Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gay Marriage - Essay Example The ban on gay marriage is not different from preventing women from voting or denying African-American’s access to public places. One of the most potential arguments for gay marriage is that it enhances the marriage rate. Since 1991, there was a sharp decline in marriage rates world wide. In some countries, the marriage rates were down over 20%. This declining marriage rate clearly reflected deterioration in social as well as cultural values since premarital sexuality and sexual promiscuity were the root causes of the decrease in marriage rates. In addition, this worse condition also persisted to be a threat to the existence of family relationships. However, a steep rise in marriage rate is observed as the gay marriage was legalized. For instance, 4000 couples married in San Francisco in just one month when the city legally validated same sex marriages. While comparing with the marriage statistical data of many other countries, it is evident that gay marriage boosts marriage r ates. There were 12,348 same sex marriages registered in Canada from June 2003 (date of same sex marriage legalization in Ontario, a province of Canada) to October 2006 (‘Re-opening the debate’). Similarly, divorce rates have increasingly risen for the last two decades. As specified in the ‘Gay Marriage Facts & Statistics Tips, United States statistics show that 60% of all opposite sex marriages ended in divorce during the first decade and the figure rose to 80% in the first 20 years. Although, government and religious institutions have taken initiatives towards the safety of family relationships, the divorce rate still continues to be unsatisfactory. At this time, the family bonds of same sex couples... The researcher of this essay states that since 2001, ten countries and a number of jurisdictions have legally approved same-sex marriage and they consider it as a matter of civil, moral, social, political, and religious issue. Despite the legal validity of the gay marriage, limited rights are granted to gay marriage as compared to heterosexual marriage. In fact, the same sex marriage does not hurt the institution of marriages because homosexuals enjoy a pleasure that is obtainable from a traditional marriage. Obviously, romance is the most profound feeling that determines the intensity of relationship especially between adolescents. To be more specific, the different choices in romantic relationships have a profound influence on their aspirations. Each and every individual has the basic human right to express themselves without depending on the approval of any authority. While prohibiting same sex marriage, this condition questions the personal integrity of homosexuals and hence this governmental act do separates the gay people from the mainstream of the society. In total, the ban on gay marriage is a clear case of gender based discrimination, which will have far reaching consequences in the society. In fact, sexual outlook and individual choices are the key factors that determine the agreement or conflicts between partners. In conclusion, the researcher mentions that same sex does not inevitably ensure same gender, for example if the individuals involved maintain opposite gender desires.

Is marriage an outdated tradition Essay Example for Free

Is marriage an outdated tradition Essay Is Marriage an Outdated Tradition? In this essay I will be explaining whether marriage Is an outdated tradition along with my opinion and the ones of Christians. In my oplnlon I believe that No, marriage Is the same strong, important connection it was 100 years ago. The difference is the people who enter into it, and the way society no longer supports the couples who choose it. Weve become a need It now society and are ready to discard whatever doesnt give us Instant happiness. Divorce has become so acceptable that couples go Into arriage with the plan to divorce If they arent satisfied (prenup) as compared to the people in our past who believed marriage was forever and were motivated to keep working at the relationship and to make it work. Today couples are ready to give up as soon as its not fun or the sex becomes dull. The other part of the problem Is societys lack of support for marriage. The UK benefit system Is too lenient towards those who choose to have children without being married therefore helping them with housing, childcare, schooling and food. The rest f the family before would be providing emotional support and pressure for the couple to work at the relationship, now its more looked at it as being only their problem and not a problem for the people around them. Today were more concerned about an individuals right to personal happiness than to supporting responsible or ethical behaviour-I believe a persons happiness Is extremely Important but peoples morals and ethics are what make them happy. I also believe the idea that something thats worth having is worth fighting for, having omething a long time, the pride of working at something, at pushing through the hard stuff to be able to stand back and look with pride at having made something great, is gone. The Christians of the Catholic Church teach prohibition of premarital sex along with the rejection of homosexual marriage, abortion and contraception but also the acceptance of everyone and equality but while all those are very Important none is what makes the bond of marriage stick. It happens when two people who are free to marry and are physically and emotionally capable of marriage give themselves o each other, understanding that marriage means being open to life and commitment and to faithful love till death.

Interpersonal Skills Needed by Business Managers

Interpersonal Skills Needed by Business Managers In modern corporations, business managers desire to develop positive and effective interaction with their employees. In order to build up successful relationship with subordinates, managers need to improve their interpersonal skills. This paper sets out to analyse three different interpersonal skills needed by business managers: understanding others, developing and maintaining rapport, listening and presenting feedback to others. And it seems that listening and presenting feedback is the most significant one. Introduction In recent years, there has been a great deal of discussion about interpersonal skills of business managers. For business managers, they always work with people who have different backgrounds, and whether they can maintain successful interaction with their employees, to a certain degree, depends on their effective interpersonal skills. In modern society, it is significant difficult for business managers who cannot relate with others to achieve succeed. (Fandt 1994) In modern corporations, positive relationships are of great importance in earning high degrees of job satisfaction. If employees have a good feeling about their jobs, they will be more likely to do their job well; in addition, they are able to accomplish their tasks in high-quality environment. The research of service-profit chain(Heskett et al. 1994; Heskett, Sasser, and Schlesinger 1997 cited in Tews Tracey 2009, p.245) which analyses how companies achieve and maintain outstanding performance mentions that internal servi ce quality, such as the way people work with each other, moves employees to feel more satisfied about their working environment. (Tews Tracey 2009) On the contrary, if a business manager lacks interpersonal skills, they will limit the performance of employees. For example, employees who are likely to be passive, lack creativity, and depend too much on others ideas and instructions results in working with the managers who lacks interpersonal skills. (Fandt 1994) Therefore, it is one of the most basic priorities for business managers to improve their ability of interpersonal skills. The interpersonal skills needed by business managers can be seen as the capacity to be a facilitator-to foster a collective effect; get along with peers, subordinates, and superiors; and manage interactions with other. (Fandt 1994) This paper will analyse the following interpersonal skills: (1) understanding others, (2) developing and maintaining rapport, (3) listening and presenting feedback to others. Moreover, it will be argued that listening and presenting feedback to others is the most significant interpersonal skill among the three skills needed by business managers. Understanding others Some social psychologists have recognised that making efforts to understand the inner world of others is an extremely common feature of human interaction. This is because interpreting how to open up a conversation with others, how to respond to what others say are built up on the level of understanding of others. (Guirdham 1996) For business managers, understanding others is also of great significance. The survey (Heller Porter 1996 cited in Guirdham 1996, p. 147) of 150 US and UK executives found that the ability to understand people was ranged as the top of a list of 16 skills of management. This is because other skills such as communication, persuading, and team work are based on a basic priority of understanding what others do and say. (Guirdham 1996) In addition, business managers need to interpret others also because people are differing from each other and the managers should not treat everybody alike. Fiedler (1964) as cited in Guirdham (1996) suggests that a leader who can distinguish among their followers is more likely to be succeed than those who cannot. Taking the captains of basketball teams as an example, Fielder (1964) as cited in Guirdham (1996) found that the leader of the losing team seemed to find the differences among his players from a macro perspective, however, the captain of winning team knew who dribbled well, who shot well, who played well under pressure, and so on. Willard E. and Robert W. (1951) also mentioned that the more you are able to recognize the differences among your men, the better you will be able to understand and help them. For instance, there was a business manager who interpreted his subordinates by making notes in index cards. He picked up some information such as the birthday, education of his employees, names of the subordinates wife and children, the employees hobbies, ages, and even interests. By doing that, the manager could remember some individual characteristics of his employees which would play a key role in talking with each other much easier and distinguishing the employees better. In a word, successful business managers tend to have the capacity to perceive differences among their employees. (Guirdham 1996) Furthermore, no business manager can function without comprehending and understanding individuals who work with him. The performances of a leader will be affected by what he knows of his followers. A manager may always study the behaviours of his subordinates in order to avoid lacking confidence or discord. (Parker Kleemeier 1951) Finally, understanding the subordinates will help the business managers match their employees properly with the right work. If a person who lacks sufficient abilities probably will fail in finishing his job. And as a result, he will be more likely to become frustrated and disappointed. On the other hand, employees who are over-qualified tend to become bored with their simple work. Thus, it is essential for the managers to understanding their employees better in order to match them with the right work. (Parker Kleemeier 1951) Developing and maintaining rapport Rapport can be seen as the quality of the relationship in describing the interactions between psychotherapists and their clients (Gfeller, Lynn, and Pribble 1987 cited in Gremler Gwinner 2000, p.83), as the quality of [a] relationship characterized by satisfactory communication and mutual understanding in investigating college roommate relationships (Carey et al. 1988 cited in Gremler Gwinner 2000, p.83) and as a quality in the relation or connection between interactants , especially relations marked by harmony, conformity , accord, and affinity (Bernieri et al. 1996 cited in Gremler Gwinner 2000, p.83). In terms of the relationship between business managers and their subordinates, rapport means the enjoyable interactions which will be established when the business managers tend to open to others with a friendly manner, display the interests in their employees, use the sense of humour to reduce tensions, demonstrate that the managers have the sensitivity of the needs and feelings of their subordinates. (Fandt 1994) For business managers, developing and keeping rapport with their employees will help them build up confidence to deal with problems in an appropriate way, encourage them to share their helpful ideas with the employees, promote the cooperation between leaders and followers, and bring themselves and their subordinates into harmony by reducing the possibility of the grievances and disruptive conflicts (Filley 1975). Grievances and disruptive conflicts (Filley 1975) seem to be the two main aspects which are result in failing in maintaining rapport in working environment. Firstly, a grievance can be described as the resentments of a person which is possible to contribute to adverse effects on subordinates attitude toward their job, their manager even the whole company. The quality of work will be suffered severely and the morale of the employees will be lowered when employees have a grievance. In addition, the relationship between managers and their employees is also likely to be tensional because of the existence of grievance. Secondly, according to Filley (1975), conflict is divided into two different kinds: competitive conflicts and disruptive conflicts, and to a certain extent, disruptive conflicts are likely to cause damage to keeping rapport. It will bring tension between business managers and their followers. Moreover, it seems to create negative feelings between leaders and subordinates which will contribute to a complaining atmosphere in work. (Quinn, Faerman, Thompson and McGrath 1996) According to the above-mentioned, it is clear that for business managers, developing and keeping rapport is of huge significance in order to create enjoyable interactions between leaders and their subordinates and avoid grievances and disruptive conflicts(Filley 1975). Listening and presenting feedback to others The meaning of listening is not the same as hearing. Listening is an intellectual and emotional process in which you use all resources at hand to understand the meaning of a message. (Fandt 1994) Thus, to a certain extent, listening is a reflective activity. An effective listener should not only hear something form others, but also include keeping appropriate eye contact, observing the hidden stories, exploring the words that have been spoken, and understanding the body language of the speaker. (Fandt 1994) For business managers, in order to be a good listener, they should attempt to use empathy (Quinn, Faerman, Thompson and McGrath 1996) which means feeling others inner world and experiencing others thoughts instead of directly controlling others thoughts. For example, when the statement of a subordinate is not accurate, the manager should not interrupt him and keep listen to him to the end. And after that, the manager can ask some open-ended questions like How did you feel when that happened. This kind of listening behaviour may help managers understand the inner thoughts and feelings of the subordinate. In addition, it will also be beneficial to save time because of the less of interruption and repetition. However, if a manager experiences a subordinates inner world excessively, the subordinate may feel uncomfortable, and as a result, the manager cannot understand the speaker deeply. (Quinn, Faerman, Thompson and McGrath 1996) It is also of great importance that while listening to the subordinates, the business managers should present some feedback to them. Fandt (1994) mentions that appropriate feedback given by managers will help the subordinates promote, correct, and obtain a greater achievement. For instance, some business managers present feedback as I think you handled the customer complaints very professionally and I appreciate your error-free report (Fandt 1994). This kind of feedback shows subordinates that the managers understand what they are doing, recognize and appreciate their performances, as a result, the subordinates tend to continue to perform well. (Fandt 1994) In most cases, business managers attempt to give critical feedback to their employees. In another word, managers not only present some negative feedback but also give some negative feedback. However, according to Fandt (1994), it is more considerable to give positive feedback than negative feedback. That is because most employees feel difficult to hear and accept negative feedback. For example, punishment, blame, and wrongly criticism seem to be the most common kinds of negative feedback which will decrease the inspiration of employees because of the feeling of tension. Furthermore, punishment, blame, and wrongly criticism also tend to reduce the capacity of doing jobs of employees because they are likely to be defeated by them. On the other hand, giving some positive feedback such as praise can inspire employees to a greater achievement. Parker and Kleemeier (1951) states all men will work hard to gain admiration and praise from others. It is for the reason that praise is one of the strongest motivating forces at the supervisors command. If an employee gets positive feedback such as praise from the manager, he will desire to accomplish his work better and show great cooperation. (Parker and Kleemeier 1951) Moreover, although some employees may make some mistakes during their work, the manager also should point out what they have done is right, and as a result, employees will be more likely to have more confidence to correct their performances. Discussion Comparing to the three interpersonal skills needed by business managers, listening and presenting feedback seems to be the most significant one. That is because understanding others and keeping rapport in working atmosphere are based on listening and giving feedback to others. Firstly, managers tend to show their understanding of the subordinates through listening and presenting some feedback. As Parker and Kleemeier (1951) point out nearly all supervisors who really understand their men eventually learn to be good listeners. Successful managers attempt to study the attitudes of their employees, to observe what the employees really are thinking about through listening to them. After listening to them, managers can present some feedback to show the employees that the managers can understand what they are thinking about and what they really want. Secondly, listening and showing feedback to others will also help business managers to select the right man to do appropriate work. If a manager desire to select employees the most common way to do that is interviewing. During the interviewing, the managers may always ask some open-ended questions and then they keep the interviewees talking about it. The only job of the interviewers is listening and giving feedback at the end of the interview. This kind of activity will be more likely to help managers make the accurate choice and understand the interviewees better. Finally, the possibility of grievances and disruptive conflicts (Filley 1975) seems to be reduced by listening and presenting feedback. For instance, some employees may complain that they are treated unfairly. For an experienced manager, the best way to deal with this kind of problem is to listen to their complaints to find some hidden problems of the employees even the company. In addition, they present some feedback to show that they have understood the problem and will take actions to cope with it. As a result, the managers can develop and maintain rapport in the working environment. (Parker Kleemeier 1951) Conclusion In conclusion, a perfect business manager should maintain successful interaction with their employees. Furthermore, to become a successful manager, people should be skilled in outstanding interpersonal behaviours which will not only develop the level of self-awareness but also promote the level of prestige. This essay has analysed three different interpersonal skills needed by business managers including understanding others, developing and maintaining rapport, and listening and presenting feedback to others. For business managers, firstly, understanding their employees can promote the capacity of distinguish people from different backgrounds, help them interpret what their employees feelings and match their employees appropriately with the right job. Secondly, it is also beneficial to develop and keep rapport. Most of people would like to work in a positive place where there are less grievances and disruptive conflicts (Filley 1975). If a manager can keep rapport in a company, he will be more likely to build up cooperation relationship with his subordinates and become more successful. Finally, listening and presenting feedback to employees can make the employees feel that their managers concern about them, and understand them. So that managers may earn the respect of their employees which will develop the efficiency of their work. In addition, listening and presenting feedback might be the most significant ability among the three interpersonal skills needed by business managers. Because it seems as the foundation of other interpersonal skills and business managers should concentrate on develop the capacity of listening and presenting feedback to their subordinates firstly.

