGE-breakers are the compounds, which remove AGEs cross-links through breakdown of ÃŽ ±-dicarbonyl bonds in glucose-derived cross-links of proteins [70]. However, the exact mechanism of inhibition for cross-link breaking is unclear so far. N-phenacylthiazolium bromide (PTB) and its chloride form, alagebrium chloride (ALT-711) are the examples of AGE-breakers. It has been demonstrated that the increased arterial stiffness related to diabetes is successfully reversed through a short treatment with AGE-breaker, ALT-711. The cardiovascular stiffness related to normal aging process can also be reduced by ALT-711. For example, the treatment of normal aged dogs with AGE cross-link breaker has shown noticeable decrease in stiffness of left ventricle chamber [71]. The clinical trial studies on diabetic humans, dogs and other animals indicate the potentially promising use of antiglycation therapy in near future to prevent diabetic complications and other diseases related to protein glycation [56].

Male Dominance in The Yellow Wallpaper :: Yellow Wallpaper essays

Male Dominance in The Yellow Wallpaper      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story of The Yellow Wallpaper reflects the period where men dominated women.   The real meaning of this story is written hidden behind it.   The author had used a writing style that is taking objects portraying men, women, and society.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story first starts off a couple have moved to a house. A so- called haunted house, her wife describes it.   The wife, who is a patient of her husband, has moved here to cure her sickness.   She does not admit that she has a problem.   Everyday she keeps looking at the tore yellow wallpaper. She finds it really interesting observing it.   She likes writing personally.   And so she writes about the yellow wallpaper.   Everyday she would find something new to write about.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The wallpaper really represents the society.   Those bars, which she sees in front of the wallpaper, represent freedom.   It is the boundary that woman wants to break open of.   Women image behind the bars, tries to escaped from the control of men will eventually be twisted up.   The lights that shined through the window present the dominant of men.   The wife observes that patterns of the parts where lights shine right at it is the non-active parts.   It symbolizes women are more settle when men are watching over them.   Under their pressure, they don't dare to rebel against them.   Her wife sees images moving around on the dark side.   That brings up a big contradicting point comparing this to our present society.   Back then, woman does not have much freedom.   They are under man's hands.   Secretly they tired to struggle through this strangle. But they failed after all.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My favorite passage of this story is on page 163.  Ã‚   The detailed description that the wife describes really draws much attention to me.   It talks about some details that the wife finds looking at the wallpaper.   And one interesting point, that she sees John and Jennie put their eyes on the wallpaper too.   That she was surprise John and Jennie may see there is something going on about the wallpaper.   But I don't know if that is what the wife is determines or have a guess that's what they are doing also. Last sentence of the passage: "But I Know she was studying that pattern, and I am determined that nobody shall find it out but myself!"   She was very into examining the wallpaper, she is full of confidant that she shall be the one finding out what's behind the wallpaper.   It is quite freaky to hear that from her.   Because she is a patient, and now here she is

Reflective Writing - My Development as a Writer Essay -- Bilingual Eng

A Nomad Writer America is a place full of immigrants with no single ethnicity or race. America can also be referred to as the ?Melting Pot? because it consists ingredients of multicultural backgrounds. There are cultures such as French American, Asian American, Italian American and African American. I am Mexican American. My culture has helped me to become the writer I am today. My bicultural background and constant moving back and forth from Mexico to America has both influenced and weakened my writing. Although I was born in America, my Mexican culture has always been a part of my life. I have spent the majority of my life in Mexico, and Spanish is my first language. After I turned one, my family moved to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Raised there, I developed a routine of speaking Spanish throughout the day with my mother, and speaking English in the evening with my father when he arrived home from work. Speaking two languages at home was completely normal to me and easy for me to adjust. However, th e school I attended as a young kid was much more difficult. The small kindergarten and elementary school I went to over packed their classrooms with twenty more kids than the set limit. The teachers did not have a lot of physical materials to teach with; they only had two pieces of chalk, a board and stamps. Ciudad Juarez is a highly populated and dangerous city in terms of first-degree crimes such as rape and murder. They have a poor education system offered in both public and private schools, which weakened my first experiences with learning. As a child, I felt unsafe learning in such a poor environment and wanted to leave school and go home early everyday. Af... ... but sometimes I still struggle just as many other foreign speakers do. Regardless of the culture, literature allows for people to express themselves. Because of my bicultural background, I am a person who understands literature as a form of communication for every culture. My experience with two different languages allowed me to become the writer I am today with strong ideas. My writings at the University of Arizona, related to the importance of my culture and how it affects my life. I have become a successful student due to the fact to that great importance I see. My classmates in the required class for my Hispanic Alumni Scholarship have also become successful writers and students. One of the students in my class, Jordan Garcia, has had three of her essays published for the newspaper. Culture makes one a successful person, and motivates one to write.

