A Leaving Certificate

A Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme plan to arrange a Visit Out to an enterprise, Kelly Printing Works in our local community. Presented by: Nollaig Kenny Objectives: 1. We will arrange a visit out to a local enterprise KPW in our community. 2. We hope to carry out a SWOT analysis of KPW. 3. I hope to improve my communication, organisational and mathematical skills while carrying out this investigation. Research methods: a) We will write a letter to request permission from our principal to visit KPW on Tuesday 29th March 2011 at 9:10 am. ) We will use the Internet to research KPW’s business. c) I will ring the bus company to arrange a date and time for transport to the company. Analysis of Research: a) We were granted permission from our principal for the date and time requested. b) We researched KPW’s business on the Internet and found that it is a family run business set up in 1941. c) I called Declan Fahy, the owner of the local bus company and booked a bus fo r the agreed date and time of our visit which would cost â‚ ¬20. Actions and Schedules of time: 5/03/11 We will have to ensure that all jobs including questions to be asked and permission from the principal are completed by students in the class. 28/03/11 We will to reconfirm the bus, the visit with KPW and lodge the money for the bus to the office. 29/03/11 Day of the Visit: 9:00am:Take the roll call. 9:04am:Make sure all the students have questions and template of Summary Report. 9:05am:I will go out to see if the bus has arrived. 9:06am: Everyone get on the bus. 9:12am:Arrive at KPW and introduce the group. 9:14am: Listen attentively and take down notes. :45am: Ask the assigned questions. 10:05am: Thank KPW and give the Thank You card. 10:10am: Leave KPW. 10:20am: Arrive back at the school. Resources and Costs: We will incur the following costs: Bus Fare @ â‚ ¬2 per student â‚ ¬20. 00 2 Phone Calls @10c each â‚ ¬ 0. 20 Thank You cardâ‚ ¬ 1. 50 Total â‚ ¬22. 70 E valuation: 1. If the visit is a success and we learn about a local enterprise including products and services offered, the use of ICT in the business and health and safety procedures followed we will have achieved our first aim. . If we find out about the current strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats of KPW then we will have achieved our second aim. 3. Working as part of a team will help me improve my communication and organisational skills. Collecting the correct amount of money for the bus fare and lodging it to the office will help me to improve my mathematical skills. I will ask my LCVP teacher to access my communication and organisational skills at the end of the visit.

Shoe-Horn Sonata

An individual’s perception of the world is unique, conflicted by emotions and heavily influenced by their surroundings, thus giving individuals a distinct interpretation of how distinctive experiences convey meaning. The play â€Å"the Shoehorn Sonata† composed by John Misto in which he explores distinctive experiences highlighting themes and memories, evidently both characters Bridie and Sheila overcame themes of adversity, captivity, human rights and ultimately friendship through embracing their experiences.Misto’s main focus was to bring forth awareness for the nurses through distinctive experiences. John Misto cleverly instigates aspects of lack of freedom via bringing forth past experiences involved in shaping the character’s state of mind. Moreover Misto explores the theme captivity and notions of lack of human rights through Bridie’s traumatic war experiences, â€Å"Filthy pits-dug out in the open. We weren’t allowed privacy†, a basic human right stripped away by the Japanese in which Misto used the pits-dug out to symbolise lack of freedom.Furthermore Bridie’s past experiences introduced via anecdotes evoked past emotions of hatred and fear amongst the Japanese when situated near them, â€Å"Bus load of Japanese tourists†¦ surrounded me, my heart began to pound in terror†, Bridie’s past experiences manipulated her state of mind, this is evident in Bridie’s perception of harmless Japanese tourists. More so Misto’s utilisation of hyperbole, â€Å"pound in terror† while facing the audience, Bridie broke the fourth wall as a result it displayed Bridie’s fragile condition allowing the audience to sympathise for Bridie.This notion further reinforced by the incorporation of juxtaposition contrasting past experiences within the camp to her response while surrounded by harmless Japanese tourists 50 years later. Additionally, Misto’s purpose was to bring light to the lack of awareness of the nurses to ensure they received recognition for the events they’ve endured. Throughout the play Misto’s input of projections of war atrocities reinforce Bridie and Sheila’s anecdotes of pain and hardship.In addition this not only reinforces the distinctively visual that are being perceived through the dialogue but as well concrete images Misto utilises in conjunction to the abstract stories to reflect the period Bridie and Sheila was in the camp. In particular Misto’s application of symbolism in scenes 13 creates emphasis on the diaries; â€Å"those diaries were our only hope†. A piece of history that re-tell the events which occurred during WWII in the Japanese camps were burned byBritish, Misto ideally wanted this scene to be acknowledged by audience in order for them to understand Sheila’s perspective. It was apparent the British did not want the events that impacted the women’s lives to be know n, as they would be considered a shame to the empire. Furthermore it is transparent that the British’s response to burn the diaries affected Sheila’s decision to stay in Perth instead of moving back to her homeland, this notion of staying in Australia is strongly juxtaposed as Sheila is patriotic â€Å"one never stops being British. Nor does one not want to. †