Containment Early Cold war Essay -- miscellaneous

Containment Early Cold war In the early years of the Cold War, both the Truman and Eisenhower administrations pursued a policy of containment to counter perceived Soviet aggression. Generally, the presidential administrations pursued this policy to maintain stability in the international arena, to maintain a balance of power, and also in a sense, to express disapproval of totalitarian, non-democratic regimes. Containment was expressed through a variety of policies and institutions: economic, political and, of course, military. The ways the early presidential administrations defined and implemented containment strategy inevitably changed in focus, importance, and emphasis over time. While both external and internal reasons accounted to an extent for the specifics of the containment policies of both administrations, the Truman administration was more concerned with maintaining a balance of power within the international community than necessarily appeasing internal pressures, especially fiscal pressures. The Eis enhower administration, on the other hand, assigned a greater importance to domestic politics in formulating its containment policies. First I will outline the differences of the two administrations, and then I will argue that the differences in the two administrations stem from their predominant influences: whereas external threats mainly shaped the Truman administration's containment policy, internal politics mainly shaped the Eisenhower administration's containment policy. First of all, both administrations had different economic priorities. Although Truman was concerned about keeping taxes low and government spending capped, he also saw the need for military expenditures in Europe and Asia to keep an adequate balance of power. Truman implemented an assortment of aid packages to Europe and Asia, in effect, to help those countries help themselves. He saw economic stability as essential for peace and stability in the intentional arena. Moreover, he saw giving aid to these countries as a way to subtly influence the ideology of their constituents. Furthermore, Truman accepted ongoing government economic intervention as an appropriate way to direct resources within the economy. Eisenhower, on the other hand, was more interested in a conservative fiscal policy, and tight control on government spending. He was more intent on trading with the countrie... ...endencies, they took their influence for policy from different sources. Thus, their foreign policy had a different approach. The Truman administration was more concerned with Stalin’s expansionist tendencies, and sought to contain him by the best means possible, which he considered to be conventional warfare. Truman used rhetoric and threat to sell his policy to Congress and the American people, because his policy was expensive. Eisenhower, on the other hand, was more concerned with his popularity and cutting taxes than pursuing expensive overseas militaries. He was able to cut costs by using nuclear capabilities as a deterrent against the Soviets. Thus, he used a more capital-intensive, and less labor-intensive means to detract Soviet expansion. Because he was able to cut costs so effectively, it was not as important for him to sell him policy to the public. That is namely why Eisenhower was such a popular president. References www.globalsecurity.org/military/ library/report/1992/MJA.htm www.nwc.navy.mil/CNCSCaseStudies/cases/case09.htm www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/kbank/profiles/truman/ regentsprep.org/Regents/ushisgov/themes/ presidentialactions/commander.cfm