Vera Bradley

Bad Brads BBQ purchased a piece of equipment by paying $5,000 cash. They also incurred a shipping cost of $400 to get the equipment to its factory. The fair value of this equipment is $7,000. For what amount should Bad Brads BBQ record the equipment? | $5,000. | | $5,400. | | $7,000. | | $7,400. | Research and development costs should be: | Expensed in the period incurred. | | Expensed in the period they are determined to be unsuccessful. | | Deferred pending determination of success. | | Expensed if unsuccessful, capitalized if successful. | Goodwill is: Amortized over the greater of its estimated life or forty years. | | Only recorded by the seller of a business. | | The excess of the fair value of a business as a whole over the fair value of all net identifiable assets. | | Recorded when created internally through advertising expense. | Which of the following is considered a â€Å"contra† account? | Unearned Revenue. | | Goodwill. | | Accumulated Depreciation. | | Costs of Good Sold. | Using the straight-line method, depreciation expense for 2012 would be: | $12,000. | | $11,000. | | $60,000. | | None of the other answers are correct. Using the straight-line method, the book value at December 31, 2012 would be: | $44,000. | | $49,000. | | $55,000. | | $60,000. | Using the double-declining balance method, depreciation expense for 2012 would be: | $24,000. | | $22,000. | | $19,000. | | $20,000. | Using the double-declining balance method, depreciation expense for 2013 would be: | $22,000. | | $13,200. | | $14,400. | | $24,000. | Berry Co. purchases a patent on January 1, 2012, for $40,000 and the patent has an expected useful life of five years with no residual value. Assuming Berry Co. ses the straight-line method, what is the  amortization expense  for the year ended December 31, 2013? | $0. | | $8,000. | | $16,000. | | $40,000. | Abbott Company purchased a computer that cost $10,000. It had an estimated useful life of 5 years and no residual valu e. The computer was depreciated by the straight-line method and was sold at the end of the fourth year of use for $3,000 cash. Abbott should record: | a gain of $1,000. | | a loss of $1,000. | | neither a gain nor a loss – the computer was sold at its book value. | | neither a gain nor a loss – the gain that occurred in this case would not be recognized. |

Consumer Protection Act

THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT, 1986 Though consumer is the purpose and most powerful motivating force of production, yet at the same time consumer is equally vulnerable segment of the whole marketing system. Attempts have been made to guard the interest of the consumer in a sporadic way till 1986, when Government of India enacted a comprehensive legislation-Consumer Protection Act, to safe guard the interest of the consumer than ever before.The Consumer Protection Act, 1986, applies to all goods and services, excluding goods for resale or for commercial purpose and services rendered free of charge and under a contract for personal service. The provisions of the Act are compensatory in nature. It covers public, private, joint and cooperative sectors. The Act enshrines the rights of the consumer such as right to safety, right to be informed, right to be heard, and right to choose, right to seek redressal and right to consumer education.Consumer:  A consumer is any person who buys any g oods for a consideration and user of such goods where the use is with the approval of buyer, any person who hires/avails of any service for a consideration and any beneficiary of such services, where such services are availed of with the approval of the person hiring the service. The consumer need not have made full payment. Goods:  Ã‚  Goods mean any movable property and also include shares, but do not include any auction able claims.Service:  Ã‚  Service of any description such as banking, insurance, transport, processing, housing construction, supply of electrical energy, entertainment, board or lodging. Nature of complaint: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Any unfair trade practice or restrictive trade practice adopted; by the trader   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  b) Defective goods b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deficiency in service c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Excess price charged ;by the trader d)  Ã‚  Unlawful goods sale, which is hazardous to life and safety when used Consumer Courts:     A three-tier-system a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission: claims above Rs. 0 lakh (a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission or State Commission:  Claims from Rs 5 to 20 lakh. (a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum or District Forum:  Claims upto Rs 5 Lakh Complaint:  A complaint, hand written or typed, can be filed by a consumer, a registered consumer organisation, central or state Government and one or more consumers, where there are numerous consumers having the same interest. No stamp or court fee is needed. The nature of complaint must be clearly mentioned as well as the relief sought by the consumer. It must be in quadruplicate in district forum or state commission.Else, additional copies are required to be filed. Grant of relief: (a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Repair of defective goods (b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Replacement of defective goods (c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Refund of the price paid  for the defective goods or service (d)  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Removal of deficiency in service (e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Refund of extra money charged (f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Withdrawal of  goods hazardous to life and safety (g)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Compensation for the loss or injury suffered by the consumer due to negligence of the opposite party (h)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adequate cost of filing and pursuing the complaint   Ã‚  Ã‚  Normally, complaints should be decided within 90 days from the date of notice issued to the opposite party.Where a sample of any goods is required to be tested, a complaint is required to be disposed of within 150 days; it may take more time due to practical problems. Consumer Protection Councils:  Councils have been setup in all states and at the center to promote and protect the rights and interest of consumers. These councils are advisory in nature and can play important role in recommending consumer oriented policies to the state and central Government.