Messi

Jahaziel Bonfil? COMS 151 Lionel Andres Messi? To inform the class who Lionel Andres Messi is? Thesis statement: Introduction (Short little Clip) (10 sec) Lionel Andres Messi is a professional soccer player who plays for La Liga in club FC Barcelona and is the captain of the Argentina national team. He is consider to be one of the world greatest soccer player of all time.? IV. Preview of main points. I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT HIS LIFE, HIS ROAD TO SUCCESS, AND HIS ACHIEVEMENTS A. HISTORY -Origin: Born June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. -Family: His father Jorge Messi; His mother Celia.Lionel was the third of the couple’s three boys—his older brothers are named Matias and Rodrigo. Lionel also has a sister, Maria Sol. -Beginning of soccer: All three boys played, and Jorge coached a local youth team. Lionel joined his dad’s club at the age of five. He was extremely small for his age but extremely talented as well. Lionel showed enough at the youth-soccer l evel to earn a development spot with the top local club, Newell’s Old Boys. He joined the team at the age of eight. Transition: The problem, of course, was his size. While teammates the same age grew an inch or two each year, Lionel’s progress was painfully slow.B. ROAD TO SUCCESS -His â€Å"small† problem: After Lionel turned 11, the Messi's were informed by doctors that their talented son had a hormone deficiency. Growth hormone therapy would cost between $500 and $1,000 a month. Even do Club Atletico River Plate was at first was interested they could not afford such treatment. The only other team they at connections with was FC Barcelona but that would be asking too much. -Barcelona Trials: FC Barcelona's director, Carles Rexach, had heard about the boy’s talent through the Messi’s relatives in Catalonia and was un afraid by the price tag of growth hormone therapy. Jorge and Lionel traveled o Spain, and Rexach granted the boy a tryout. He passed and joined La Massia , Barcelonas youth academy soccer program. Lionel joined Barcelona’s U-14 squad and became the best player on the team. As he learned the nuances of the game, he moved rapidly through the organization, joining the C team and then the B team before earning a spot with the club's A team. Lionel made his debut for FC Barcelona in a non-league game against FC Porto in November of 2003. He was six months pat his 16th birthday. (10 SEC of Messi taking on players and scoring) C. ACHIEVEMENTS (2min)SHOW PICTURES OF ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH POWERPOINT Debut:  RCD Espanyol-FC Barcelona (0-1, League), 16/10/2004 -On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona – against Albacete when Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old – At the Under 20 World Cup in Holland, Messi not only won the title with Argentina, but was also the leading goalscorer and was voted best player in the tournament. -His breakthroug h came in the 2005-06 season -On May 1, 2005, he became the youngest player ever to score a league goal for FC Barcelona – against Albacete when Messi was only 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old He continued to develop in the 2007/08 campaign, when he scored 16 goals and gave 10 assists in the 40 games he played in. -In the summer of 2008 he also played at the Beijing Olympics, and came home with a gold medal. -In the 2008/09 season, and now without Ronaldinho alongside him, Messi became the main star of the Barca show. -He managed to stay injury free all season, and played 51 games, scoring 38 goals. -In 2009, he finally won both the FIFA World Player and Ballon d’Or. -How far can Leo Messi go? He was the league's top scorer in the 2009-10 season and equalled Ronaldo's historic total of 34 goals (96-97).He scored the goal against Estudiantes that won Barca the Club's first World Club Cup. -But without settling for that, the Argentinian went even further in the 2010/11 season, scoring no fewer than 53 official goals, a Spanish record only matched by Cristiano Ronaldo (that very same season) -In 2011, he also won the Ballon d’Or for the third time -In the season 2011/12 Messi moves past Cesar Rodriguez's record of 232 goals to become the Club's all time top goalscorer. -Messi is also captain of the Argentina national and has played in two World Cups (2006 and 2010) and two Copa Americas (2007 and 2011).Transition: To wrap things up I just want to say he his only 25 years. He still as more to give and more to receive. One of the biggest soccer events is about to start, World Cup 2014 his going to be and no doubt he will be in the spotlight. Conclusion: Although it is still too early to tell we can surely say we are looking at legend in the making Works Cited? owl. english. purdue. edu â€Å"Lionel Messi Worlds Greatest Player. † Dailymotion. N. p. , n. d. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Lionel MESSI. † FIFA. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. . â€Å"Messi 10. † Messi. N. p. , n. d. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. .

Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs and Prostitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tobacco, Alcohol, Drugs and Prostitution - Essay Example Several other drugs like cocaine affect work performance, particularly in decision-making, which directly affect production. Mike: Addressing the negative impacts of alcohol, Tobacco, drugs, and prostitution may not be a satisfying step because these aspects too have a role in improving the economy. Guell Robert argues in his book that despite the critics, the fundamentals of the world economy evolve very gradually. Currently, employment in the whole world goes on rising. Thus, the investment inferences of this are to seek for some secure, high yield investment opportunities. When the economy bottoms out, people can invest in food, energy, drinks, drugs, in entertainment elements, and emerging market countries as they bet against the dollar. John sides with Mike that regardless of the status of prostitution, whether legal or illegal, or where it is physically located, that is massage parlor, home, hotel, strip pub, or street, prostitution is probably similar to alcohol and other drugs since it will continue being in existance, be it legal or illegal. In fact, some research indicates that legalizing and standardizing prostitution can help to reduce HIV/AIDS infections. Guel argues that though it may not sound realistic to argue that prostitution somehow relates to the economy of a nation, it is true according to studies. Peter: From the four mentioned aspects, prostitution is the largest element of the entertainment industry worldwide. In 1994, this industry made over $30 billion in Southeast Asian states alone; Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines. The International Labor Organization study shows that Thailand alone generated $22-24 billion incomes. Surprisingly, these four nations only make 6.1% of the world population (Guell 176). If prostitution was practiced at a similar rate per capita in the entire globe, revenues would add up to 360%billion from the year 1994, and most likely, they could have grown since then. Jack agreed with