Microsoft Corporation Case Analysis Essay

Industry Evaluation Software is an integral part of today’s uncertain economy, as the push for greater globalization and efficiency drives much of the spending in business markets around the world. In order to maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly competitive global market, companies are spending more and more on hardware and software infrastructures (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). Microsoft is among 413 companies that produce and distribute application software products and services. These companies are all part of the Application Software industry within the technology sector, which is dominated by one software giant; Microsoft. More specifically, Microsoft is categorized into the Developmental Tools, Operating Systems, and Utility Software subindustry, which includes companies that â€Å"design, develop, market, and support software for developing, testing, and debugging applications; for computer maintenance; and for desktop management† (Hoovers.com, 2006). Microsoft, Oracle Corp, CA Inc., and SAP Aktiengesellschaft, with a four-firm concentration ratio of 39% dominate the industry. Most of the other 411 firms in the industry specialize in smaller niches, providing specialized software services such as accounting, business management, etcetera, and have profits under $1 billion per year. For this reason, the computer application industry has monopolistic competition (MSN Money, 2006). The top-selling software company is currently Microsoft, with $41.4 billion in sales in 2005, and is joined in the competitive arena by other top sellers such as Oracle Corp. with $12.9 billion and SAP Aktiengesellschaft with $10.4 billion. Other industry leaders in sales include CA Inc., Intuit Inc., Adobe Systems Inc., B.M.C. Software, Compuware Corp., and Novell Inc., each experiencing revenues exceeding $1 billion during 2005. Within the Developmental Tools, Operating Systems, and Utility Software subindustry, top competitors include Microsoft, International Business Machines (IBM), SAP Aktiengesellschaft, and Computer Associates International, who ranked a respective first, second, third, and fourth in application software sales (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). The Computer Software industry is largely dominated by Microsoft, which commands 54% of market sales among its top ten competitors, as listed above. The following chart details the market share of these ten main players in the industry (Yahoo!Finance, 2006): Within the legal environment, the software industry has been shaken by  several recent regulations that are revitalizing industries within the business market of the United States. Among them are the US Patriot Act, which dictates that companies providing financial services must have the ability to detect the occurrence of money laundering; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which mandates that companies provide â€Å"real-time disclosure of events that might affect their financial performance and deep records of e-mail and instant messages exchanged between employees† (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). Finally, antitrust laws have been an ongoing threat to the industry. Microsoft has finally reached a settlement after an ongoing antitrust investigation, and agreed to allow manufacturers to include competing software with Windows and uniformly license its operating systems (Antitrust Case Filings, 2006). New technological developments are revitalizing the software industry. The most recent and significant development includes a new set of web-friendly applications that, as of yet, has no official name. These web services can be assembled from standardized building blocks, meaning that any number of applications may be assembled in a variety of ways. Because of this, companies are able to develop enterprise applications to run on a wide range of software and hardware infrastructures and cater to the specific demands of their respective market segments. The companies that will maintain market share in the up-and-coming web era are those that are able to develop products that will be compatible on a wide range of hardware platforms. Massive consolidations have recently become characteristic of the software industry. Largely due to acquisitions, IBM’s software holdings have grown a great deal. Small specialists companies face the greatest danger from large software providers such as Oracle, who recently acquired PeopleSoft and Siebel for $10.3 and $5.9 billion, respectively. If growth slows in their subindustries, these small companies who cater to specific niches become vulnerable to large companies offering extensive suites of enterprise applications that serve a variety of functions such as the industry leaders (Yahoo!Finance, 2006). Following suit after other mature industries such as electronics and apparel,  a large number of IT and software providers have begun outsourcing much of their manufacturing and R&D functions to countries outside of the United States. Software companies are now able to hire manufacturers and product developers in countries such as India, Mexico, and China for much less than it would cost in the U.S. (MSN Money, 2006) The tragedy of the September 11 terrorist attacks as well as other post 9/11 attacks prompted another significant trend in the software industry when the United States government cranked down on security. By restructuring their communication systems, they opened a door to struggling software providers who began to provide new, more secure applications to governmental departments and agencies (Yahoo!Finance, 2006) A final trend reflects the popularity of Linux and other open-source code operating systems. While the Linux operating system is probably the most widely known and widely used open source code, the idea of open source is gaining momentum and popularity. Companies that provide their products for a nominal subscription fee and generate income based on training and support services have adopted the open source concept as a counter-intuitive business model, with which they counter the more traditional selling of products for profit model (Hill and Jones, 2005). Once online collaboration and word processing applications are fully developed and grow in usage and popularity, the researchers predict that the software industry will see a rise in sales of those kinds of products, and possibly a decline in the sale of PC compatible product that serve the same types of functions. The reason for this is that once these tools are available, consumers will realize that they may access and edit their documents or projects from any computer or PDA with internet access, without having to worry about being on the specific machine or machines that contain the documents they need. Currently, almost all users of open source software are computer-savvy programming professionals. In the future however, more consumers will use this type of software for business and personal use. This is forecasted by a  growing number of applications developed from open source codes such as Linux, as well as increasing popularity of these programs. If this comes to pass, then Linux and other open source applications and operating systems may accumulate market share, thus depriving it from Microsoft and Oracle. Strategic Evaluation Microsoft supports a number of values that translate into goals that the company strives to attain. These goals include doing business with honesty and integrity; to have passion for customers, partners, and technology; to be open and respectful, to take on big challenges and see through them; constructive self-criticism, self-improvement, and personal excellence; to help foster growth and innovation, and to be accountable to customers, shareholders, partners, and employees for commitments, results, and quality. These goals, however, are immeasurable, intangible, and unspecific. There is no timeline for achieving them, and no way to determine whether or not they have been acheived. There are, however, more specific goals that the company hopes to attain that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and tangible. Goals for the future include making technology available to one quarter of a billion people by 2010. Another goal is to fuse together Windows development and Web development to enrich Windows applications (Stu, 2003). By doing this, Microsoft may be able to convince consumes to use the rich application features of Windows. Another goal is to unify the disparate Windows communications and enterprise technologies into a common and simple framework that is competitive with Java Enterprise Edition. Microsoft needs to provide an alternative to this model unless it wants to see Java retain its lock on the server software market. This goal is consistant with Microsoft’s approach of taking the lead in developing a new computing standard. (Microsoft, 2006) The mission statement of Microsoft Corporation is â€Å"At Microsoft, we work to help people and businesses throughout the world  realize their full potential. This is our mission. Everything we do reflects this mission and the values that make it possible.†- Microsoft, 2006 The mission statement is clear in representing Microsoft as dedicated in providing the best products to help its customers achieve and â€Å"realize their full potential†. The mission statement is strong, and is very personable by saying â€Å"At Microsoft†, and repeating that this is Microsoft’s mission statement. The statement repeats itself in the third sentence, saying, â€Å"everything we do reflects† helping everyone in the world understand his or her â€Å"full potential†. Using words to repeat parts of the mission statement makes it bolder to the reader. The statement is broad enough to allow the company to expand into unfamiliar markets or businesses, or both. However, it is narrow enough that it focuses the company on aiding people in reaching their fullest potential. By adhering to this mission statement, employees at Microsoft look to the customers, not the shareholders, as the reason the company exists. It is clear to express that the company does not exist solely to make a profits or please shareholders. It reflects the desire of the management at Microsoft to make a difference in the world and help those who wish to success do so. Functional Review Marketing Analysis Microsoft focuses on the development of software, which includes products such as Office, Project, Visio, FoxPro, and more. The software packages aide in the creation of business documents, databases, and projects, as well as helps consumers manage their day-to-day lives. Microsoft has seven different product divisions: Client, Server and Tools, Information Worker, Microsoft Business Solution, MSN, Mobile and Embedded Devices, and Home and Entertainment (Microsoft, 2006). The Client segment has responsibility for engineering, product delivery, and technical architecture for the Windows product family. It also handles Microsoft’s  relationships with personal computer manufacturers, including multinational and regional original equipment manufacturer accounts (SEC, 2006). Server and Tools is responsible for the server system products and all related services. These services include providing advice for requirements needed for the system to operate properly, custom solution services, and business application planning for the operating systems. Information Worker involves licensing software to several types of users such as small to large corporations, homes, and specialized categories like students. This division releases a major change in software every two to three years. Microsoft Business Solutions deals primarily with â€Å"developing and marketing offerings to manage financial, customer relationship and supply chain management functions for small and midsize businesses, large organizations and divisions of global enterprises. MSN is accountable for delivering online services that look to empower users by bringing them to the people and information that matter most. The Mobile and Embedded Devices section is responsible for the marketing and development of products that extend the advantages of the Windows platform to many types of devices. The Home and Entertainment segment is in charge of production, development, and marketing for the Xbox video gaming system (SEC, 2006). Another way Microsoft is continuing to broaden their customer base is by establishing itself into the gaming industry. An example of this is the innovative Xbox 360 Microsoft launched during the 2005 Christmas season. Microsoft has begun to explore new markets, like television, with the rising success of the Xbox 360 and the changing demographics. Microsoft realizes that demographics are changing to a younger generation and efforts must be made to accommodate their needs as well. (Wikipedia, 2006) In the past, Microsoft’s target market has been men of the ages of eighteen through thirty-four. The company is currently expanding the market it targets by experimenting with two methods of reaching the seventeen and younger age group. The first is through the gaming industry, with the release of the Xbox gaming system. The company is also developing a television show to reach this age group (Goo, 2006). Another strategy Microsoft is pursuing involves meeting its global clientele where they are  in terms of their economic and financial needs (Evers, 2006). These changes in strategy and products reflect Microsoft’s goal of expanding its target market. While there is risk involved with these changes, there is also the potential for returns above a normal profit. Another way Microsoft is continuing to broaden their customer base is by establishing itself into the gaming industry. An example of this is the innovative Xbox 360 Microsoft launched during the 2005 Christmas season. Microsoft has begun to explore new markets, like television, with the rising success of the Xbox 360 and the changing demographics. Microsoft realizes that demographics are changing to a younger generation and efforts must be made to accommodate their needs as well. (Wikipedia, 2006) Microsoft has established a presence in the international market. The headquarters, including most of the research and development centers, is located in Redmond, Washington. The company has several manufacturing facilities to meet supply needs on a global scale. These facilities are located in various places such as: Dublin, Ireland, Humacao, Puerto Rico, Reno, Nevada and Singapore just to name a few locations. Microsoft currently employees 40,081 in North America and 63,564 world-wide to help them meet growing demand for their products (Microsoft, 2006). Microsoft uses a wide variety of media to influence the demand of their products. Traditional types of advertising are used for global campaigns including television, print, and Internet (Microsoft.com, 2006). The company uses computer magazines to compare companies or products such as the case of Linux versus Microsoft. Microsoft’s goal is to reach a certain target market. In addition, Microsoft is implementing a new advertising campaign using the Internet in competition with Yahoo and Google. In the campaign, customers will be asked to fill out a survey; from there the data will be used to display personal ads of interest to the consumer. If a consumer chooses not to fill out the survey the company will provide them with general ads that are generated from the search. The goal in the long-run is to learn the customers want and needs for future purchases (Oser, 2006). The manufacturing function for most of Microsoft’s products is outsourced. A vendor supplies the parts needed to assemble the Xbox gaming system. This outsourcing strategy can be a drawback on two counts. Firstly, Microsoft relinquishes some control of the pricing of this product because it cannot control the manufacturing costs. Secondly, there is a threat of the manufacturer leaking product knowledge to Microsoft’s competitors. At the same time however, Microsoft has no legal obligation to the manufacturer, and can manufacture these products internally. Microsoft employs several vendors to supply parts that Microsoft manufactures. These components are purchased at a discount rate, and Microsoft keeps excess inventory in stock in case of shortages (Microsoft, 2006). The company has decided to do an 18 month campaign to advertise the differences between Microsoft and Linux giving the benefits of using our products. Some advantages to Microsoft’s products include: being user-friendly software and applications, as well as having a strong reputation in that area. Therefore, the cost would be greater to retrained employee how to use Linux software in the business industry for server application use. In dealing with more recent security issues, Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) has a code-flaw in the browser that makes it vulnerable to hackers. This flaw can allow hackers to infect a system with various code-scripts, which puts the system under attack. To have security issues associated with the company’s name can produce a bad