Compare and Contrast Lee’s Presentation of Miss Maudie, Mrs Dubose and Aunt Alexandra

Compare and Contrast Lee's Presentation of Miss Maudie, Mrs Dubose and Aunt Lee's presentation of Miss Maudie, Mrs Dubose and Aunt Alexandra. What do the children learn from their encounters with these characters? In the novel ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee the protagonist Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch and her brother ‘Jem’ meet a few female characters who all affects some part of the lives of the children. Harper Lee resists some of the conventional stereotypes of women from that era which is shown through the character Miss Maudie Atkinson who is opinionated, and speak her mind.Miss Maudie’s morality is level with Atticus’ and unlike some other female residents of Maycomb County, Miss Maudie minds her own business and behaves with integrity. She shows people the respect they deserve, calling Scout â€Å"Jean Louise† and Boo Radley â€Å"Arthur,† proves this. Miss Maudie totally opposes Aunt Alexandra, who is the sister of Atticus, the childrens father.Miss Maudie is someone who is there for Scout to talk to and will actually listen as she is a woman who does not judge people but has a broad mind, for example about the trial of Tom Robinson. However Aunt Alexandra fits the sterotype of women of that time as she behaves very lady-like and wishes to impose this manner onto Scout and turn her into a â€Å"lady†. She doesn't approve of Atticus's defense of a black man, even though he is innocent. She is very concerned about how the Finch family is seen in the community.She doesn't want them to do anything that will make the town go against them. Aunt Alexandra, who is all about image, comes to stay with Atticus and the kids so she can preserve the family name, which Jem and Scout object to. The first thing she does when she arrives is criticize Scout for acting like a boy â€Å"We decided it best for you to have some feminine influence† but Scout does not like Aunt Alexandra trying to change her, therefore she resists the change despite Aunt Alexandra attempts. onversely Miss Maudie alters Scout's perception of womanhood because in the morning, Miss Maudie is dressed in overalls and â€Å"men's clothing,† but at night, she changes into a dress and looks gorgeous showing Scout that being a woman does not mean that every hour one has to be in a dress looking beautiful. Miss Maudies presence as a neighbour is very appreciated by the children as she is also a friend to them, especially to Scout as she is there when Jem begins to grow up and not spend so much time with the narrator of this novel.Miss Maudie is there for Scout to lean on and supports her during tough times like at Aunt Alexandra's tea party. Miss Maudie comforts her when everyone was laughing: â€Å"Miss Maudie looked gravely at me. She never laughed unless I meant to be funny† showing that this female charcter is reverent and could be interpreted as a motherly figure to Scout. Miss M audie is also there for Scout to hold her hand while the other ladies are subtly making fun of Atticus and saying that he is a disgrace for defending a Negro.