Inventing a Product Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Inventing a Product - Research Proposal Example Their product is of the highest quality and contains Vitamin B12, caffeine, Taurine and Glucoronolactone (Company website). It tastes like most popular energy drinks but without the after taste. They have varied products on offer and all their products are sugar free. The company has now started to bottle and can its energy drink formula as a co-packer for smaller companies (PRP, 2008). Their main product is "Bag in a Box" energy drink concentrate which is mostly bought by bar owners, nightclubs, health clubs, restaurants and convenience stores. They have consumers from all income levels and all ages. They also have energy drink for children and for women. However for the current product the target audience include both men and women from ages 18 till 55 years. The younger segment visits the gym more often early morning. There are plenty of energy drink brands available in the market. While Red Bulkl is leading there are other brands that are available - Wired X3000, Power Trip Energy Drink, Bliss Energy Drink, Gorilla Juice Energy Drink, Zoom, Sobe Energy, XS Citrus Blast, Hype, Wild Bull, and Pitbull. The energy drink market was expected to reach $17bn in 2007 as the market is driven by growing consumer awareness for healthier lifestyles (Merrett, 2007). This segment is expected to grow by 33.7 percent. Thus despite competition and especially because the new product is focused on catering to the segment that exercise early morning, it is envisaged that competition would not be tough for this product. 2. Marketing Objectives 2.1 Short and long-term sales objectives Since this is an entirely new concept, the objective is to derive the early mover advantages. It is envisaged that the company would enter and capture a sizeable market before competition steps in. Eventually, the company intends to enter the global market and no obstacles are foreseen as the product is innovative and demand is huge due to changed lifestyles. The goal is to become market leaders in the energy drink market with wide variety of products on offer. 2.2 Profit generation This is one of the main objectives. It is expected to increase the net profits by about 25% in view of the innovative product and no competition. Besides, the brand is well known and hence the new segment can be easily captured. 3. Strategy The firm's strategy is to attract the existing customers through brand image. This would make the market penetration easier. Based on the innovative product benefits, the marketing strategy has been devised. 3.1 Product strategy3.1.1 Product name The new product that is being introduced has some distinctive features. It is especially meant for those who intend going to gym or swimming early morning. It is supposed to give the consumer a kick-start to the day. When an individual wakes up after 7 or 8 hours of sleep the body glycogen levels are low and during a workout he would using up stored up energy. Thus this product would be able to provide the needed energy early morning and hence the demand is expected to be high due to the demand for healthier lifestyles. This would be the product package with the company logo Samson Energy Drink trademark being same as for all the other products. The product is called Samson Fit which itself

Catholic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Catholic - Essay Example After the death of Jesus the Christian belief became an independent faith, but a faith persistently persecuted by the Romans. The disciples of Jesus and their descendants would spread the word the gospels and the path to salvation through Jesus (Fairchild 1). It would not be until after the Romans abandoned their pantheon of Gods and adopted Christianity as their official religion that such persecution would stop. This is how the Roman Catholic Church was born (Bellitto 1-2). Its power spread throughout the lands and Rome conquered under the name of Jesus forcing many to convert under duress. It became and remains one of the most commonly practiced religions in the world. With the onset of the Scientific Revolution the belief in faith showed a bit of decline as the influence of science, logic, and rationale was embraced. However, that did not diminish the Church for long. Even today the number of people who admit that they are Catholic is higher than ever in certain states around the country. However, the number of people actually attending Church services has greatly diminished. There is a demographic change being seen in the faith, as well. Catholic congregations tend to be elderly women, middle class Caucasian families with small children, and Hispanic or Latino families. The number of young females of all age categories has heavily diminished, primarily because of the highly patriarchal interpretations of spiritual passages, there vocal position on the issue of birth control, and there diminishment of women’s rights have turned many young females from Catholicism as a religious option. However, despite these changing demographics and shifting Church presence experts remain confident that Catholicism will remain a top faith well into the future (Briggs 1). Again, as previously mentioned, experts on the subject of theology are confident that Catholicism will continue to have strong membership into the near future (Briggs 1).However, there are other opi nions that reference the fact that with the changing, globalization of the world it is imperative that all institutions, including Catholicism, will need to reform, reinvent, or innovate their perspectives to meet the changing times. If not, it is likely, that the distance between the logical, technological thinkers and those that practice religion will widen. In the next 5 years or the next decade it is likely that they will maintain their popularity, however in 25 years the world will have changed and if Catholicism, along with other faiths, are not willing to adapt to those changes it is possible that their number of believers will plummet. Teachings of the Group In the most basic explanation Catholics believe that there is One Almighty God, who created all the universe and the world we live upon and then created man in his image in a the Garden of Eden. He sent his son to be born of perpetual virgin, Mary, and then grow to become the leader who would lead them to salvation for t heir immortal souls. They believe that Jesus Christ is the means to salvation of the soul; which is extremely important to Catholics. If one is too heavy with sin they will spend eternity in Hell, while those who are free of sin and lead a â€Å"good life† will be allowed to enter the gates of Heaven. They believe that the Bible expresses truths that are not open for debate. They

English Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English - Assignment Example In this song, they proudly wear the discriminatory remarks as ornaments as if saying, ‘yes! We are who we are, what are can you do about it?’ The poems ‘Rhythm Blues’ and ‘Bang Bang Outishly’ by Amiri Baraka also talk about racisms and how dangerous they are for the growth of a healthy society. One poem says that â€Å"if capitalism won’t kill me, racism will† while the other stresses on â€Å"Let it be!† These poems are just more decent and more spiritual form of repelling racism. What the rap music have portrayed in the 90s in a very raw and unedited format, these poems by Baraka do the same only in a very gentle yet powerful way with subtle but meaningful choice of words. Dear John, Dear Coltrane by Michael Harper is also a poem talking about racial discrimination in North Carolina. But what is common in all of these poetic masterpieces is the fact that they all give a message to all humanity that they need to embrace people as they are. For instance, in his poem, at one point Harper takes up a question-answer format where he asks,† Why you so black?† and the a nswer come â€Å"cause I am† then again, â€Å"Why you so funky?† and the answer is â€Å"cause I am†. This is just another way of saying that black people are who they are, it is not a disease or something that they control. Being an African American in an identity and the world needs to take this community as they

Implementing Pricing Strategies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Implementing Pricing Strategies - Term Paper Example Moreover, fixed costs and prices are those which are essential for running any business. Hence, these contributions are mandatory for any individual. If an individual is operating any business enterprise, the remunerations, rent and raw material cost among others are considered as overhead or fixed costs. Besides, the employees and general public also gives rise to certain fixed costs and prices such as insurance cost, health cost and medical cost among others. Therefore, fixed costs and prices can be referred to as those expenses which do not change with any alterations in the function of the business. Thus, it can be affirmed that fixed cost and prices relates to those components which are essential for measuring contribution (Avis, 2009). Apart from these, fixed cost and prices charged are also necessary in case of marketing. It facilitates in predicting the earnings of a business generated by varied modifications in ‘unit sales’ as well as the impact of anticipated p romotions. Hence, both cost and price play a significant role in contribution. In addition, these uncertain variables might prove indecisive due to changing needs and demands of customers. When the demand of a particular product or service is high, the amount of contribution might also be increased in order to attract the premium group of customers. It would enhance the market share and profitability of an organization as well as improve the brand identity. Similarly the contribution percentage or investment should be lowered at the saturation stage of a product or service to avoid incurring huge loss. Thus, it can be avowed that determination of uncertain variables such as cost and price is entirely based on the demand of product or service (Bloom, Bond & Reenen, 2007). Hence, these tentative components should not be considered as fixed, because it entirely depends on the demand fluctuations in the market with high possibility of changing values. Question 2 Pricing strategy is refe rred as the idea of implementing an optimum price, based on the features of the particular product or service. The prime objective behind the notion of shaping pricing strategy is to capitalize profit thereby enhancing the total sales of specific product or services. There are varied types of prices such as ‘cost-plus-pricing’, ‘skimming pricing’, ‘penetration pricing’, ‘value-based pricing’ and ‘target pricing’ among others. Moreover, the pricing strategies are mainly implemented based on the competition of product or services in the market. In addition, price of products and/or services help to determine the sustainability and consistency of a brand in the market among others. Thus, it can be affirmed that pricing policy is one of the significant decisions of product or service of an organization. However, at times, determination of pricing strategies of products and/or services also creates conflict among the employ ees of an organization thereby hindering their dedication towards work. Hence, pricing strategies also hamper enthusiasm and employee morale which might prove detrimental for an organization (Avis, 2009). Pricing strategy is a tool which is utilized in order to enhance the profit of an organization augmenting the demand of products and/or services in the market. Moreover, at times, experienced managers also had to change the