reputation. Microsoft’s goals are to have compassion for customers, for partners, and technology. The company wants to train and make technology available to a quarter of the billion people in the world by 2010. In addition, Microsoft shows passion towards customers by offering specialized advertisements to expose the varied selection of products to the consumer. Another goal is to exhibit openness and respectfulness, which will gain a huge amount of respect from the consumer. This is achieved by receiving feedback from our employees, government agencies, and community leaders which will lead to improve Microsoft’s business. Microsoft is staying on task of taking on large challenges by endeavoring to change their demographics of customers. In addition, the  company takes constructive criticism, and uses this as a way to improve; criticism in forms of comments and suggestions. Microsoft will accomplish this task through research and development and feedback. Other goals are to give personal excellence, and have accountability to customers, shareholders, partners, and employees for commitments, results, and quality. These achievable tasks would help Microsoft stay in the business for years to come (Microsoft, 2006). Production Analysis Microsoft alters its products to me needs of its global customers. The company translates the text and changes the appearance of its applications to make them understandable in that language. This is one reason Microsoft has a reputation for being developing user-friendly applications for its consumers. Other tasks the company is involved with include processing orders, payment options, processing needed information, and supplier management (Microsoft.com, 2006). These tasks are essential to maintaining good relations with Microsoft’s customers and suppliers. In addition, these tasks make it possible to make necessary changes when there are problems in distribution or manufacturing of Microsoft’s software. Microsoft outsources all of its manufacturing function except for a few, including the assemblage of the Xbox 360. A vendor supplies the needed parts for this product. This action can be a drawback because it limits Microsoft in its ability to control pricing aspects of this product. There is also the threat that suppliers will share the knowledge of this product with Microsoft’s competitors. Although this is a threat, Microsoft is under the no legal obligation to continue working with that supplier. Several vendors supply parts for all other products Microsoft assembles. Components for these products are purchased at a discount. Microsoft keeps an inventory of spare parts on hand if needed (Microsoft, 2006). Management Analysis Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in 1975, and in a few years, they  expanded to Bellevue, Washington from Albuquerque, New Mexico. From there, Microsoft began creating and developing new and revolutionary technology. In 1981, â€Å"IBM introduced its personal computer with Microsoft’s 16-bit operating system, MS-DOS 1.0† (Microsoft, 2006). Because of its quality, this operating system became popular. Microsoft’s stock went public. Over the next twenty years, Microsoft created more technical and versatile operating systems such as Windows 95, 98, and the current Windows XP. This success has lead to worldwide expansion creating thousands of jobs. â€Å"Microsoft is the world’s largest software company with over 50,000 employees in various countries as of May 2004† (Microsoft, 2006). Microsoft has become a needed portion of the personal computing market in which many PC retailers have sold their machines pre-equipped with Microsoft’s software. Because of its large and substantial business, Microsoft was found to be a monopoly among computer software and because of this, Microsoft has experience financial success. In 1998, a lawsuit found that Microsoft was using its â€Å"monopoly power to defeat its competitors† (Reference.com, 2006). Microsoft appealed and showed how changing their company’s operations would bring the financial success down increasingly. A board of directors, who play a major role in decision-making and many fundamentals of the company, run Microsoft. The Chief Executive Officer is Steven Ballmer who â€Å"joined with Microsoft in 1980 and was the first business manager hired by Bill Gates† (Microsoft, 2006). In 1998, Ballmer was appointed President and this gave him full responsibility for running the corporation. 2 years later, he became CEO (in 2000) and this gave him full privilege over all the managers and staff of Microsoft. Following Ballmer is James I. Cash, Jr, Dina Dublon, Bill Gates, Raymond V. Gilmartin, Ann McLaughlin Korologos, David F. Margaurdt, Charles H. Noski, Helmut Panke and Jon A. Shirley. A lot of talent and skill is required to work in any position at Microsoft. They seek out motivated individuals who are experienced in communications and leadership. The purpose for finding such trained individuals is to lower training costs of the company. The â€Å"Corporate Operations is Microsoft’s backbone, constructing, managing, and running the various services that support the company’s 50,000 employees† (Microsoft, 2006). This statement shows that Microsoft is dependent on two sections of their management staff; the corporate and administrative services. These departments are responsible for management, public relations, providing company-wide administrative support, building new office space, and other tasks. Financial Analysis Microsoft Corporation has achieved excellence in since 1975 in the application software industry. They finished the 2005 fiscal year with a market capitalization of $288.20 billion, doubling the closest competitor, IBM which came in second in market capitalization with $131.00 billion, and an industry average of a low $136.51 million (Hoovers, 2006). Microsoft Corporation has been enjoying a steady growth in revenue over the past three fiscal years. This has been achieved with the growing popularity of PC use in the world over this time period. Microsoft’s preliminary estimates showed a growth of worldwide PC shipments from 11% to 13%, â€Å"and total server hardware shipments grew approximately 13% to 14%† during the 2005 fiscal year compared to fiscal year 2004 (Yahoo! Finance). This has caused a growth in revenue of 8% from $36,835 million to $39,788 million from fiscal year 2004 to 2005 (U.S. SEC). This revenue growth was â€Å"driven by growth in licensing of Windows Server operating systems and other server application, licensing of Windows Client operating systems through OEMs, and increased licensing of Office and other Information Worker products† (Yahoo! Finance). The 2004 fiscal year ended with an overall growth of $4,648 billion from the previous fiscal year 2003, an increase of over 12%. Over the past five years, Microsoft Corporation has generated revenue of over $162 billion. This is an increase of 73% and about $75 billion of this is derived from net cash flow from operations. Shareholders received a return of $69 billion of this revenue in dividends and stock repurchases. With the launching of the Xbox 360, Windows Vista, and newer versions of existing software in 2006 fiscal year, Microsoft expects to have an equal or larger  increase of the past five years in the next five years (Microsoft, 2006). Net income for the fiscal year 2005 was $12,254 which is an increase of $4,086 million from the 2004 fiscal year. This is due to small decreases in operating expenses from the previous year with emphasis on research and development, a decrease of over $1.5 billion. Although decreasing in fiscal year 2005, a large jump in expenses occurred from fiscal year 2003 to 2004. Microsoft increased their total operating expenses by $5,159 million to $27,801 million in fiscal year 2004. Although decreasing expenses worked for the fiscal year 2005, decreases in research and development in the future might cause the industry to get the edge on Microsoft and revenues decrease (Microsoft, 2006). Operating income has also increased substantially during these two fiscal years with a total increase of 61%. Although it had a 5% decline from fiscal year 2003 to fiscal year 2004, operating income jumped from a marginal $9,034 million in 2004 to an excellent $14,561 million in fiscal year ending 2005 (U.S. SEC). According to Yahoo! Finance, the operating income increase for fiscal year 2005 was driven by a decline in stock-based compensation expense; increased revenue in Server and Tools, Client, and Information Worker; and a reduction in legal costs associated with major litigation. Some key ratios will point out Microsoft’s position in accordance to the industry. Holding a total debt to equity ratio of 0.00, compared to 0.03 of the industry, Microsoft has showed that they have successfully controlled their assets without any debt, dating back as far as fiscal year 1996. The total debt to total asset ratio also confirms these successes with a low 0.33. This has a great statistic from an investor or shareholders eyes because there is potential for a high payout. Microsoft has a current ratio of 2.8, compared to the industries average of 2.3. This shows us that Microsoft can pay off any debt that may occur, and can continue operating with cash left over. The quick ratio is currently at 2.5 with an industry average of 2.1. Because this number is so close in comparison with the current ratio, this tells us that Microsoft is not dependent on their inventory. These three financial ratios show us that Microsoft Corporation  is achieving excellence in comparison to the industry (MSN, 2006). Both the gross profit margin and the net profit margin percentages will show us the financial health of the company. Microsoft Corporation’s net profit margin is over 7% higher that the industries average, at 30.8% compared to 23.5%. This tells us that 31.6% of the company’s revenue can be kept as profit. Fiscal year 2005 is an increase of 8.6% from fiscal year 2004 and a small decrease of 0.2% from fiscal year 2003. Their gross profit margin is 87.3%, compared to 82.6% of the industries average. Although the industries average of these two ratios is healthy as well, Microsoft still holds better percentages (MSN, 2006). The company’s price ratios will show some different trends in comparison to the industry from the other ratios presented. Although the earnings per share (EPS) are currently much higher than the industry average and the previous year, it is lower than some of the direct competitors. The EPS in the fiscal year 2005 was 1.13, which is considerably higher than the industries average of 0.15. This is not a bad ratio if you own share in the company, but two of the closest competitors is producing a much higher rate; Google’s EPS is at 5.021 and IBM’s is at 4.875. Although this might turn some investors away, numbers have been improving over the past three years. Fiscal year 2003 had an EPS of only $0.70 but increased to $0.76 in fiscal year 2004. The large increase came in fiscal year 2005 when EPS increased almost $0.40 to $1.13. With the latest innovations Microsoft has developed, these numbers will increase as investors see the future of Microsoft. Microsoft price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is more attractive than EPS with a ratio of 22.9. Although conservative investors may feel this number is too high, this ratio is much better than the industry average of 27.3 which might influence these investors to invest in Microsoft instead of the direct competitors (MSN, 2006). Management effectiveness ratios like return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) will show us how well the management at Microsoft Corporation is doing. With an ROA of 19.4%, over 5% higher than the industry average of 13.9%, Microsoft is very profitable in relation to the total assets of the  company. This is a substantial increase from 8.8% and 12.6% in fiscal year 2004 and 2003 respectively. The profit per dollar, or ROE of Microsoft, is 29.5%. This is close to 7% higher than the industry average of 22.6% and 18.6% than fiscal year 2004. This shows that Microsoft Corporation is achieving a higher profit from their investors per dollar in comparison to the industries. Although there was a large increase from fiscal year 2004 to 2005, a decrease of 5.5% occurred between fiscal year 2003 and 2004 (MSN, 2006). The efficiency of the company is struggling in comparison to the industry in one way, inventory turnover. The inventory turnover is currently much lower than the industries. With a low 8.1 compared to 28.4 of the industry average, Microsoft’s inventory turnover might indicate poor sales. Both Microsoft and the industry average of asset turnover are 0.6, indicating that 0.6 of every dollar is revenue. Microsoft is doing a better job than the industry in comparing the accounts receivable turnover, but not a significant amount. The accounts receivable turnover is at 5.7 with an industry average of 5.2. Both Microsoft and the industry are collecting payments from its customers in a timely manner. They are, however, significantly behind S&P 500 which has an accounts receivable turnover ratio of 7.5 (MSN, 2006). A thorough research of cash flows will show the company heading in the right direction. Net operating, investing, and financing cash flows all increased from the fiscal year 2004 to 2005. Fiscal year 2005 showed an increase of 14% to $16.61 billion in cash flow from operations. This is derived from an increase in cash receipts from customers driven by the 8% revenue growth of the company. Cash payments decreased by approximately $1.8 billion from the previous year from binding legal settlements. These factors played the major role in the increase of operating cash flow. Keeping operating cash flows down was payments to the 7% increase in full-time employees added during the fiscal year 2005. This is a great recovery from fiscal year 2004 considering operating cash flow dropped by $1.17 billion from fiscal year 2003. Over two billion of this was from the Sun Microsystems settlement and the European Commission fine. The small offsetting gain is from increases cash receipts  from customers. Net financing cash flow showed a large increase from $2.36 billion in fiscal year 2004 to $41.08 billion in fiscal year 2005. This increase is driven by an additional $34.38 billion of cash dividends paid, and an additional $4.67 billion in cash used for common stock repurchases in fiscal year 2005 from fiscal year 2004. Net financing cash flow did have a substantial decrease from fiscal year 2003 to 2004 of almost $3 billion. However, this decrease is due the company not repurchasing common stock in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2004 and an increase of $628 million from stock issuances of employee stock option exercises. An increase of $872 million in cash dividends during this fiscal year offset the numbers provided. Net investing cash flow for fiscal year 2005 was $15.03 billion, an increase of $18.37 billion from the previous year. Investment maturities that occurred to fund cash dividends paid increased by $23.59 billion in fiscal year 2005. Offsetting this figure was the decrease of $5.32 billion in cash from sale activity and investment purchases. Cash used for investing was $3.34 billion in fiscal year 2004, a decrease of $3.88 billion from fiscal year 2003 (Microsoft, 2006). Model Analysis The Boston Consulting Group Matrix is a representation of the status of Microsoft in the current market. There are four different categories that fall under the matrix, Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks and Dogs. The highest category and most self-efficient is the â€Å"Stars† with very high growth and high share. Next in the matrix: â€Å"Cash Cows,† which are low in growth and high in shares. The third category in the matrix is the â€Å"Question Marks† which are high in growth and low in shares. Last are the â€Å"Dogs† which are very low in both growth and shares. Microsoft would be placed in the â€Å"Stars† category simply because the company is constantly growing and is very self-sustaining. Strategic Alternatives 1. Develop a Microsoft version of open source software by exploiting Microsoft’s distinctive competency for developing software. This will give  Microsoft an edge in the open market by allowing it to effectively compete with current alternatives to Microsoft products, such as Linux, Sun Systems, and other open source/free software products. This alternative will give Microsoft the opportunity to increase its revenues by offering support services and training for these products. 2. Acquire Red Hat Inc. or another successful Linux provider. By combining the rising popularity of the open source concept with the ongoing success of Microsoft’s application software, the image of Microsoft will improve and launch the company into the increasingly popular open source market. 3. Improve current product line. Increase research and development spending to improve the dependability and security of current products. Then, implement an advertising campaign through several mediums to stress the superior quality of Microsoft’s products.

