Managing Product and Service Innovation for Kodak

Introduction Innovation is an object, idea or practice that is regarded as new by individuals or units for adoption (Rodgers, 1983). It is the invention of more effective or better ideas, services, processes, products or technologies which are readily accepted by the target market, the society and governments. In regard to innovation, the target market is the most important.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Managing Product and Service Innovation for Kodak specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Innovations act as the catalysts for growth in the increasingly competitive business field. Irrespective of the field a company operates, firms must continually transform structures of the economy from within by being innovative in products, services and processes. Companies must also seek for improved ways and methods to enchant their customer base with improved and better quality, price, service and durability. These are the p roducts of innovation which might be realized through the integration of organizational strategies and advanced technologies. Innovations will not only add value to the customers, but also make business economically feasible (Tushman Anderson, 2004). This paper explores innovation with regard to Kodak Eastman which used innovations to become the leader in the film and photography industry. Kodak Eastman Company Background Kodak Eastman was founded by George Eastman. The first camera to consumers was handed to a customer in 1888 with the slogan ‘You press the button, we do the rest’. The complicated and cumbersome process of having images for reference was significantly made easy. The innovation was easily accessible to most of the consumers. Since then, the company has always led the filming and photography market with abundant new processes and products that make photography more useful, simpler and enjoyable. Contemporary, the company is not only known for filming an d photography, but also for a variety of images used in scientific, entertainment, leisure and commercial applications. The company was designed to involve technology to combine information and images. This created and continues to create the potential to reflective change on how businesses and people communicate (Kodak, n.d.).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Having conducted intensive research into filming, Eastman and colleagues introduced the first day-light camera. The user of the camera would reload the camera without the necessity to be in a darkroom. Initially, small companies that were borrowing Kodak’s idea faced intensive competition from Kodak. The founder invested heavily in RD which resulted in innovation of products that had a leading edge in the market. The products disrupted the photography and filming markets as they were highly innovative. Keeping p ace with the company’s innovative products was challenging for new entrants. Maintaining leadership in innovation is challenging for most technological companies. Kodak is an innovator in the camera, digital and film markets. The company’s engineer, Steven Sasson, invented the first digital camera in 1975. For many years, it was one of the key players in the visual and filmmaking fields. The company had almost been kicked out of the market by the late 1990s. In 2000, Eastman Kodak vowed to be the leader in digital cameras. According to many individuals, this was an absurd idea. By the year 2005, the company was ranked first in digital camera sales in the United States. The sales from digital cameras had surged by 40 percent to $5.7 billion. The key to increase in profits from digital cameras was product innovation. The company was a leader on the innovation platform. It designed various award-winning products one after another. This made digital photographing almost as simple as clicking and pointing (Hamm Symonds, 2006). In recent times, Eastman Kodak has announced that it had plans to stop the supply of pocket video cameras and digital cameras despite being innovative. The company will focus its business on photo printing. The company will license the brand to companies that make the devices once it exits the camera business. The company had disrupted the camera market by introducing the digital camera. However, it could not determine what to do with the new product. While other companies almost exclusively focused on technology, Kodak suffered from technology (Rangen, 2012). Kodak Tour Framework The framework for assessing Kodak’s innovation will incorporate product, process, product innovation charter, product portfolio, open innovation, radical innovation and the application of disruptive innovation.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Managing Product and Service Innovation for Kodak specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The tour framework employed by Kodak is always expensive in terms of the amount of money invested in research and development. Typically, radical innovations are more costly to pursue (Shionoya Perlman, 1994). Sasson’s innovation of the digital camera had initially met environment resistance since the invention required significant amount of investment. The innovation was radical since it was to change the photography industry. The company was competitive in terms of financial stability but the invention took huge amounts of money and time to develop. The challenge for the company was that the engineer was pursuing a product that could not be explained. This was an illustration of ‘subjectivity of knowledge’ as identified by Shionoya and Perlman (1994). Even though some members of the company management agreed to Sasson’s idea, some were reluctant creating tension between the company and the research an d development division. Fortunately, the innovation materialized and made huge profits for the company. In another instance in Kodak’s tour framework, Chester Carlsson started his own company. Xerox, after Kodak turned down his idea to develop a copy machine. The management insisted that the copy machine would not earn much revenue (Shipnoya and Perlman, 1994). This subjectivity of knowledge was weighed against deferential in expected net value of the intended innovation. Currently, Xerox is one of the leading companies in the copy machine industry. This illustrates that individuals with innovation potential are likely to start their own firms when they are faced by subjectivity of knowledge. Product Process The new product process has been effectively used by Kodak in the past to ensure that it accelerates the time to market new products as a strategic move. When it introduced the first digital camera, the company moved with speed to market the new product. This turned the c ompany’s profitability that other photography companies found hard to emulate or compete with. The development process and the packaging design implemented by the company offered the company a competitive edge over the competitors. The introduction of the digital camera was accompanied by product specifications, branding and marketing promotions. The company ensured that it maintained existing customers and marketed to prospective customers regarding the new product. This accelerated revenue realization. The cost of development of the digital was relatively low compared to other photography companies. This was facilitated by the company’s ability to reduce package development costs.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Product Innovation Charter Kodak’s product innovation charter involves development of new products that are meant to create new markets for the company. The company initially ensured that it had products that were less than five years old. Thus, the customers had access to the most recent technology. This resulted into huge profitability for the company. The survival of the company depended on investments into innovations. Most of products generated by this company made it successful. The invention of the digital camera was radical. Radical innovations are crucial to any organization (Huerta, 2010). One of the new products developed by Kodak in pursuing product innovation charter is the Kodak EasyShare-One Camera. This product was an addition to the existing product lines. Sasson’s invention was not an accidental discovery as the engineer knew there was potential in the digital camera. Since the innovation of the digital camera, the company stayed committed and focused to innovation as one of the long-term strategic goals. Product Portfolio Kodak’s product portfolio includes a range of products that are enticing to its customers. To demonstrate its commitment to product portfolio in the photography market, the company introduced developments in its award-winning professional and consumer film product portfolio. The improvements were revealed in 2006 at the Orlando’s Photo Marketing Association Show. The company changed the traditional product consumers’ experience by improving the one-time-use camera to PORTRA 800 color-negative film (Dingus, 2006). Open Innovation Open innovation was a new business strategy implemented by Kodak since 2002 when film cameras were outsold by digital cameras. The product development by the company took a different approach. Due to the decline in traditional film production, Kodak adopted an open innovation approach in developing its products. This was necessitated by Kodak’s diverse compe titors. Even though the digital camera developed by Kodak had substantial turnover realization, it became crushing revenue displeasure. In 2006, Perez termed digital cameras a ‘crappy business’ (Hamm William, 2006). Radical Innovation Basically, the raging progress of Kodak digital camera trades had facilitated the corporation’s fast-waning film proceeds but had not made a trivial replacement effect on the film commercial opulent returns. Initially when Perez became the chief executive officer in 2005, he championed an organizational change and innovation strategy that finally proved that it could not turn around the company to the initial giant it was. In less than a decade, Perez attempted to implement yet another strategy for the company. Considering the innovation and operational mistakes the company had made in the past, he attempted to reintroduce Kodak’s core business model (Crawford Benedetto, 2011). The notion was to make this corporation do to snapshots what Apple incorporation has been exploiting in music. The Apple’s strategy helped clients in organizing and managing their images within their private libraries. This move disrupted the digital camera industry by developing new digital photo services that were expected to bring higher returns. This was a sudden move by the company as it included rapid-fire scanning system to online sharing. The fast-moving scanning system similarly dubbed as Scan the Realm takes the reproduced snapshots and transform them into digital imageries whereas organizing them according to the printing dates. This was a huge challenge for the company as it attempted to move from hard print photos to digital. This attempt