The Breakdown in Relations between the Thirteen English Colonies in Essay

The Breakdown in Relations between the Thirteen English Colonies in North America and Great Britain - Essay Example While the colonists living in this region were originally British citizens, this century increasingly saw them identify themselves as residents of America. Contributing to their newfound sense of identification was a number of policies and incidents that weakened relations between America and Great Britain. This essay discusses and explains what caused the breakdown in relations between the thirteen English colonies in North America and Great Britain during the period of 1750 to 1776. One of the most prominent incidents that strained relations between America and Great Britain is what has come to be referred to as the Boston Massacre. Indeed, the Boston Massacre was a pivotal event in American history for the significant contributions it made to the eventual start of the American Revolutionary War. The actual events of the Boston Massacre are that on March 5, 1770 the British army shot and killed five men living in the American colonies. While this is the eventual occurrence, the Boston Massacre is perhaps more significant as the symbolic representation of nearly thirty years of perceived slights at the hand of Great Britain. For a number of years surrounding the Massacre the British government had increasingly taxed the colonies causing large amounts of strife within the colonial residents. One of the major incidents in these matters was the occurrence of the French and Indian War. The French and Indian War was a conflict that extended between 1754 and 1763 betwe en Great Britain and French/Indian forces. While ultimately this conflict proved successful for Great Britain, it came at great cost. As a means of counteracting the cost of this conflict, Britain began instituting a variety of taxes on their colonial empire. These taxes were met with considerable resistance among residents of the colonies. Perhaps the major tax in these regards was the 1765 Stamp Act, which resulted in the now seminal calls of, ‘no taxation without representation’ from the colonists. In terms of specific tax acts that contributed to the tensions surrounding the Boston Massacre, the Townshend Acts had recently been passed within colonial America. The Townshend Acts went beyond merely taxing the colonies, but were designed to ensure that the governors and judges ruling over the colonial empire were entirely under British control. This tactic was put in place to further solidify colonial compliance with British taxes and to better gain control of trade re gulations within the colonial empire. As one might imagine, such a tactic was met with great resistance in the colonies. Petitions were sent to King George asking that the Townshend Acts be repealed. In making no progress in direct petitions to King George, increasing amount of assemblies began to take place throughout Massachusetts. These assemblies began to threaten British officials residing within the colonies. Lord Hillsborough, who had recently been made the Colonial Secretary, became alarmed by the growing amount of resistance to the Townshend Acts. He began to instruct the colonies that they needed to cease resistance operations to the British laws. As the colonists continued their resistance to the Townshend Acts, the British government responded by sending military enforcement to the colonies to ensure they followed the new regulations. On June 10th the British troops acquisitioned the colonial ship Liberty because, they claimed, the ship had been involved in smuggling act ions. This prompted great outrage from the colonists and riots among the local sailors began to occur. These riots resulted in increasing tensions between British and colonials, with the British sending soldiers to Boston. The actual incident of the Boston Massacr