“Deadly Unna?” By Phillip Gwynne Essay

Deadly Unna? By Phillip Gwynne is a novel based on the fictional one year life of a fourteen year old boy named Gary ‘Blacky’ Black. The story shows a developing friendship between Gary, an Anglo-Saxon boy and Dumby Red, an Aboriginal boy. With this friendship Gary begins to understand his own morality with lessons of human dignity, racism, justice, death, courage, family and most importantly friendship. The story is structured around AFL and shows how sport can bring a divided community together every winter. One of the main structural themes in this novel is racism, discrimination and stereotyping of Aboriginal Australians in society. Indigenous Australians are one of the most disadvantaged communities in Australia and they are subject to many racist stereotypes in everyday life. A stereotype is a trait of one or more people that is attributed to a social or racial group. In the novel an example of a stereotype is when Gary is talking about how he and Pickles had never been to the Point before because they both had heard stories that there were ‘Abo’s’ with spears and boomerangs being thrown everywhere. This story scared them both – in effect making them and others think that ALL Aboriginals are like this. Racism is the belief that one race is superior to another (better then another). Many examples of racism can be seen throughout the story such as the comment from the character Mad Dog ‘I don’t shake hands with boongs’ on page twenty nine. Boong being a defamatory term used against Aboriginal people, referring to their race. The term was also used again in the novel on page one hundred and twenty one when Gary and Clarence (Dumby Reds sister) were together and Clarence sat directly under graffiti on a wall exclaiming ‘Boongs Piss Off’ in big black letters. Gary felt uncomfortable with this being on the wall and hoped that Clarence did not see it. Discrimination is the action of treating another person differently based on their race, sex or other illogical reason. From the change rooms on page twenty one to Big Mac’s service toward Tommy Red (Dumby Reds Father) at the pub on page one hundred and sixty, discrimination was present in most chapters of this book. In fact discrimination in the port was a big eye  opener for Gary Black. The novel itself is a great example on how Australia is changing from a disgusting racist lifestyle to a country that respects people of all cultural backgrounds. Since what is said to be the invasion of white settlers, Aboriginal Australians have become one of Australia’s most disadvantaged communities according to statistics. In modern times Australian Governments together with Australians individually and as a society, are attempting to take action to turn around the statistics. Racism, discrimination and stereotyping against Indigenous Australians in Australia is everywhere from small town communities to large city school yards, but why? People are racist for many reasons: Upbringing, ignorance, power, personal experiences, own cultural beliefs, fear, influence of friends and family etc†¦ but that is no excuse to do it. From European settlement (1770) into the 20th century Aboriginal people have been considered by most as a sub-human race, therefore, they did not receive the same rights as Anglo-Saxon people in Australia. Stemming from that belief they were put into missions, separated from communities, denied access to their own spoken language and access to land, suffered high numbers of abuse and sexual assault. Children at young ages were stolen from their families and were essentially taught how to clean and made to forget about their families, culture and way of life. All that stemmed from one cultural group believing that they were superior to another group – therefore entrenching racists’ belief that ‘Aboriginals are an inferior race’. Whilst we understand in modern society that this belief is wrong, it is difficult to change the thought process of all people who see others that are different and believe that their cultural beliefs are better or more right than others. After all it is our own cultural beliefs that tell us what is right and wrong, what is beautiful or ugly. Aboriginal people are not inferior nor are other cultural groups inferior. As Australians we need to recognise and respect our differences to be a true peaceful multicultural society. Bibliography: Smartcom-Library/Image Source/Australia FlagDate Accessed: Monday 24th, Augusthttp://library.smartcom.vn/upload/1201173161413australia-flag.gifDeadly Unna? By Phillip GwynnePublished by the Penguin Group – Penguin Books Ltd, London England, 1998Indigenous Disadvantage Edited by Justin HealyPublished by the Spinney Press, Thirroul NSW, 2008

To be free or not to be

To be free or not to be; is that a question? Imagine your loved one who was once full of life and spirit and now due to an horrific accident or a terrible disease can now only move thanks to a wheelchair or breathe thanks to an oxygen tank. Imagine someone you love in pain and imagine them knowing that as well. In todays society we are faced with many everyday decisions. One of the last decisions that we would want to make is whether to live or to die. Making it a law that people dont have the right to choose takes away their ultimate rights. Euthanasia is the idea of voluntary suicide for a person or persons. By taking away the right whether to die this way or not, is just the same as taking away the right of freedom or the right to choose ones religion. What is the difference between euthanasia and when a doctor kills a baby in the fetus due to deformities? When discussing euthanasia there are many things to keep in mind. There is the emotions of the family, the money it is costing to keep this ill patient alive, and the patients feelings. A bog thing today is money. On average a family or families will spend eight to twelve thousand dollars a year on medicine for someone with euthanasia (nrlc dept. of med ethics). Is this any type of money to be paying for someone who isnt going to survive no matter what? I t could go towards food or shelter or even a car. With that said, imagine what kind of emotions would fly around in the family of the patient. I mean at first I am sure they wouldnt understand it, then would go on to blame them selves for what is happening top there loved one. If they have a kid how do they explain to them that their mother or father is dying? This could lead to depression, which causes more money to be spent on doctors. This could also leave to a break. Which then leads to the person leaving work and having no money. The emotion will take a big part of the life of the fami...