came at a time when innovation was in top gear. Most corporations fail due to believe that new market players offer diverse products with features simply cherished in the evolving markets external to the mainstream. In fact, Kodak Corporation did not recognize handsets and digital cameras as a prospective opposition to the firm’s core trades grounded on this basis (Hermida, 2012). Kodak’s primary commercial dealing was film cameras and this was aimed at clienteles who desired to have decent and excellent photographs. Moreover, this corporation was unsuccessful in recognizing that derived from the know-how history; the primary commodities versions are frequently of low value but modifies over a period to outshine the well-established commodities. As time pass, innovation become commoditized. It is thus imperative for commercial model inventions to be in a long-lasting pursuit for revitalization. Application of disruptive innovation framework The requisite change needed augment Kodak’s success should be done at management level. This means that changes will occur including the restructuring of the management, changing the business model and implementation of radical corporate thinking. This will translate to realignment of the corpo rate strategies. The management is best placed because it has the authority to make investments in technology. Solutions to Weaknesses Radical Corporate Thinking Approach It is imperative for executives to invest significantly in technologies that disrupt the existing customers and markets. Initially, these technologies initially bring little revenue. The challenge amid disrupting innovations, present clients and marketplaces, and filling innovation is openly validated by the Kodak Corporation’s undulation. Disruptive innovations present a challenge for long-standing methods of doing business. These challenges require radical corporate thinking strategy. The implementation of the newly generated ideas is largely determined by the organization environment and the availability of resources (Tidd et al, 2005). Invest in Technology To compete effectively in the market, Kodak must make considerable amount of investment in technology. When resources are available, the company will be able to initiate and respond to disruptive innovation. Keeping up with disruptive innovations require companies to incur costs so that they can realize the benefits of technology. These costs may either be nonmonetary or economic (Fulcher, 2012). Although Kodak has indicated its intention to sell its license to other companies that manufacture similar products, it is imperative for the management to realize that the company’s core business may be finally impacted by disruptive innovation in the market in it operates. The company management should use previous experience to prepare and move ahead to preempt any threats that may be presented by such disruptive innovations. The company should invest in technology and be ready for disruptive innovations considering the rate at which technology is advancing. This may require the company to invest in research and development in order to have new products ready for the market whenever a threat is detected. This will ensure that t he company is at par with technology and that the company products that are dominating the market are not regarded obsolete (DNN, 2009). In the situation where the products are obsolete, the company will have a replacement with better customer satisfaction. Change Business Model Kodak should also strive to move far from its core business model. The move should also be fast enough to allow it to adapt to new technologies. This will require diffusion innovation. Diffusion innovation will increase competitive advantage as Kodak will adopt new innovations based on the business model that will place it on the competitive edge (Tidd et al, 2005). It is challenging to get transformation right when an organization sticks too close to its core business. The company should not get trapped in its core business model. The company exclusively focused on photography even with the entry of new advanced technologies that threatened its existence. To illustrate this, the company only changed Ofoto f rom a portal where customers would exchange photos to a site where updates about life and news feed would be shared. This was meant to make people print pictures instead of developing an innovative concept. Restructuring Management For Kodak to succeed, it needs to drop its past success as this has been a huge impediment for the company. Even after the death of its founder, George Eastman in 1932, Kodak’s long-established ways remain difficult to change. Most of the leaders of the company still believe that his ideas were the best because he made the company successful. His ideas might have worked then but will not work in the contemporary world if innovation is locked out. The biggest challenge is hierarchical culture established since the launch of the company that is inclined towards the omnipotence of leadership. The culture is powerful that people do not openly disagree with the leaders (Hamm Symonds, 2006). The changes that will work to eliminate hierarchical culture s hould be radical as opposed to incremental. Radical change in how the employees view the leaders will help create an environment where employees will be free to express their constructive ideas and be innovative. The innovations will enable the company to stay ahead of the competitors via novel market offerings (Agarwal et al, 2003). Silent employees with excellent innovative ideas will not benefit the company. Employees’ innovative behaviors are reinforced by the combination of personality characteristics of the employer, the employees and work environment factors. The business environment which influences the conduct of employees determines whether the business will succeed or not since employees are the most important asset to a business. Freedom to think, express ideas and the authority to act influence employee innovation (Tidd et al, 2005). Application of the framework Business leaders have discovered that innovation of new products is not the only salvation for failing companies. It also does not turbo-charge performing companies. Most corporations’ basic undertakings are being interrupted by scientific alterations, fresh rivals and globalization. Therefore, it is necessary for Kodak Corporation to device commercial innovations model which will assist the company to hold on its competitive positions. These innovations require managers to take time while making innovation decisions. The innovation process should not be rushed since innovation goes through a number of processes. The decision to innovate should be carefully considered since they do not always bring good results as was the case with Kodak (Kodak, 2009). The decision made by Antonio Perez, the Kodak Chief Executive Officer, was an authoritative innovation. Although it involved Kodak management team, he played a major role in influencing the decision since he had the authority. The verdict that the corporation made ought to have been anchored on information, influence, decision, operation and ratification. The consequences of the decision impacted the company. Although the innovations were supposed to have propelled the company to its full potential, the implementation and followed did not reflect the initial intent. Conclusion Innovation is a search through which economically valuable problems are solved. Companies use technology to create and develop new processes, services and products to gain competitive advantage through innovation. The combination of different types of innovation helps organizations to improve efficiency, develop new products and expand market target. It is critical for organizations to have organizational strategies that are flexible enough to adopt changes that occur in their respective markets. Kodak should first change the hierarchical culture that was established when the company was founded to create room for employees to participate in innovations. It should also initiate different innovation methods such as disruption to prop el the stagnating company forward. Kodak became a victim of the disruptions it had initiated in the market. As technology advanced, the mobile phone took over as the every camera. The ‘Kodak moment’ that created a one-time and rare moment which was capture on Kodak photos started to be carried by mobile owners all the time. Although Kodak was innovative, it failed to identify the threats posed by mobile phones to digital imagery, the shifts in people’s behaviors and increased connectivity. References Agarwal, S., Erramilli, M. Dev, C. (2003). Market orientation and performance in service firms: Role of innovations. Journal of Service Marketing, 17 (1), 68-82. Crawford, M. Benedetto, A. (2011). New product management. London, UK: McGraw Hill International Edition. Dingus, D. (2006). Kodak introduces improvements across its film product portfolio. Retrieved from http://www.digitaldingus.com/news/2006/02/02172006kodakfilmimprovements.php DNN (2009). Design issue: Kodak zooms in on digital. Retrieved from http://www.designnetworknorth.org/resources/managing_change.asp?artTag=20mcTag=5 Fulcher, J. (2012). Kodak innovation and the need to not adhere too closely to core business models. Retrieved from https://community.kinaxis.com/people/JimFulcher/blog/2012/02/09/kodak-innovation-and-the-need-to-not-adhere-too-closely-to-core-business-models Hamm, S. Symonds, W. (2006). Strategies: Mistakes made on the road to innovation. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_48/b4011421.htm Hermida, A. (2012). What Kodak teaches us about disruptive innovation? Retrieved from http://www.reportr.net/2012/01/19/what-kodak-teaches-us-about-disruptive-innovation/ Huerta, F. (2010). New products management part 01. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/fhuertamty/new-products-management-part-01 Kodak (2009). Accelerating product time to market. Retrieved from http://www.kodak.com/global/mul/business/solutions/files/accelerating_product_t ime.pdf Kodak (n.d.). History of Kodak. Retrieved from http://www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/About_Kodak_Top/Our_Company/History_of_Kodak.htm Rangen, C. (2012). Kodak and its inability to change: A tale for many. Retrieved from http://engageinnovate.wordpress.com/2012/02/07/kodak-and-its-inability-to-change-a-tale-for-many/ Rodgers, E. M. (1983). Diffusion of innovations. New York, NY: Free Press. Shionoya, Y. Perlman, M. (1994). Innovation in technology, industries, and institutions: Studies in Schumpeterian perspectives. Michigan, MI: University of Michigan Press. Tidd, J., Bessant, J. Pavitt, K. (2005). Managing innovation: Integrating technological, market and organizational change. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. This report on Managing Product and Service Innovation for Kodak was written and submitted by user NicoMinoru to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Employee Benefit and Service Impact on Performances and Satisfaction