Of Mice and Men †Friendship Essay

John Steinbeck shows how important a friendship is and how much two people can support each other to survive. Take this bond away and it will create a difficult and almost impossible journey for the two men in this novel. John Steinbeck portrays Lennie and George as having the greatest friendship in the world and while George claims to not need Lennie, he knows that he needs Lennie as much as Lennie needs him. The mutual relationship between George and Lennie is a genuine friendship between two very different men. Lennie, a mentally handicapped, big man with stand out features and George, the small little tough guy, with the brains and great leadership skills. As the two men are trying to escape from a mishap that Lennie is in fault for, George like always tries to back him up. George and Lennie met one day when George was talking to his friends and told Lennie to jump off of a bridge that they were both on. Since Lennie is mentally challenged he attempted this brainless act and almost drowned. George feeling great sympathy for Lennie thought of it as an obligation to be friends with Lennie to pay him back. As the two got to know each other they became great friends and didn’t stop. Knowing that Lennie was handicapped, George would always take care of him like a â€Å"cousin†. George proves that a good friendship is based on what someone’s personality is like, not how they look on the outside. George sticks around with Lennie even when Lennie does make many mistakes and almost puts George into danger. On page 34 George and Slim have a conversation. â€Å"You guys travel around together?† â€Å"Sure, we kinda look after each other† This quote shows that George isn’t afraid to say he and Lennie travel around together and isn’t embarrassed by his company. Throughout the whole novel, George always compliments Lennie on his work and his positive abilities. Good friends always stick by each other. They always back each other up and they always help out when one of them is in need. Even though Lennie never contributes to helping George, the reason isn’t because he will not. The reason for this is because George never gets into any type of trouble. Lennie is always the one who needs help, but I’m sure of it that Lennie would help George in any circumstance. When George and Lennie talk to the boss George says to Lennie, â€Å"Let me do all the talking†. George proves to help Lennie out because Lennie is not too good with his words. George and  Lennies friendship grows stronger and stronger and it grows so strong that even the part when George kills him is a sign of caring. I believe that George has always wanted the best for Lennie and he knew that Lennie would either be tortured in the end or get killed anyways. When George kills Lennie, it is in my belief that this is the biggest act of respect and love towards Lennie. George never wants to see Lennie get hurt, so this is the only way he can let Lennie live a happy life without getting hurt inside. If I were George I would do the exact same thing. It’s tough letting go of a friend, but sometimes it in the best interest of your friend. The last circumstance that showed a great friendship was when George said â€Å"We gonna get a little place (pg. 105). This showed that George wanted to settle down and live with Lennie for the rest of his life. George and Lennie had such a great friendship that they both wanted to live and know each other forever. George promised chickens, rabbits, and everything else that Lennie would ever want. He proposed to Lennie and to himself a great life with an amazing companionship. Lennie, only in the end realized how great their friendship was. He realized he took many things for granted and one of them was George. Lennie realized how much George had done for him and was soon relieved that George didn’t hate him. It’s too bad that it took Lennie that long to realize how good of a guy that George was and how much that he meant to George. I think that the most important part of this novel wasn’t who died, or the dream that they wanted. The most important thing was the closeness of the two main characters because it doesn’t happen often that a great mutual alliance is found. Usually a temporary friendship is established, like the one that almost everyone has at school. You don’t often find two students who are such great friends that they know each other until they die. Everyone is so obsessed with how expensive someone’s clothes or jewelry is that they don’t have time to look deeper into a person and find what’s inside them. The future generation is filled with a large percentage of shallow people who don’t focus enough on the person. Popularity is more important to some people for four years (high school), than a real comradeship that lasts a lifetime. That is why I think that a great relationship is close to being the most important thing in life and I think that it is the message that John Steinbeck tried to deliver to his readers.

How managers in international companies have been affected by recent, Essay

How managers in international companies have been affected by recent, radical changes in the economic situation - Essay Example Multinational companies in order to survive in the foreign market developed several strategies during the crisis situation. Multinational companies which operate in emerging economy of developing nations took certain steps in order to handle the situation. A drastic change in economic situation in a worldwide basis has created an impact on various business sectors around the countries. The boom in economy may result in growth and benefit in business and slump down of economy may lead to loss in business. When the economic situation is favourable, i.e. in low interest rate and in rising demand, there is a huge growth in economy (The Times 100, 2011). There were two current issues of economic crisis: one was financial crises and the other was related to production and employment. The financial crisis emerged from the US and it had an impact on almost all of the developed nations. The government performed the fiscal stimulus package to fill the gap of demand slowdown of public sector (W ray, 2009). Lehman Brothers Investment Bank had led to huge loss of several billions of dollars in the mortgage market of the US. The stock market of the US fell down due to collapse of Lehman Brothers and the banking shares were hardly hit. The failure of Lehman Brothers had adversely affected the stability of global financial system (BBC, 2008). The policy makers are failing to address the structural reforms as well as regulatory changes which are essential in order to make certain that a repeat of the crisis does not take place and international policy coordination is proving to be insufficient to the task. German, French along with British banks hold the debt of the bordering countries. By the end of 2011, it is predicted that there will be European banking crisis due to sovereign debt defaults (Carnegei Endowment, 2010). The economic along with financial crisis will be affecting the global business time-to-time. The US has been under the threat of pressure of economic downturn. The growth of the country has turned to be negative again from the end of 2010. The unemployment rate is also rising as 2 millions of American workers were laid off within six months (Global Europe Anticipation Bulletin, 2010). In this paper, various economic crises that had cropped up in the global market will be described by analysing the worldwide financial crises. The crises which have occurred in relation to economy and finance have greatly affected the multinational companies. The paper will also highlight different difficulties faced by managers while handling issues related to different people during financial crisis. 2.0 Impact of Economic Changes on Managers The financial crisis in the US from the period 2007 to 2010 had resulted in liquidity shortfall. It has led to ‘collapse of large financial institution’ and also ‘bailout of bank’ by means of national government along with downturn in the stock market worldwide. This crisis can be considered as one of the major economic crisis after the Great Depression which occurred in the year 1930. The managers associated with such organisations were in great hardship. The economic deficits had become a challenging factor for them. The economic downturn had also affected both developed multinational com