Free Essays on LBJ And American Liberalism

For many decades liberalism was the biggest factor in politics, and the largest force in changing America. Liberals believed in a government that was active in the nation to provide â€Å"economic prosperity, international security and social justice†(Schulman 1). Lyndon Baines Johnson â€Å"embodied the contradictions of political liberalism† in post war America, and he â€Å"orchestrated its triumphs, and endured its agonies†(Schulman 2). He was also the maker of its most important legislative achievements and a factor in its ultimate demise. (1) There were three major influences in Lyndon Johnson’s life. The first was his father, Sam Johnson, and young LBJ absorbed his passion for politics. LBJ also adopted Sam Johnson’s belief in a â€Å"kind of government that could do things personally for people†(Schulman 7), and his dedication to his constituents. The second factor was the year LBJ spent teaching at Cotulla, Texas. At Cotulla, he saw poverty and hatred; later he said, â€Å"Somehow you never forget what poverty and hatred can do when you see its scares on the face of a young child†(Schulman 9) He never did, and during his Presidency he waged a nation changing â€Å"war on poverty.† Here he also reaffirmed his belief that education is the only way out of poverty. The third influence on LBJ’s life was President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As a young politician LBJ looked up to and savored FDR for his leadership and ideology, and in turn FDR helped LBJ during rough times. But, it wa s FDR’s New Deal Liberalism that LBJ savored the most. FDR â€Å"envisioned a larger role for government as a referee or police officer, ensuring that the economy and society operated freely and fairly†(Schulman 12). (2) Classical liberalism took on a â€Å"negative view of freedom.† They believed that a big and active government is the biggest threat to freedom. Modern liberals were exactly the opposite, they believed in an active government. They viewed t... Free Essays on LBJ And American Liberalism Free Essays on LBJ And American Liberalism For many decades liberalism was the biggest factor in politics, and the largest force in changing America. Liberals believed in a government that was active in the nation to provide â€Å"economic prosperity, international security and social justice†(Schulman 1). Lyndon Baines Johnson â€Å"embodied the contradictions of political liberalism† in post war America, and he â€Å"orchestrated its triumphs, and endured its agonies†(Schulman 2). He was also the maker of its most important legislative achievements and a factor in its ultimate demise. (1) There were three major influences in Lyndon Johnson’s life. The first was his father, Sam Johnson, and young LBJ absorbed his passion for politics. LBJ also adopted Sam Johnson’s belief in a â€Å"kind of government that could do things personally for people†(Schulman 7), and his dedication to his constituents. The second factor was the year LBJ spent teaching at Cotulla, Texas. At Cotulla, he saw poverty and hatred; later he said, â€Å"Somehow you never forget what poverty and hatred can do when you see its scares on the face of a young child†(Schulman 9) He never did, and during his Presidency he waged a nation changing â€Å"war on poverty.† Here he also reaffirmed his belief that education is the only way out of poverty. The third influence on LBJ’s life was President Franklin D. Roosevelt. As a young politician LBJ looked up to and savored FDR for his leadership and ideology, and in turn FDR helped LBJ during rough times. But, it wa s FDR’s New Deal Liberalism that LBJ savored the most. FDR â€Å"envisioned a larger role for government as a referee or police officer, ensuring that the economy and society operated freely and fairly†(Schulman 12). (2) Classical liberalism took on a â€Å"negative view of freedom.† They believed that a big and active government is the biggest threat to freedom. Modern liberals were exactly the opposite, they believed in an active government. They viewed t...

Atheistic Existentialism - Life Domains Essay Example for Free (#2)

Atheistic Existentialism – Life Domains Essay Directions: Complete the â€Å"Atheistic Existentialism† column in the table below by filling in the cells from information provided in the textbook. Atheistic Existentialism / REALITY The only reality for an AE is the one they create for themselves†¦everything is matter – everything is connected as some form of matter or energy and in a cause and effect relationship Atheistic Existentialism / KNOWLEDGE The only knowledge comes from our own senses. Atheistic Existentialism / HUMAN NATURE To an AE – humans are allowed free-will, personalities and consciences – but don’t have any reason to do anything with it Atheistic Existentialism / HUMAN PROBLEMS Their problem is that they can’t deal with the fact that they have human personalities and tendencies – but don’t know why, or what to do with it Atheistic Existentialism / SOLUTIONS TO HUMAN PROBLEMS Humans alone have the only solution to their problem and the more they evolve the better they’ll be at fixing them, so live as if your inner desires do have some meaning and try to make an impact on the world. Atheistic Existentialism / HUMAN VALUE Truly there is no ultimate value of a human life, but Humans can have value because they create their own reality by making their own choices – good or bad. Atheistic Existentialism / HUMAN PURPOSE Our only purpose – according to an AE is that of making yourself into who or what you wish to be, otherwise there is no purpose. Atheistic Existentialism / ETHICS Ethics – Schmethics†¦As long as you make a conscience choice to do something – good or bad – you are determining what your ethics are. not living by the laws of man, or any other guide. Atheistic Existentialism / SUFFERING Nothing good comes of it – there is no purpose for it – so don’t do it. Atheistic Existentialism / MEANING OF LIFE. There is no real meaning – each individual is able to determine what life means to them by their choices to be or not to be, do or not do, etc. Atheistic Existentialism / HUMAN DESIRE Kill it! Don’t be led by your inner needs, wants, voices, it is absurd to follow these â€Å"accidental causes† of evolution – because you don’t need anything more than the basics to survive. Personal Reflection Directions: Briefly summarize your personal reflection on the information that you have entered into Tables 1 and 2 in this assignment. It is interesting to see the â€Å"evolution† of these 3 worldviews. From the Naturalist who views everything as natural in it’s existence – you exist based on your senses and experiences alone to the Secular Humanist with their realization that humans are wonderful – great creatures with personalities and determinations, but it doesn’t matter†¦to the Atheistic Existentialist (AE) – who finally realizes that the innermost feelings and desires we have as humans do exist, but would be better off â€Å"killed† or cut out than to be nurtured and followed. To me – It is just man’s way of not wanting to give credit where credit is do! So many people feel they have to â€Å"give up† so much to follow God. The only way Satan can â€Å"win† is to have more souls in his army than God. He finds our weaknesses and zeroes in on them to keep us from realizing the truth. Man’s ego and sense of self is historically his ruination. It’s easy to see how in these days, these 3 views – all making humans the only thing that matter and by crossing out God, satan is able to lead many astray. Atheistic Existentialism – Life Domains. (2016, Nov 25).

CHILD ABUSE and CHILD ENDANGERMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CHILD ABUSE and CHILD ENDANGERMENT - Essay Example On the other hand, the investigator of an offense of â€Å"rape† (Teens Health, 1995, para. 1) has to be sensitive to the victim, understanding that she might be in extreme mental shock and agony. Thus, information will have to be elicited very tactically from such a person. In addition, while extracting their testimony, which will afterwards be used when the trial goes to court, the investigator needs to exercise extreme care and caution. Moreover, during questionings and interviews, an ingredient of sensitivity should be in place for gathering, protecting, and transmitting of facts from the commencement investigation at the scene of the offense. Particular care should also be taken while gathering and transferring of data relating to the case. The ethics of the investigators necessitate that they must maintain their journal in a methodical order, cautious and sequential order, by pen ink. These are the specific ethical considerations that require to be addressed when investi gating the crimes of rape and homicide. For all crimes, including rape and homicide, the investigator needs to treat the suspect as guiltless, until his or her guilt is proven in a court of law. Besides, the accused should not be coerced or tortured for extracting information from them. The defendant may also be warned suitably of the implication of the admission of crime, his statements and evidence that they offer the investigator during the course of the examination. The investigator should also state that such evidences will be used against them in a court. In the case of the offense rape, the sufferer should not be suspected, and their testimonial proof should be treated as one stride of continuing the particular investigation in identifying the person responsible for the crime. In some of the case investigative units consists of specially trained officers in child psychology, consisting of lady officers. It is always a good practice to use an

Effect of E-Business on Marketing Strategies Case Study

Effect of E-Business on Marketing Strategies - Case Study Example Amazon.com becomes the first mover in the e-retailing market proposing a wide product range to diverse customer targets. E-business allows the company to connect customer service and good levels, increases customer satisfaction and decreases retention artistries. The main strategy is a virtual bookshop which helps the company to promote and sell its products to customers. Similar to traditional marketing, a virtual bookshop allows customers to review product details and analysis, read about the main characteristics and qualities. In contrast to traditional marketing, a customer sees only an image of the product. Following Archer et al (2002) "Various information systems can be used to process transactions, collect and analyze data. Technology-based tools have helped marketers perform their marketing strategies more efficiently and effectively in the traditional marketplace" (73). In contrast to traditional marketing, Amazon.com proposes a greater range of titles to choose from. Customers have twenty-four-hour access to book, table of contexts and reviews. They can order the book from any parts of the world and at comparatively low price. Also, e-business allows Amazon to establish a competitive price through lower transaction costs. Customer service therefore plays a pivotal role in e-business. Getting this role right, and to a standard of expertise that is superior to that of competitors and sustainable in the longer term, requires an in-depth understanding of the nature and nuance of customer service. Knowing customers means closing the loop between the messages sent to them and the messages they send back. The personalization of the service allows Amazon to create a core of brand supporters and increase its sales. Core information builds and provides access to the books catalogue (Turban et al 2004). The customer database also provides added-value informa tion. Core handling and processing maintains payment services between the company and its customers whether they be readers, publishers, resellers or authors. This function also covers shipping and delivery administration. From this configuration, the process of publishing and book selling became much more dynamic than the linear model that was the traditional industry model. The Internet has allowed each party in the process to interact with each other with more intensity (www.amazon.com). In contrast to traditional marketers, Amazon has wide possibilities to gather information about target groups and is able to make customer-specific recommendations, analyze their demands and needs. The customer database is used as a marketing tool in targeting existing customers and pursuing potential new ones. Amazon services (web-site and delivery service) are accessible for a large number of households and individuals. Delivering content gives more detailed information on an offer and goods; enabling transaction leads direct to a sale. Shaping attitudes can help build brand awareness, and solicit response. An advertisement may be intended to identify new leads or as a start for two-way communication (Archer et al 2002). In these cases an interactive advertisement may encourage a use to type in an e-mail address. In contrast to tra

African American Studies-Introduction to the Art of Africa Essay - 1

African American Studies-Introduction to the Art of Africa - Essay Example The different forms signified different statuses of women in the society as well as their creative aspects. Young women who were being initiated into womanhood wore the masks in the initiation ceremonies (Foster 1). They showed that the young girls had courage and determination to take up female responsibilities in the society. After initiation, each girl would be given a unique mask made from the trunk of a cotton tree. The maker of the mask would only proceed to make the, mask for a girl after hearing screams from the girl undergoing the initiation process. There were specific requirements that the initiates had to fulfill while wearing the mask. They were not supposed to reveal any of their body parts. Failure to adhere would attract possession by the evil spirits. The cover clothing was supposed to be black in color. It is clear that the Sowei masks served the purposes of beautification and conduction of rituals. They were reserved for Sande and Bundu societies. They helped distinguish the Mende women from other tribes in the