Employee Benefit and Service Impact on Performances and Satisfaction Performance and Satisfaction Job satisfaction is the attitude or the feeling of accomplishment within an employee in a quantitative and qualitative manner. Compensation holds a great significance in the lifestyle and self esteem of employees. The amount of money an employee earns will determine his/her level of their job satisfaction.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Employee Benefit and Service Impact on Performances and Satisfaction specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On the other hand, performance is the desire, ability, capacity and motivation that an individual has to carry out a specific task. The performance of an employee depends on the work setting, the tools provided, and information required to carry out the job at hand. The benefits that an employee enjoys can only be reflected in their performance in the form of a certain level of result-based services. Impacts of Benefits and Service on Job Performance and Satisfaction In the contemporary world, people not only look for jobs that are in line with their profession or careers but also the jobs that will provide them with benefits. Such benefits motivate employees, hence increasing their productivity and their levels of job satisfaction. In most corporate organizations, the benefits and service compensation of employees highly depends on job satisfaction. Thus, enlightened managers receive equal levels of satisfaction from their employees due to the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits they reward them with. Furthermore, the employees of a given organization can have a sense of pride with their employer in an event where they work under a conducive working environment. Skill based compensation is usually linked to various risks especially when employees becomes discontented with their work or when they do not have the opportunity apply their expertise at work. Therefore, positive performance is equitably rewarded through a benefit structure. Consequently, the key aspect of employee job satisfaction comprises compensations, promotions, the level of supervision, and work conditions. It is evident that the form of rewards and benefits arrangements under which employees perform powerfully influences their level of satisfaction. Therefore, the increased satisfaction arising from benefits helps to boost the expectations of employees in terms of presentation. As a result of job satisfaction and contentment, employees usually put in more effort to their work hence meeting the goals and objectives of the organizations that they are working for. Benefits are effective incentives that play a critical role in the attainment of job satisfaction since the employees develop additional commitments and they become more satisfied. This makes them to kindle a sequence of positive actions (Gaurav, 2012).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Lea rn More Benefits enable employees to initiate diverse strategies that will enable them to enhance the performance of their organizations. Notably, desirable benefits will ultimately satisfy the esteem of employees by enhancing their strength and competence making them to be critical to the organizational performance. Employee satisfaction is as a result of how reasonably they are treated because satisfaction arises from individual perception regarding work outcomes and the relative inputs as compared to others. On the other hand, employee dissatisfaction can arise even with similar outcomes in turnover under enhanced benefits for the work environment can fail to offer flexibility and desirable basis of amusement especially when the organizational tone becomes demanding and tedious (Gaurav, 2012). Therefore, benefits should also provide employees opportunities to grow within an organization. This can be attained through performance reviews that accommodate diverse perspective s that help in correcting pessimistic behaviors in addition to rewarding productivity. Therefore, since employee satisfaction affects the bottom-line, it is crucial to have good leadership structures that appreciate the link between organizational performance and employee fulfillment (Kuballa, 2007). References Gaurav, K. (2012). Drivers of Employee Satisfaction and Attrition: A Quantitative Investigation. Chicago: GRIN Verlag. Kuballa, J. (2007). Employee Satisfaction: A Precondition for Economical Success of Service Companies. Boston: Cengage Learning.

Sound Artist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sound Artist - Essay Example This process is just like writing a poem1. Architects completely keep in mind the visual dimensions of a structure for communicating the historical, emotional, artistic and social background of the space. However, they neglect, usually, the acoustic dimensions. To feel space through listening has never been identified as native ability of humans. However, dolphins and bats are classified in this category. Nonetheless, no specific qualities are required to sense spatial qualities. The hardwired segment of human beings is rudimentary spatial ability and it is a genetic part of human body. For instance, the utilization of headphones for listening music has its own affect; however, if the headphones are removed after listening music then walking in the room makes a different impact; the sounds of walking are clearer now. Even if a person walk blind fold in his/her room he/she would be able to recognize paths through its resonances2. Maryanne Amacher These are called acoustic spatial dime nsions of sound. Several composers utilized this feature in their compositions; however, the work of Maryanne Amacher is unforgettable and commendable. She was born in Kane Pennsylvania. Her father was a Swiss freight train worker while her mother was a nurse. She was the only child in the family. At very early age, she learned to play piano. She graduated in computer and acoustics science. From the beginning of her musical and composition career, she was interested in different variations of sound. In this respect, she implemented different kind of microphones and she got the help of many loudspeakers to create her so-called airborne sound. She experimented her techniques at all levels and achieved great success3. Her famous catalogue â€Å"Sound Character† is a masterpiece. The catalogue has seven compositions. 1."Head Rhythm 1" and "Plaything 2" 2. Tower 3. Synaptic Island (excerpt "VM2 from the Levi-Montalcini Variations") 4. Synaptic Island (excerpt "Tower Meta1s", "Feed 2", "Muse Orchestra 1") 5. Dense Boogie 1 6. Choral 1 The analysis of Maryanne Amacher’s Compositions The American composer and installation performer Maryanne Amacher had completely a different method. She composed CD Sound Character to vibrate the hidden ear â€Å"Third Ear†. Her theory was very different from all of his contemporary artists. The CD Sound Character has seven tracks and many of them are related to ‘third-ear music’. The music resounds in the head and it seems different from the music that originates through loudspeakers. In addition, the CD is comprised of atmospheric sound installations, multi-channel re-mastered excerpts. These re-mastered excerpts originate sound, which is not only hears but also feels in the whole body and the room becomes speaker itself. However, to compose for the body is a unique issue. It needs fresh models of aural analysis and treatment because the listening point is shifted from the ears to the tissues of the b ody, which provokes memories, psychic and physical association and intertwine of information. Can the body is able to work out a plan for sound stage? Can these worked out plans free different bodies and association among spaces and bodies? The concept of embodied listening and disrupt traditional models of describing and hearing sound are similar to Donna Haraway’s (1991) ‘embodied objectivity’4. The tracks 3, 4, and 7, which she started to originate in 1980 are multi-room, multi-channel large-scale pieces and these tracks

User model and modeling for human performance Essay

User model and modeling for human performance - Essay Example y arise due to incorrect assumptions made by students as well as improper presentation of stimuli, while Marjory Martin points out that students face difficulties in science and especially biology, because they represent abstract ideas which escape the students’ understanding (www.2ucsc.edu). Misconceptions occur in various areas but their detrimental effects are felt most acutely in the academic field, because it interferes with the progress that students are able in the development of cognitive skills and learning. Misconceptions that occur in the field of academic studies make it difficult for students to effectively assimilate their lessons and perform well, because these misconceptions function as a barrier that impedes the cognitive assimilation and understanding of concepts. The National Curriculum Council for Great Britain has pointed out some common student misconceptions in Algebra, such as treating letters as objects or completely ignoring their presence (www.learnquebec.ca). Misconceptions in the field of science occur mainly because of the difficulties students face in understanding everyday phenomena through abstract or symbolic representations. In biology, misconceptions occur because students are unable to grasp the concepts which they find to be too theoretical and abstract, especially in regard to concepts such as natural selection and evolution.(Burton and Dobson, 2009). According to Joan Solomon, students may also find it difficult to assimilate concepts because they may be associated with every day use, for example the word energy, and using concepts in science requires the interpretation of everyday phenomena in abstract terms, which may also involve the use of symbols to explain commonplace events(www.2ucsc.edu). In effect, there is some contextual learning that may have already taken place before a student attends classes and it becomes necessary to ensure that the student is able to learn how to learn through the use of concept

Intercontinental Railway System - Amrak Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Intercontinental Railway System - Amrak - Essay Example As an intercontinental railway system, it serves New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Sacramento, Baltimore, Albany-Rensselaer, San Diego, New Haven, Wilmington, Nelwark, Seattle, Portland, Irvine, BWI Airport, Providence, Milwaukee, Emeryville, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Boston, and Bakersfield. Thus, it caters the needs of 30.2 million people in America. Owing the expediency and high demand of its services, the company invested for projects to enhance their services and sustain the railway network (Vromans, Dekker, & Kroon, 2006). With the magnitude of services accorded to the public, it facilitated the interconnection of cities populated with diverse and multicultural communities. Amrak became instrumental too in cultural exchanges, in bridging people-to-people relations and intercultural immersion via travels, tourism, migration, and opportunities in other states which drive the influx of people from one place to another point of destination (Gapinski & T uckman, 1978). Experts opined that the contribution of this railway in shaping socio-cultural development and economic expansion in North America is more appreciable than in Europe. The railway was partly author of industrialization as this was the major transportation of business sector to-and-fro the mainland. This compelled the company to coordinate with all states served for its security as a matter of policy and as measures for public welfare. Legal coordination and networking to all states was an indispensable corporate strategy to accord passenger’s security. As a business, the railway is also one of the leading companies that are dependent on the consumption of energy and thus, also confront the challenges in the utilization of oil and gas amid call for ecological protection and regulation of pollution emission. Although it contributed much for economic advancement because it raked high revenue but there is a need to reevaluate and optimize the company’s expend itures because it has oddly spent $ 3.95 billion in 2011 when it only earned $ 2.71 billion in its operation (Dunn et, al., 1997). Cash flows need to be regulated in such measure that will not devalue the services and sacrifice its operations amid escalating cost in the market. With these stark realities, the company remained subject to the corporation, transportation, insurance, and security policies of the states served and by United States of America. If the policies are not liberally construed to also assist the condition of the company, then unsupportive policies will negatively impact to Amtrak’s operational activities, thus, may constrain its business relations with its passengers and cargo customers. Perl and Dunn (1997) pointed that Amtrak, as a quasi-public and profit –oriented corporation had some internal flaws since it dissociated itself from America's private railroads and from trust-fund financial scheme that could subsidize public transport. Perl and Du nn (1997) criticized its over dependency on political patrons and labor union for protection against executive budget cuts, thus, bleeding its operational cost too much by running the railway system with expensive contracts and services against its revenue. Although the company has undertaken serious