Using psychological skills training to develop soccer performance Essay

Using psychological skills training to develop soccer performance - Essay Example The aforementioned intervention program was comprised of relaxation, imagery and self-talk on position specific performance measures. Using a multiple-baseline across individuals design, five participants had three performance subcomponents assessed across nine competitive matches. The results of the study indicated the position specific intervention to enable at least small improvements on the three dependent variables for each participant. Social validation data indicated all participants to perceive the intervention as being successful and appropriate to their needs. Following a discursive analysis of the data, the research findings are presented. The findings provide further evidence to suggest the efficacy of sport, and position-specific interventions. Despite interest in applied psychology, evidenced in the increase in the studies examining the efficacy of psychological skills on sporting performance (e.g., Patrick & Hrycaiko, 1998; Rogerson & Hrycaiko, 2002; Thelwell & Greenlees, 2003), knowledge remains limited. Limitation has been determined by the scarcity of studies on the efficacy of psychological skills within an open skilled, team sport setting (Kendall, Hrycaiko, Martin, & Kendall, 1990; McPherson, 2000). Consequently, the present study sought to address the aforementioned shortcoming through the articulation of a role specific intervention for soccer midfielders, while examining the intervention's efficacy on role specific subcomponents, such as the execution of successful tackles, the completion of successful passes, and ability to control the ball (Luongo, 1996). Of the few studies which have examined the pertinence of psychological skills to sporting performance, only a minority has examined performance sub-components. Using a multiple-baseline design across subjects, Swain and Jones (1995) applied a goal setting intervention targeting specific basketball subcomponents. Each participant's performance subcomponents were assessed through the first half of the competitive season. Mid-season, participants were requested to select one performance subcomponent which they perceived beneficial to improvement. Using goal setting approaches to the targeted behavior, 3 of the 4 participants experienced improvement in their targeted area. No changes were evident in non-targeted behaviors. The practical implication was that while psychological skills benefit performance, performers cannot transfer acquired skills to alternative situations without understanding the how and why of their targeted utilization. Identification of the varying requirements of soccer midfielders is prerequisite to the utilization of psychological skills intervention. A primary requirement is the ability to cover great distances within 90-minutes, as supported by numerous scientific studies (e.g., Reilly, 1996; Rienzi, Drust, Reilly, Carter & Martin, 2000). Studies on elite English Premier League midfield soccer players confirm the necessity of the capacity to run approximately 12,000m per match (Strudwick & Reilly, 2001)., consequent to midfielders being required to both link the defensive and forward and act as both offensive and defensive when, and as, required. A soccer midfielder is further required to carry out complex motor skills, to possess finely tuned perceptual skills and to have advanced decision-making skills. As activity is prolonged, fatigue sets in and skill command becomes difficult (Taylor, 1995). The exigencies of exploring relaxation

What did the Greeks ever do for us Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What did the Greeks ever do for us - Essay Example The dictionary typically defines philosophy as â€Å"the love of or search for wisdom or knowledge† or â€Å"as the theory or logical analysis of the principles underlying conduct, thought, knowledge and the nature of the universe† (Neufeldt, Goralnik, 1994, p. 1015). With such a general definition, one might begin to understand the complexities involved in studying philosophy as it seems to encompass just about all knowledge pursuits. Perhaps part of the confusion in trying to define the term can be found in the early days of the science when it applied almost universally to all avenues of knowledge in ancient Greece. The term itself derives from an ancient Greek word that translates to â€Å"love of wisdom† (Wikipedia, 2005) and it is through several early Greek thinkers that we have arrived at the perceptions we now foster. Although philosophy and its early proponents have had a huge impact on the shape of modern Western thought, for the purpose of brevity, th is paper will only discuss how some of the key Greek philosophers have influenced modern conceptions of ethics and morality in a very general sense.Within this discussion, it is important to understand that the definition of ethics as it is considered by philosophers does not merely constitute a choice between right and wrong behavior.

African American Studies-Introduction to the Art of Africa Essay - 1

African American Studies-Introduction to the Art of Africa - Essay Example The different forms signified different statuses of women in the society as well as their creative aspects. Young women who were being initiated into womanhood wore the masks in the initiation ceremonies (Foster 1). They showed that the young girls had courage and determination to take up female responsibilities in the society. After initiation, each girl would be given a unique mask made from the trunk of a cotton tree. The maker of the mask would only proceed to make the, mask for a girl after hearing screams from the girl undergoing the initiation process. There were specific requirements that the initiates had to fulfill while wearing the mask. They were not supposed to reveal any of their body parts. Failure to adhere would attract possession by the evil spirits. The cover clothing was supposed to be black in color. It is clear that the Sowei masks served the purposes of beautification and conduction of rituals. They were reserved for Sande and Bundu societies. They helped distinguish the Mende women from other tribes in the

What did the Greeks ever do for us Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

What did the Greeks ever do for us - Essay Example The dictionary typically defines philosophy as â€Å"the love of or search for wisdom or knowledge† or â€Å"as the theory or logical analysis of the principles underlying conduct, thought, knowledge and the nature of the universe† (Neufeldt, Goralnik, 1994, p. 1015). With such a general definition, one might begin to understand the complexities involved in studying philosophy as it seems to encompass just about all knowledge pursuits. Perhaps part of the confusion in trying to define the term can be found in the early days of the science when it applied almost universally to all avenues of knowledge in ancient Greece. The term itself derives from an ancient Greek word that translates to â€Å"love of wisdom† (Wikipedia, 2005) and it is through several early Greek thinkers that we have arrived at the perceptions we now foster. Although philosophy and its early proponents have had a huge impact on the shape of modern Western thought, for the purpose of brevity, th is paper will only discuss how some of the key Greek philosophers have influenced modern conceptions of ethics and morality in a very general sense.Within this discussion, it is important to understand that the definition of ethics as it is considered by philosophers does not merely constitute a choice between right and wrong behavior.

Characteristics seen in Hamlet throughout the play Essay Example for Free

Characteristics seen in Hamlet throughout the play Essay I have been studying the text of Hamlet and the following characteristics are what he shows throughout the play. We see that Hamlet can be Nationalist. He is being nationalist when he is criticising Denmark and says it is a drinking country which is saying he does not trust them much. He is also like this when he says that Norway is robbing the land from Denmark, so this is then proving that Claudius is weak and so they might as well lose all their land. Hamlet is being very nationalist, when he says that Denmark is like a prison. This means that he feels as if he has no freedom to do what you want to do. Hamlet can be loving towards his friends and family easily, except to his uncle. He can be loving in a friendly way towards Horatio. He shows love towards his mother all throughout the play. He is being loving because he does not want his mother to flirt and have sex with his uncle so close after his fathers death. Hamlet says he is disgraced and when he confronts his mother in her bedroom, he asks her questions about his uncle. He then sees movements behind the curtains and thinks that it is his uncle who is too scared to face him, and so he draws his sword and stabs the person behind the curtain only to find out that it was Ophelias father (Polonius). He then plays around with his uncle and he acts as if he is mad and he will not tell him where the body is. I think Hamlet killed the person behind the curtain because he thought it was time to get revenge for his father, by killing his uncle. So this was the right thing to do, but only if he definitely knew who was behind the curtain in his mothers bedroom. He is seriously in love with Ophelia, and both she and Hamlet admit their love for each other. Hamlet expresses his love for Ophelia on page 187 Act 5 Scene 1: Forty thousand brothers Could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. Earlier on in the play, Hamlet shows his love for Ophelia his girlfriend. The second time he expresses his love for her was at her funeral. This was in front of everyone and then a fight ensued between Hamlet and Laertes. Ophelia shows her love for Hamlet on page 84(Act 1 Scene 3). She also tells everyone that Hamlet has said he loves her. Hamlet is very religious and he goes to a Protestant school in Wittenberg, but on the other hand he is a Catholic because when he is going to kill his uncle in a religious place he realises he will go to heaven. This was on page 144. Act 3 Scene 3: Now might I do it pat, now a is a-praying I, his sole son, do this same villain send To Heaven We see that when Hamlet finds the ghost he is very shocked by it and yet he still does what it says. He tells his friends that it is real and to believe in it, which also proves he is religious. Throughout the play, he uses two different religions, which are found to be; Protestant and Catholic. Hamlet can be very sarcastic and intelligent in the play especially when Polonius asks him what he is reading, and he replies with Words! This then leads Polonius to start quizzing Hamlet on ting about him and Ophelia. Therefore, the answers that Hamlet gives Polonius he then goes and tells them to King. Due to the answers, that Hamlet has given leads to Polonius to say it proves that Hamlet is mad. So the King and Polonius set up a trap for Hamlet to fall into by getting Ophelia to ask Hamlet questions, but Hamlet plays smart and so he gives weird answers which leads people to think he is mad and then he uses it against his uncle at the end of the play. Hamlet is also intelligent when he is being sent to England by boat because he reads the Kings notes on what they have to do to him and then he changes the notes to what he wants them to say, so this is Hamlet playing smart. He then seals the envelopes, by using his ring to put an indent into the wax on the page so it looks as if it was from the King. The page where he finds out about the letter was; Page 153 Act 3 scene 4: Theres letters sealed Let it work. At this time, he was talking to his mother. Hamlet is also intelligent when he gets the actors to act out the death of his father. By doing this he can find out if his uncle is guilty or innocent. By doing this and constantly taking to the King, he is using his educated mind to find out the truth. Therefore, throughout this play we see that Hamlet can use a lot of emotions and characteristics. When Hamlet uses them, they are used with power and forcefully to make an effect on who ever he is talking to. He makes an impact most of the time except from when everyone thinks he is mad they just think that he is talking rubbish. His intelligence brings out the best in him especially when he gets the play put on for his uncle. So in my opinion Hamlet is smart and very intelligent.

Expression of TDP43 in Development of ALS Model Zebrafish

Expression of TDP43 in Development of ALS Model Zebrafish Change in expression of TDP43 in various organs during development of ALS model zebrafish. Anuj Dhoj Raut Introduction Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the devastating motor neuron disease that is characterized by progressive degeneration of both upper and lower motor neuron that control voluntary movement of body. The degeneration of the neurons seen in ALS result in muscle weakness, spasticity and atrophy of both cranial and spinal nerves muscle groups. Since there is often respiratory muscle involvement, aspiration pneumonia is the most common cause of death for the patients with ALS. At present, ALS is invariably fatal disease with no absolute cure and patients usually die within 3-5 years after the clinical onset of symptoms. The mean age of onset of ALS is between 55 and 65 years with slightly more prevalence in male (Male: Female ratio ~ 1.5:1) (1). Even though, incidence rate of ALS are different in different countries of the world, globally average annual incident rate is between 1.5 and 2.5 per 100,000 populations. There has been an increase in death rate of ALS and current internatio nal death rates for ALS have be close to 1 per 100,000 population per year(1). Currently, riluzole, an inhibitor of glutamate release, is the only disease modifying treatment available for the disease and can extends life only for couple of months (2,3). The etiology of ALS is currently unknown. However, approximately 10% of ALS patients have family history for ALS (Familial ALS;FALS) and remaining 90% of case occur sporadically (Sporadic ALS; SALS)(4). Although definitive evidence for environmental factor that cause ALS has remain mostly unknown, the evidence of genetic alternation that cause ALS has been increasing. Till date, only known cause of ALS is mutation in the gene. Mutations in more than 13 different types of genes have already been identified that can cause FALS. FALS is often a Mendelian inheritance with high penetrance, although most cases are autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance, autosomal recessive pedigrees have also been reported (5,6). Even though, FALS are cause due to genetic alternation, FALS are indistinguishable from SALS form histopathological perspective and both the types’ presents with similar sign and symptoms, thus suggesting common intra-cellular processes that lead to the disease symptoms. Among those 13 different types of gene mutation that causes FALS, mutation in Transactive response DNA binding Protein 43kDa (TDP-43) gene is seen in approximately 4% of FALS and 2% of SALS (7). Transactive response DNA binding protein 43kDa (TDP-43) is a DNA/RNA-binding protein encode by the TARDBP gene on chromosome 1. TDP-43 is an ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein capable of shutting between the nucleus and cytoplasm (8). TDP43 is present in almost all the tissue of a body and have different roles in different tissues (9). Although the precise cellular function of TDP-43 is unknown, TDP-43 has been implicated in regulating of gene transcription (9),alternative exon splicing (10) and mRNA stability (11). Under normal physiological conditions, TDP-43 resides predominantly in the nucleus where it involved in gene expression. But, in abnormal pathological conditions such as ALS, TDP-43 is mislocalized in the cytoplasm as inclusions body (12,13) . Analysis of TDP-43 in the brain and spinal cord of ALS patients reveled that TDP-43 is pathologically modified and redistribution to the cytoplasm, which is accompanied by loss of normal nuclear function and a toxic gain-of-function in the cytoplasm (14,15). The mislocalization of TDP-43 into cytoplasm is believed to be cause of neuron loss in ALS patients. Moreover, TDP-43 positive inclusions are also found either independent or partially colocalize with the other characteristic inclusion, such as tau, ÃŽ ±-synuclei, ÃŽ ²-amyloid and polyglutamines, which are found in other neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease, Pick disease and Parkinson’s disease. Interestingly, TDP-43 positive cytoplasmic inclusion are found in almost all ALS patient along with other neurodegenerative disease (16). Although evidence suggest that there is a definitive association between ALS and TDP-43, above observations make it confusing to whether TDP-43 pathology is causative or a secondary response in this disease. Studies done to unravel if TDP-43 is pathology or secondary response to ALS have come with conflicting result. Moreover, the present of TDP-43 in inclusion body of another neurodegenerative has been a mystery. The precise role of TDP-43 in ALS and other neurodegenerative disease is not well known and needs further evaluation. Study, in the mouse has shown that TDP-43 protein is essential for normal prenatal development. Homozygous loss of TDP-43 in mouse cause early embryo death. But, in heterozygous loss TDP-43 mouse, the TDP-43 protein levels were nearly normal suggesting an auto-regulatory mechanism controlling this protein levels(17,18). Moreover, research on mRNA expression levels of TDP-43 protein in various tissues has shown that TDP-43 plays different roles in different tissue(9). Furthermore, about 40 different mutant in TDP-43 have already been identified so far that is associated with ALS (10). But all this various types of mutations in TDP43 have only affected motor nerve of spinal cord and brain. At the same time, mutation and/or overexpression of TDP-43 has not cause any pathology alternation in other cells and tissue of the body or has been found to be associated with diseases of other organ system. A protein that is so vital for a development of organisms that it’s absent cause deat h, but when there is mutation in its gene has only abnormalities in nervous system and that abnormalities are evidence after mid-life is yet to be understood. Moreover, within the nervous system mutation in TDP-43 seems to affect only motor neuron and at the same time spares other neuron such as sensory, autonomic nervous system. And this preference to the motor neuron by mutant TDP-43 is even seen till the late stage of the disease. Physiological roles of TDP-43 and early cellular pathogenic effects caused by disease associated mutations in differentiated neurons is yet to be fully understand. Causative link between TDP-43 positive inclusion and ALS can be well established, if nuclear to cytoplasmic expression of mutant TDP-43 could be study in vivo and in real time. And at the same time, will also be able to understand if TDP-43 pathology is causative or a secondary response to ALS and other neurodegenerative disease. Transgenic rodent models of ALS have been extremely valuable in providing some insight into biological mechanisms underlying ALS. But, due to difficulty in conducting in vivo real time study with rodent, change in intra cellular expression of TDP-43 has not being well understand. The zebrafish has recently emerged as powerful genetic model system for studying ALS. External development and transparency make it great tool to study the development stages of almost all the organ. External development of its eggs allows easy observation and manipulation of early development process. And, transparency makes is a powerful tool to observe the change at cellular level by using fluorescent reporters. With the help of fluorescent reporter, specific cell type and protein expression within those cells can be easily identify and study in vivo and in real time in zebrafish. In addition, zebrafish is a vertebrate and their nervous system is highly conserved with higher vertebrates including humans a nd many pertinent feature of the nervous system start to develop within 1 day of development. Moreover, genetic manipulations are comparatively easy in zebrafish. Therefore, zebrafish is a great model system to study the association of TDP-43 and ALS. In this study, I am trying to understand the change in expression of mutant and overexpressed TDP-43 protein in different tissue of zebrafish. At the same time also will be evaluating the change in expressions of TDP-43 as the zebrafish grow from embryo to adult. I will then compare the change in level of TDP-43 from asymptomatic stage of ALS zebrafish to that of symptomatic stage of ALS zebrafish. In order to conduct this experiment, transgenic zebrafish with human mutant TDP-43 will be created by genetic engineering. Human mutant TDP-43 will be fused with green florescent protein (GFP) before creating transgenic zebrafish. By combining human mutant TDP-43 with GFP will allow easy visualization of TDP-43 protein in zebrafish. Then, image of the fluorescent labeled TDP-43 at different stage of development of zebrafish period will be capture with fluorescent microscope. References 1.Logroscino, G., Traynor, B., Hardiman, O., Couratier, P., Mitchell, J., Swingler, R., and Beghi, E. (2008) Descriptive epidemiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: new evidence and unsolved issues. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery Psychiatry 79, 6-11 2.Bensimon, G., Lacomblez, L., and Meininger, V. (1994) A controlled trial of riluzole in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS/Riluzole Study Group. The New England journal of medicine 330, 585-591 3.Miller, R., Mitchell, J., Lyon, M., and Moore, D. (2007) Riluzole for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/motor neuron disease (MND). Cochrane Database Syst Rev 1 4.Pasinelli, P., and Brown, R. H. (2006) Molecular biology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: insights from genetics. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 7, 710-723 5.Mulder, D. W., Kurland, L. T., Offord, K. P., and Beard, C. M. (1986) Familial adult motor neuron disease: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurology 36, 511-517 6.Gros-Louis, F., Gaspar, C., and Rouleau, G. A. (2006) Genetics of familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Biochimica et biophysica acta 1762, 956-972 7.Corrado, L., Ratti, A., Gellera, C., Buratti, E., Castellotti, B., Carlomagno, Y., Ticozzi, N., Mazzini, L., Testa, L., and Taroni, F. (2009) High frequency of TARDBP gene mutations in Italian patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Human mutation 30, 688-694 8.Winton, M. J., Igaz, L. M., Wong, M. M., Kwong, L. K., Trojanowski, J. Q., and Lee, V. M.-Y. (2008) Disturbance of nuclear and cytoplasmic TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) induces disease-like redistribution, sequestration, and aggregate formation. Journal of Biological Chemistry 283, 13302-13309 9.Ou, S., Wu, F., Harrich, D., Garcà ­a-Martà ­nez, L. F., and Gaynor, R. B. (1995) Cloning and characterization of a novel cellular protein, TDP-43, that binds to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 TAR DNA sequence motifs. Journal of virology 69, 3584-3596 10.Lagier-Tourenne, C., Polymenidou, M., and Cleveland, D. W. (2010) TDP-43 and FUS/TLS: emerging roles in RNA processing and neurodegeneration. Human molecular genetics 19, R46-R64 11.Strong, M. J., Volkening, K., Hammond, R., Yang, W., Strong, W., Leystra-Lantz, C., and Shoesmith, C. (2007) TDP43 is a human low molecular weight neurofilament ( h NFL) mRNA-binding protein. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 35, 320-327 12.Arai, T., Hasegawa, M., Akiyama, H., Ikeda, K., Nonaka, T., Mori, H., Mann, D., Tsuchiya, K., Yoshida, M., and Hashizume, Y. (2006) TDP-43 is a component of ubiquitin-positive tau-negative inclusions in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 351, 602-611 13.Mackenzie, I. R. (2007) The neuropathology of FTD associated with ALS. Alzheimer Disease Associated Disorders 21, S44-S49 14.Kabashi, E., Lin, L., Tradewell, M. L., Dion, P. A., Bercier, V., Bourgouin, P., Rochefort, D., Hadj, S. B., Durham, H. D., and Velde, C. V. (2010) Gain and loss of function of ALS-related mutations of TARDBP (TDP-43) cause motor deficits in vivo. Human molecular genetics 19, 671-683 15.Neumann, M. (2009) Molecular neuropathology of TDP-43 proteinopathies. International journal of molecular sciences 10, 232-246 16.Da Cruz, S., and Cleveland, D. W. (2011) Understanding the role of TDP-43 and FUS/TLS in ALS and beyond. Current opinion in neurobiology 21, 904-919 17.Kraemer, B. C., Schuck, T., Wheeler, J. M., Robinson, L. C., Trojanowski, J. Q., Lee, V. M., and Schellenberg, G. D. (2010) Loss of murine TDP-43 disrupts motor function and plays an essential role in embryogenesis. Acta neuropathologica 119, 409-419 18.Sephton, C. F., Good, S. K., Atkin, S., Dewey, C. M., Mayer, P., Herz, J., and Yu, G. (2010) TDP-43 is a developmentally regulated protein essential for early embryonic development. Journal of Biological Chemistry 285, 6826-6834