Al Jazeera Broadcasting Company: PESTEL Analysis

Al Jazeera Broadcasting Company: PESTEL Analysis Executive Summary The objective of this report is to analyse the key external issues affecting Al Jazeera Broadcasting Network using the PESTEL Co. mnemonic. This analysis will consider the opportunities and threats facing Al Jazeera and its competitors in the broadcasting industry. Al Jazeera is generally regarded as a controversial TV network and has faced various forms of censorship in different countries. These censorships represent a significant threat to their desire to increase market share. Increasingly, viewers are demanding a more rounded coverage of news rather than a perceived ‘one side to the story’ served up by existing networks like BBC and CNN. Al Jazeera are seen as one of the main networks to provide this rounded coverage. Al Jazeera faces competition from new Arab network stations who are copying the former’s format. Since the launch of their English services, the Qatar based network is now in direct competition with the likes of BBC and CNN which brings challenges prevalent when competing against well established brands. Al Jazeera’s External Environment: PESTEL Analysis Although external forces are beyond its control, Al Jazeera can use proactivity to improve its position based on its understanding of this environment (Scholes, 2004). It enables Al Jazeera to be in a position to determine its position in the industry and subsequently identify and implement strategies and activities that will exploit the opportunities in the external environment and minimise the threats faced (Grant, 2004). The mnemonic, PESTEL Co., will be used to carry out an appraisal of the external factors affecting Al Jazeera. The mnemonic stands for the following: Political Economic Social Technological Ethical Legal Competition (P)olitical Al Jazeera is seen as a controversial TV network station. Consequently, it has had run-ins with many countries. A lot of these have resulted in censorship of some sort. The US and UK have been reported registering strong protests against the TV network’s perceived anti-US and anti-UK stance in reporting the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In Spain, in 2003, a reporter was arrested for allegedly providing support to Al Qaeda members (www.wikipedia.com). These controversies impacted negatively on Al Jazeera in terms of increasing its customer base. The more censorship and negative publicity that they attract, the less they are able to make inroads into the market share of their major competitors like CNN and BBC. This represents a significant threat. In 2004, allegations, though unsubstantiated, were made against the US, of a plot to deliberately target Al Jazeera headquarters in Doha (www.wikipedia.com). On the plus side, Al Jazeera is known for covering post-war issues. (E)conomic Al Jazeera survives on the funding provided by the Emir of Qatar and through advertising revenue. Al Jazeera’s main strategy is based on increasing market share instead of profits. ‘The Economist’ reiterated as such in its November 2006 edition, ‘influence more than profits are Al Jazeera’s driving force’. Due to increased globalisation and a general economic upturn in the world economy, i.e. low interest rates, higher levels of spending and investment, Al Jazeera are exposed to increased opportunities in terms of attracting more viewers. Viewers worldwide are better able to afford satellite TV stations in their households, therefore Al Jazeera is perfectly poised to exploit the opportunities presented. Through its web-based subscription-free service, the TV network also has an increased reach across the globe. (S)ocial This represents a significant opportunity to Al Jazeera. In Abram Sauer’s article ‘Al Jazeera Tough Enough’ (www.brandchannels.com), the writer intimated that the channel is seen as providing alternative views from the normal propaganda allegedly served up by mainstream stations. Recently, residents of countries like US and UK are registering their concerns and displeasure on what they perceive as misinformation and increased propaganda of the news presented by well-established international TV networks like CNN and BBC. The concern is based on the beliefs that these stations are sympathetic to their respective governments. Increasingly, Al Jazeera is seen as the alternative providing a more realistic and credible news and more important providing views from the ‘other side’ (i.e. views of Palestinians, Al Qaeda etc). This is translating itself into increased viewing figures for the Qatar based channel. In just over 10 years, Al Jazeera recently estim ated its worldwide audience at approximately 45 million with over 150000 US households included in that figure (www.aljazeera.com). (T)echnological Web based services in Arabic and English present the TV network with good opportunities to reach a wider audience. (E)thical In the western world, for example, the powers that be accuse Al Jazeera of promoting or supporting terrorist activities which worldwide is regarded as unethical. In the Middle East, the opposite view is held. Al Jazeera has cleverly constructed an image of itself as the station for the ‘underdog’. (L)egal In a nutshell, the obligation to provide fair and impartial news places a great duty of care on organisations such as Al Jazeera to be responsible in disseminating news. The threat here is failure to adhere to legal obligations can end in closure for the station. Competition Two Arab networks are eating into Al Jazeera’s share of the Arab market particularly in the Middle East, these are Al Arabiya and Al Hurra. Since launching their English based service, the TV network is now in direct competition with international broadcasting giants like BBC World and CNN International. Porters Five Analysis Porter’s Five Forces model will be used to analyse the competitive forces in the industry Al Jazeera operates in. Each will be looked at in turn and an assessment made on whether each of these forces present opportunities or threats to Al Jazeera. Bargaining power of suppliers The suppliers of Al Jazeera consist of providers of products and services to help Al Jazeera conduct its operations. These include suppliers of vehicles, equipment and hotel accommodation. There are also consultants and presenters who are lured to the station for big money, for example Sir David Frost. The bargaining power of suppliers can be considered low and therefore present opportunities to the TV network to attract the best. Bargaining power of buyers Increasingly, audiences are looking at alternative news coverage as their concern on alleged propaganda offered by mainstream TV news channels grows. This provides a fantastic opportunity for Al Jazeera, who are considered as the prime channel for more balanced views. In the TV news network industry, the power of the audience is very high. What is also high is the level of audience loyalty to established brands like CNN and BBC. The threat from such stations is clear as more of these diversify into programmes for ethnic minorities and other programmes presented by Al Jazeera. Barriers to entry This is high due to high capital and stringent legal requirements to be met. New entrants find it hard to compete with the TV broadcasting giants. This enables Al Jazeera to focus more on existing competition and worry less about new entrants. The main opportunity here is the strategies put in place to maintain or improve their competitiveness can be more effective than if a threat from new entrants was significant. Availability of substitutes Many people follow the news on the radio and online. However, TV is the preferred medium. Al Jazeera has increased its distribution channel by having their web based service. Therefore, the availability of substitutes is regarded as low and therefore the threat is not significant enough to worry Al Jazeera. However, complementary substitutes like other TV news channels, especially the Arabic ones will provide a significant threat once they become more established, in terms of eating into Al Jazeera’s core customer base. Extent of competitive rivalry Buyer power is high in the industry. The audience are demanding and getting greater choice of channels, thereby ensuring that broadcasting organisations place greater emphasis on the quality of their programme offerings. This poses a threat. The threat of new entrants is low as is the bargaining power of those who supply goods and services to TV network stations. Therefore, the threat from these two forces are low. The availability of substitutes provides a significant threat to Al Jazeera but the threat is well mitigated through the TV news network’s creation of a niche market for itself, i.e. one which provides a more balanced alternative view to the norm. Conclusion Significant threats and opportunities exist in the world of TV news. The threats for Al Jazeera mainly come from political, ethical and competitive forces while the opportunities are provided by social, high entry barriers and technological forces. Al Jazeera are able to mitigate threats through cleverly carving themselves a niche in the industry. They are able to exploit the opportunities as more people are demanding a more rounded view of what’s actually happening in the political news world, rather than being fed, what is widely being considered as propaganda news. REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Begg, D et al 1997, ‘Economics’ 5th edition, McGraw-Hill, Maidenhead Buckle, M Thompson, J 1999, ‘The UK Financial System’, 2nd edition, Manchester University Press, Manchester Grant, R 2004, ‘Contemporary Strategic Analysis’ 5th edition, Blackwell Publishing, London Howells, P Bain, K 1998, ‘The Economics of Money, Banking and Finance’ Addison Wesley Longman, Essex Porter, M E 2004, ‘Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors’ New Edition, Free Press Scholes, K 2004, ‘Exploring Corporate Strategy, Text and Cases, FT Prentice Hall, London Internet/Practitioner Sources AJ Publishing, 1996, ‘About Aljazeera.com, viewed 20 March 2007, www.aljazeera.com/about.asp Answers.com, 2004, ‘Al Jazeera’, viewed 20th March 2007, www.answers.com British Broadcasting Corporation, 2005, ‘David Frost joins AlJazeera, viewed 20 March 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4318284.stm CNN, 2002, ‘Al-Jazeera: Bin Laden Tape Praises Hijackers, viewed 20 March 2007, http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/09/09/binladen.tape/index.html El-Nawawy, M Iskandar, A, 2002, ‘The Minotaur of Contextual Objectivity: War Coverage and the Pursuit of accuracy with Appeal’, viewed 23 March 2007, www.tbsjournal.com/Archives/Fall02/Iskandar.htm Guardian Newspaper, November 2005, ‘Gagging for the Truth’ viewed 23 March 2007, www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,3604,1649144,00.html Lynch, M, 2005, ‘Voices of the New Arab Public: Iraq, al-Jazeera and Middle East Politics Today, Columbia University Press, viewed 23 March 2007, www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/catalog/data/023113/0231134487.HTM 13k Nisbet, E C, 2006, ‘Public diploma, television news and Muslim opinion’, viewed 20 March 2007, Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics 9(2), 11-37, http://islamperceptions.org/Arab%20Perception%20of%20the%20West.pdf Sauer, A 2003, ‘Aljazeera Tough Enough’, viewed 20 March 2007, www.brandchannel.com/features_profiles.asp? WIPO Arbitration and Media Centre, 2006, ‘Aljazeera Space Channel TV Station v AJ Publishing aka Aljazeera Publishing’, Case NO. D2005-0309, viewed 23 March, www.wipo.int/amc/en/dmains/decisions Zednik, R, 2002, ‘Perspectives on War: Inside Al Jazeera’ Columbian Journalism Review, viewed 23 March 2007, www.cjr/org/year/02/2/zednik.asp

Propose a New Positioning Strategy for Acl Product

New market positioning for a new product Introduction ACL Clean has been a successful product in the Hampshire and the company expanded into the Essex region Market. However sales were low and public awareness was lacking. The company was using the majority of its funds on the products line extension and little on advertisement and product placement. This is the key factor in the poor sales in Essex because the public isn’t aware of ACL Clean and its benefits.In order to make ACL Clean a more successful and well known product, funds used for the product line extension need to be diverted to advertising in order implement a new positioning strategy in the Essex market. The best way to implement a new positioning strategy would be through the marketing of ACL Clean to first time buyers of cleaning equipment. In order to do this ACL Clean will need to promote sales, advertise, and become established in the public. Background In January 1990, ABC cleaning Ltd commissioned the clea ning equipment division.The cleaning equipment division expanded more by introducing new products. In the Hampshire area, effective promotion has helped ACL clean become a success. Market awareness is upwards of 80% and brand loyalty is high despite the high price. Advertising is used in the Hampshire for promotion. Ads target general cleaning equipment owners because the market is segmented more according to benefits sought rather than any demographic such as age, gender, or income. The major media is television using commercials with a humorous approach stressing quality and safety.ACL clean then decided to work on developing the product line, as well as branch into the Essex market. These line extension products were also offered in Essex as well as Hampshire, and there was no competition for ACL clean because other companies didn’t enter into this new â€Å"unknown† category of cleaning equipment. Over 5 years in the Essex market and sales are still low. The produc t is available in most key outlets like Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury, and also in smaller chains. There is little sales promotions, since the website for ACL clean is where the sales promotions are. But there is no awareness of the site.The same pricing strategy is used in Essex as in the Hampshire, but ACL clean has not worked on justifying the cost in consumer’s minds. Furthermore the product line extensions took the majority of the budget leaving no funds for advertising. Without advertising there is no brand loyalty in Essex like in Hampshire. Too much has been put into the product line extension and not enough into the positioning strategy. As a result there is weak positioning and low awareness of this product. Statement of Problems The main concern is that ACL clean has an ineffective positioning strategy in that one was never established for the Essex market.The product was introduced and the line extensions were added, however no effective marketing was done to target the market they were introducing the product into. The lack of establishing a new positioning strategy in Essex has lead to low product awareness, no brand loyalty and low sales. Also, no advertising has resulted in little product position in the consumers mind. Essex consumers are unaware of the product and its benefits because there have been no commercials or ads or promotion of any kind. Strategies Alternative 1 The current positioning strategy has no strengths and many weaknesses as demonstrated in the lack of sales.Therefore a new positioning strategy must be developed. A target market should be defined so that advertising, marketing and public relations can be more focused and effective. ACL clean is a great product with high quality and safety, and with increasing health awareness and infection control campaigns by health authorities people, are more inclined to clean their homes more often. So by targeting the first-time buyers in the market, ACL clean could be effectively prom oted as a great product to help households enhance a healthy environment.This demographic is likely around the age of 25-35. Mainly people out of school, beginning a career or becoming more established, and are able to make a major purchase like a cleaning equipment and want one that will last them for as long as possible. Promoting ACL clean as the product that will achieve this will increase product awareness, create brand loyalty, and ultimately increase sales. However, as many first-time buyers have been using other cleaning equipment or have used other products related to car care, introducing ACL clean as a premium product will be a daunting task ecause there is already an established brand loyalty to other products, even though they are not as good as ACL clean. With establishment of the original ACL clean product in the market the opportunities of the line extensions are limitless. A great way to promote ACL clean in the Essex market would be through public relations. A grea t strategy would be to sponsor an event such as a cleaning equipment show in Essex region. Alternative 2 Another effective means of marketing ACL clean to the Essex Region as a great product with quality safety benefits would be through alliance with healthcare companies and local authorities.Alternative 3 Advertising is the most obvious and effective choice to place ACL clean in the consumers mind, just as it has in the Hampshire. Through TV commercials, magazine ads, and banners on web pages, the name and product information relation to ACL clean would be widely visible. Since TV is a major media source, having commercials that target the demographic of first-time buyers, would make the greatest impact for ACL clean. TV spots during primetime TV on major Essex stations would be seen by millions of viewers. Creating commercials that are exciting and fresh of the special features of ACL clean will catch viewer’s interest.

Impact of nitrogen and phosphorous inputs on water quality Essay

Both Nitrogen and Phosphorous are necessary in agriculture for a farmer to achieve optimum yields in most crops, they have to use fertilizer which often contains either nitrogen or phosphorous. Despite their importance, these elements in excess can affect the environment adversely. Eutrophication is enhanced when nitrogen and phosphorous are in excess in surface waters and where nitrogen is in excess in ground water. (www. soil. ncsu. edu/) Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of the gases in the atmosphere. A major constituent of proteins it is abundant in most living things. Nitrogen gas (N2), nitrate (NO3), nitrite (NO2) and ammonia NH3 are the common forms in which in organic nitrogen exists. Organic nitrogen exists in proteins. (http://kywater. org/). Compounds that contain nitrogen are found in water bodies such as reservoirs, streams and rivers. There are various routes by which nitrogen enters water bodies. These include wastewater (municipal and industrial), animal wastes such as bird wastes and wastes of fish, septic tanks and runoff from fields and lawns that have been fertilized. In certain parts of the United States, especially the northeast, some forms of nitrogen are deposited through acid rain (Baird, 1990). Nitrites are then converted to nitrates by bacteria, a process that uses up oxygen. (http://kywater. org). Surface and subsurface drainage are some of the ways through which nitrogen from fertilizers enter streams. When there is heavy rainfall following surface application of nitrogen fertilizers, most of the nitrogen is lost and even more is lost if the area is sloppy. When the fertilizer is mixed with soil the runoff is decreased. However, the loss of nitrogen becomes substantial when heavy rainfall causes soil erosion and movement of debris. The highly soluble nature of nitrogen makes it be absorbed easily into the soil when it rains heavily. Findings from research studies show that leaching does contribute to the presence of nitrates in groundwater. This however does not cause much contamination since the concentrations of nitrogen do not reach high enough levels. The crop uses up to 50 percent of the applied nitrogen leaving about 30 percent to 50 percent available for leaching. This, from a study done on North Carolina soils leads to leaching to a level of only two feet where there was 3 inches of percolated water (Baird, 1990). Eutrophication is a slow process whereby streams and lakes are enriched with natural nutrients. This process leads to the accelerated ‘aging’ of lakes and reservoirs. Eutrophication generally means excess growth of algae. The growth and decomposition of algae causes depletion of oxygen available in water. Nitrogen has a fertilizing effect in algae and other plankton which are food to other organisms in water such as fish and invertebrates. Overproduction and decomposition of these plankton uses up oxygen, meaning that other oxygen-dependent animals have inadequate oxygen which leads to their death. (http://kywater. org/). In addition to using up oxygen excessively, the overgrowth of algae and other plankton can lead to clogging up of water systems such that water flow is inhibited. This is especially common at points of water intakes. A lot of sea plants also block light from reaching the deeper waters (http://ga. water. usgs. gov/). This has the effect of compromising respiration for aquatic invertebrates and fish, making the death of animals and plant inevitable. High concentrations of nitrites produce a condition called brown blood disease which is fatal to fish. (http://kywater. org/). Eventually diversity of animal and plant life is lost. The death of fish results in offensive odours, and affects the water such that it cannot be used for recreative purposes like swimming, boating and fishing. Mueller and Helsel conducted a study of 12,000 ground water samples and approximately 22,000 samples of surface water at over 300 sites. The samples were collected within NAWQA study units. They report that the concentrations of nutrients in water have a close relationship to how land is used upstream or in the area that overlies a ground water aquifer. According to the analysis there were higher concentrations of nitrates in groundwater than surface water bodies. The regions with the highest concentration were the Northeast, the Great Plains and areas along the West Coast (Mueller and Helsel, 1996). Agricultural areas have a higher likelihood of having water with increased concentrations of nitrates. Research shows that public-supply wells and domestic supply wells outside areas where land is used for agriculture generally have lower concentrations of nitrates compared to wells in agricultural areas. On the other hand, urban areas have higher concentrations of Ammonia and phosphorous in surface water (Mueller and Helsel, 196). For water to be considered safe for domestic water supply, nitrates or nitrite level should be below 10mg/L. (United States Public Health Service). Nitrites undergo a direct reaction with haemoglobin in humans and warm-blooded animals leading to the formation of methemoglobin. This compound leads to decreased ability of red cells to transport oxygen. The most affected by this inability are infants less than three months because the babies develop methemoglobinaemia (blue baby disease. (http://kywater. org/ww/ramp/rmnox. htm). Due to this reason, when nitrates levels exceed 1. 0mg/L, the water should not be used to feed babies. In older people high nitrate levels cause disturbances in the digestion system. (http://kywater. org/). Phosphorous is a naturally occurring element that can be found in rocks and mineral deposits. Phosphate ions are soluble in water and are released when rock undergoes the weathering process. Phosphates have three forms of existence, metaphosphate, orthophosphate and organic phosphate. Orthophosphate is mainly produced by natural processed but there are man-made sources that produce orthophosphate. These include untreated sewage and partially treated sewage, use of certain fertilizers and runoff from sites where the main land use is agriculture. Metaphosphate or polyphosphate are used in treatment of detergents and boiler waters. When in water metaphosphate changes to orthophosphate and it can be used up by plants in this form. Organic phosphate occurs tied to organic material like plant tissue or waste solids. When decomposition occurs organic phosphate is converted to orthophosphate (www. water-research. net/phosphate. htm). Phosphorous is necessary for animal and plant growth and acts as a growth limiting nutrient in lake ecosystems. Well-oxygenated waters have low amounts of phosphates. Phosphate undergoes a complex process of uptake and mineralization to be retained in the soil, unlike the nitrogen cycle which is simpler. Soluble phosphate is incorporated by plants and animals in their biological systems to form compounds like ATP, DNA and RNA. ATP is necessary for energy production via the Kreb’s cycle while DNA and RNA have genetic importance. Phosphorous is therefore necessary for photosynthesis to occur (www. water-research. net/) Phosphates enhance growth of aquatic plants which are the food source for other organisms. Increased production of plankton result in an initial increase in population of fish and the entire biological system of the water body. This however has an adverse effect because as the phosphate levels build-up the process by which the water ecosystem is aging is speeded up leading to an imbalance of nutrients where production begins to exceed consumption. Phosphates like nitrates also cause eutrophication resulting in more plants than can be consumed by the system. The result is anoxic waters, presence of algal blooms that are toxic and a reduction in biodiversity as well as destruction of food supply and habitat. (www. water-research. net) Eutrophication is an issue that compromises water quality and has received much attention since 1980 when there was extensive occurrence of blue-green algae in fresh water systems. These blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) sometimes produce toxins that cause harm to human beings and farm animals. Poor conditions resulting from eutrophication have been noted in eastern North Carolina in the Chowan, Neuse and Pamlico River systems (Baird, 1990). Water that has very high levels of phosphates causes digestive problems to people. The negative effect of high levels of phosphate then is more indirect to humans but has a bigger impact because by altering the environment and destroying habitats the destruction caused is much harder to reverse. A compound like nitrates dissolves in water and moves in water in surface streams and ground water. Most forms of phosphorous, however, are transported together with soil that has undergone erosion especially when runoff is high flowing precipitation and irrigation. This is because instead of dissolving they attach themselves to soil particles. As such phosphorous is more likely to contaminate surface water rather than ground water (USGS, Circular1225, 2007). Findings from a USGS report indicate that phosphorous has a greater effect in causing eutrophication with 0.1mg/L of phosphorous being sufficient to cause excessive growth of aquatic plants (USGS, Circular 1225, 2007). In urban areas, the most significant point sources are urban streams which have discharged from wastewater treatment plants. A report of the US Geological service indicates that the streams in the semiarid western and south-western cities coupled with those in urban areas on the East had high levels of phosphorous (USGS, Circular1225). Recent research shows that phosphorous can travel with ground-water flows. The study was conducted in Cape Cod, Massachusetts where there has been contamination of the groundwater with phosphorous, an unlikely thing since most scientists generally believe that phosphorous is not transferable via groundwater (McCob et al, 2003; Stollenwerk, 1996). The main factors influencing vulnerability to contamination are the type of soils and slope of land. These two factors determine how fast and how much runoff there will be. Areas with steep slopes, poorly drained clay soils and little vegetation have higher likelihood of contamination of their surface waters. In urban centres, pavements and drains made of tile cause acceleration of flow of streams. Ground water on the other hand has a high chance of contamination if the soils drain well and the subsurface material is highly permeable. Some practices of crop-management designed to decrease sediment flow may increase infiltration leading to greater contamination of groundwater (USGS, Circular, 1225). To reduce the impact of phosphorous and nitrogen in water quality, strategies need to be employed that reduce the use of chemicals and alter transportation of the hydrologic system (USGS). In planning these strategies consideration of watersheds, patterns of land use and the differences in vulnerability to contamination in various areas should be foremost to ensure that whatever interventions are put in place are effective. References Baird J (1990) Nitrogen management and water quality retrieved from www. soil. ncsu. edu/publications/soilfacts/AG-439-02 Harvard, Olson and Cooke, 1999, Impact of soil phosphorous loading on Water Quality in Alberta, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. McCob T D, Leblanc DR, Watter DA, Hess KN Kent DB and Smith RL 2003, Phosphorous in a Ground-water contaminant Plume Discharging to Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1999: US Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4306, 70p Mueller D K and Helser D R, Nutrients in the Nation’s water-Too much of a Good Thing? National Water-Quality Assessment Program USGS, retrieved from http://water. usgs. gov/nawqa/CIRC-1136. html National findings and their implications for water policies and strategies, USGS, Circular 1225, retrieved from http://pubs.usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/nawqafind. htm/. Nitrogen and water quality retrieved from http://kywater. org/ww/ramp/rmnox-htm Stollenwerk K-G 1996, Simulation of phosphate transport in sewage-contaminated groundwater, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Applied Geochemistry, V. 11. no 1-2 pp 317-324 The effects of urbanization and agriculture on water quality: Nitrogen retrieved from http://ga. water. usgs. gov/edu/urbannitrogen. html Total phosphorous and Phosphate impact in surface waters Wilkes University, Environmental. Engineering and Earth Science retrieved from www.water. research. net/phosphate. htm Water-quality patterns in agricultural areas, USGS, Circular 1225 retrieved from http://pubs. usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/wq-agri. htm/ Water-quality patterns in urban areas, United States Geological Society, retrieved from http://pubs. usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/wq-urban. htm/ Water-quality patterns in areas with mixed hand use and a range of hydrologic and environmental settings, USGS, Circular 1225 retrieved from http://pubs. usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/wq-hydro. htm/.

Why the Flu Vaccine Doesnt Work All the Time

Why the Flu Vaccine Doesnt Work All the Time The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is looking at whether or not the flu vaccine is effective. Preliminary results indicate youll get just as sick (with colds, flu, flu-like illnesses) if you got the vaccine than if you didnt. Why doesnt the vaccine work? In order to understand the answer, youll need to understand some specifics about the flu vaccine and a bit about how immunity works. Flu Vaccine Facts There is no single virus that causes the flu; there is no one flu vaccine that protects against all of them. A flu vaccine is designed to confer immunity against the strains of flu that are expected to be most common and most serious. The vaccine is a sort of one-size-fits-all solution, even though there are more types of flu than covered by the vaccine and the flu types vary according to a region. It takes time to produce vaccines, so a new vaccine cant be instantly produced when a new type of flu starts to cause problems. The Vaccine and Immunity The flu vaccine gives your body parts of inactivated flu viruses. These virus parts correspond to parts of proteins floating around in your body. When the virus part contacts a chemical match, it stimulates the body to produce the cells and antibodies that can remove this particular intruder. Antibodies are proteins that float in body fluids and can bind to specific chemical markers. When an antibody binds to a substance, it essentially marks it for destruction by other cells. However, an antibody for one type of flu wont necessarily bind to a virus part from another type of flu. You dont get protection against other viruses. A flu vaccine can only stimulate your immune system to protect you against the viruses in the vaccine, with some lesser protection against very similar ones. Incomplete Protection Against Intended Targets You may not even get protection against the intended virus. Why? First, because viruses change over time. The piece that was in the vaccine may not look the same (chemically) as the real thing (months later, after all!). Second, the vaccine may not have given you enough stimulation to fight off the disease. Lets review whats happened so far: the inactivated virus piece has found a chemical match in your body. This causes an immune response, so your body has started to gear up its production of antibodies and similar markers on cells that can mark the virus for destruction or kill it outright. Its like calling up an army for a battle. Will your body win the fight when the real virus comes to call? Yes, if you have enough defenses built up. However, you will still get the flu if: Your body isnt fast enough producing a response.Get the vaccine and get exposed to the flu too soon (less than 2 weeks).Too much time between vaccination and exposure (the vaccine loses its effectiveness over time).You dont produce enough of a response.Overwhelmed by exposure to a high level of the virus.Your body couldnt recognize the initial virus piece (this determined by genetics).Your body didnt make enough antibodies/cells (this is common in older people or people with suppressed immune systems).The virus as changed beyond your bodys ability to recognize it.The part of the virus that was in the vaccine cant be detected by the body in the intact virus. But Is It Actually a Waste of Time? Yes and no... the flu vaccine will be more effective some years than others. The CDC predicted that the vaccine developed for the winter of 2003/2004 wasnt going to be effective against most cases of the flu because the strains covered by the vaccine werent the same as the strains that were common. Highly targeted vaccines work, but only against their targets! Theres no point in accepting the risks of a vaccine for a disease you cant get. When the flu vaccine is on-target, its more effective. Even then, the vaccine isnt perfect because it uses inactivated virus. Is that bad? No. A live vaccine is more effective, but much more risky. Bottom line The flu vaccine varies in effectiveness from year-to-year. Even in a best-case scenario, it wont always protect against the flu. The CDC study didnt say that the vaccine didnt work; it says the vaccine didnt protect people from getting sick. Even with imperfect effectiveness, the vaccine is indicated for certain people. In my opinion, however, the vaccine isnt for everyone and certainly shouldnt be required for otherwise healthy people.

Brainstorming Techniques for Students

Brainstorming Techniques for Students Brainstorming is a method students can use to generate ideas for writing a paper. In the process of brainstorming, you should suspend any concerns about staying organized. The goal is to pour your thoughts onto paper without worrying about whether they make sense or how they fit together. Because students have different learning styles, some students will be uncomfortable with the disorganized frenzy of spilling thoughts onto paper. For instance, left brain  dominant  students and sequential thinking students may not benefit from the process if it becomes too cluttered. There are more organized ways to brainstorm, however. For this reason, we’ll explore a few ways to get the same results. Find the one that feels most comfortable to you. Brainstorming for Right Brains Right-brained thinkers are typically comfortable with a variety of shapes, ideas, and patterns. Right brains dont run from chaos. The artistic side of the right brain enjoys the process of creatingand it doesnt really matter whether they start with cluttered ideas or clumps of clay. The right brain may be most comfortable with clustering or mind mapping as a brainstorming method. To get started, you will need a few clean pieces of paper, some tape, and a few colored pens or highlighters. Write your main idea or topic in the middle of the paper.Start writing down thoughts in no particular pattern. Write words or passages that pertain to your main idea in some way.Once youve exhausted the random thoughts that come into your head, start using prompters like who, what, where, when, and why. Do any of these prompters generate more words and ideas?Consider whether prompters like opposites or comparisons would be relevant to your topic.Dont worry about repeating yourself. Just keep writing!If your paper gets full, use the second sheet. Tape it to the edge of your original paper.Keep attaching pages as necessary.Once you have emptied your brain, take a short break from your work.When you return with a fresh and rested the mind, glance over your work to see what kinds of patterns emerge.Youll notice that some thoughts are related to others and some thoughts are repeated. Draw yellow circles around the thoughts that are related. The yellow ideas will become a subtopic.Draw blu e circles around other related ideas for another subtopic. Continue this pattern. Dont worry if one subtopic has ten circles and another has two. When it comes to writing your paper, this simply means you may write several paragraphs about one idea and one paragraph about another. Thats OK.Once you finish drawing circles, you may want to number your individual colored circles in some sequence. You now have a basis for a paper! You can turn your wonderful, messy, chaotic creation into a well-organized paper. Brainstorming for Left Brains If the process above makes you break out into a cold sweat, you may be a left brain. If you arent comfortable with chaos and you need to find a more orderly way to brainstorm, the bullet method might work better for you. Put the title or topic of your paper at the head of your paper.Think of three or four categories that would serve as subtopics. You can start by thinking about how you could break best down your topic into smaller sections. What sort of features could you use to divide it? You could consider time periods, ingredients, or sections of your subject matter.Write down each of your subtopics, leaving a few inches of space between each item.Make bullets under each subtopic. If you find you need more space than youve provided under each category, you can transfer your subtopic to a new sheet of paper.Dont worry about the order of your subjects as you write; you will put them into order once you have exhausted all your ideas.Once you have emptied your brain, take a short break from your work.When you return with a fresh and rested the mind, glance over your work to see what kinds of patterns emerge.Number your main ideas so they create a flow of information.You have a rough outline for your p aper! Brainstorming for Anybody Some students would prefer to make a Venn diagram to organize their thoughts. This process involves drawing two intersecting circles. Title each circle with the name of the object youre comparing. Fill the circle with traits that each object possesses, while filling the intersecting space with traits the two objects share.

Plan for visiting your policymaker Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Plan for visiting your policymaker - Assignment Example For instance, the â€Å"clinical guidelines on the identification, assessment and management of overweight and obesity adults† was instituted in 1998. These guidelines were aimed to be employed by health practitioners dealing with obese and overweight individuals. The government has also instituted the weight-control information network to deal with obesity (Voigt & Kristin, 2014). The government has also instituted other policies and programs that seek to educate the people on their diets and the importance of exercising. Over the past few decades, the different presidents that have been in power have encouraged people to eat healthy and exercise. Prevention of child obesity is particularly significant in nursing practise as the primary goal is to prevent diseases and promote healthy lifestyles in the society (Institute of Medicine US, 2012). This goes a long way to imply that nurses must take a leadership role in responding to the epidemic of obesity. Voigt and Kristin (2014) argue that obesity can be caused by genetic, metabolic and environmental factors or a combination of the three. Nurses can promote healthy lifestyles patterns that minimizes the risk of overweight by emphasizing on the importance of breastfeeding, physical exercises, regular meals and nutritional weight counseling. Obesity is an issue that requires the input of almost everyone including federal, state and local policy makers. The policy makers involved in childhood obesity include my congressperson, Carlos Curbelo and Commissioner Juan C Zapata. I will try to contact the policy makers through calling their offices to book appointments. Terry (2013) acknowledges that calling is an appropriate way of booking for appointments or contacting policymaker’s offices. Each of these policy makers’ offices have contact numbers that are available on their webpages. Additionally, their numbers are listed on the blue pages of my phone book.

Contemporary Latino Narrative Film Research Paper

Contemporary Latino Narrative Film - Research Paper Example The paper will finally present a critical analysis of the director’s work. The movie, Motorcycle Diaries released in 2004 was an adaptation of the book with the same name written as a memoir by Che Guevara himself. It was directed by Walter Sallers and starred Gael Garcia Bernal as Ernesto Guevara and Rodrigo De la Serna as Alberto Granado (IMDB). The movie begins with a youthful happiness as two friends. Ernesto and Granado begin on a journey of fun and adventure that would transport them to a leper colony where they plan to provide their services as medical men. The aim of the journey is mostly to have fun and Ernesto take on his motorcycle, Le Poderosa as the mode of transportation. However, along their journey, Guevara meets with poverty stricken people who are severely impacted by the capitalist society and this transform Guevara into a man who feels that these people should be represented and should fight for equal rights by developed a communist regime. When one sees that movie as a transformation of the protagonist, one will find a remarkable change in Guevara from the beginning of the movie till the end. The movie begins on a lighthearted note where one is able to enjoy the idiosyncrasies of the two young men who have no responsibilities of the world. Having always lived within their own circle, these two men are unaware of the plight of the communist living within their own country. In the beginning, the talk of these men is centered on girls and having fun and adventure. They laugh often, they joke often and they are like any other typical men of their age (Christianson, 13). The transformation in Guevara however is not very sudden. Even while having the adventure of his lifetime, the viewers see a responsible man in certain instances. Since Guevara belonged to the medical profession, his eyes were open for the patients among the people he met. While his friend, Granardo was more