English people versus American people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English people versus American people - Essay Example The United States is made up of many sub cultures and values within sub cultures vary from region to region which is not true in the case of Britain. The British hold a more conservative approach to their lifestyles and a common set of values prevails over the entire country making it and its people less receptive to outsiders and alien ideas. Furthermore, the British also have a more conservative immigration policy for outsiders to come to the country either to visit or settle with the natives of the land. On the contrary, America has shown more flexibility to its naturalization process and immigration is actually supported by the system- making it a land of opportunity for all. Moreover, people in Britain are linked with their heritage and location as where they are from and where their ancestors have been linked to. This creates a strong internal discrimination among themselves and has developed a class system within the country. Anywere starting from linkage to the royalty to the lords of the land, people feel pride in their heritage to an extent where hey actually discriminate their values over others living within the country and not belonging to the same level or maybe higher to their lineage (Denning, 1996). Equality among people in Britain has suffered where no two classes are treated equally between the circles and this difference is clearly visible when comparing the labour over different industries. A coal miner does not get the same respect as a restaurant waiter. A manager in a big corporation feels and shows his elevated grace to a manager in a small firm. In the contrast, the American system of the society, though may at times be unjust, but is more liberal in the concept of equality (Christopher, 1999). Human Rights are made into laws and discrimination is discouraged by implementing legislations that enact to support equality and discourage gender or race discrimination. With equality of

Essentials of Corporate Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Essentials of Corporate Management - Essay Example Thomas Cook is one of the largest travel related company providing financial services in many countries both in India and abroad. The study is supported with data in order to get the actual valuation of the company in today’s market. Based on the calculation in terms of net asset value, cost of capital, dividend growth model a proper valuation of the company is to be done so that it can be determined as to whether buying the Thomas Cook Group will be a profitable venture or not. Valuation of Tomas Cook Whenever we value a company it is very important to choose the right financial models. In order to check the comparability of a company it is necessary to find the proper correlation between the revenues and the operating expenses. Net Asset Value Net assts value is the amount the investor receives when selling a share. Net asset value is also known as the NAV. This rise or fall in the NAV reflects the value of the mutual fund in the present market. Rise in the value of the mutu al fund leads to a rise in the NAV and vise-versa. Particulars Amt in million pound 30-Sep-10 30-Sep-09 Net Assets 1743 1717 Overvalued assets 50 0 undervalued assets 30 0 Bad debt 7 0 No. of Shares (m) 858 858 NAV 2.00 2.00 Cost of Capital Cost of Equity: Cost of equity capital is generally known as the risk undertaken by the investor in the hope of earning favorable returns. Cost of equity can be found through various models like Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) and Gordon Model. But based on the data provided application of the CAPM is more suitable in the given situation. (Bragg, 2012, p.142) Cost of Debt Capital: A company in its initial period uses a lot of debt in the form of bonds, loans, etc. The calculation of the cost of debt of a company gives an idea to the investor as to the overall rate of interest that the company has to payback for using debt financing. This also shows how risky is a company; thus higher the cost of debt more risky is the company. Particulars Amt. in million pound Interest 7 Face value 100 Redemption value 50 No. of years 1 Cost of debt 19% Cost of Debt = (I + (M-NP)/n) / (M + NP) / 2 (Bragg, 2012, p.142) Where, I = Dollar Return M = Maturity Value NP = Net Proceeds of issue N = years Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC): The assets of the company are either financed by debt or equity. Weighted Average Cost of Capita (WACC) show the average cost of financing of a company in a weighted form irrespective of the use of capital. WACC gives the investor a broad idea as to the liability of the company towards the payment of interest per dollar financed. Through the computation of WACC of a company one can determine the opportunities of expansion and scope of merging, etc. It is most appropriate in such like situation as it determines the rate of discount used in cash flow and the amount of risk that is involved to the overall firm. The following WACC gives us the idea that debt of the company being more it has to pay more tax a nd even the burden of obligation is also on the rise (Pratt, 2003, p.46) Particulars Amt. in million pound Cost of Equity 0.07 Cost of Debt 0.19 Equity 1475.76 Debt 1772 Tax 0.3 WACC 562.09 *Tax assumed to be 30% WACC= E/V*Ke + D/V*Kd (1-Tc) (Pratt, 2003, p.46) Where: Ke = cost of equity Kd = cost of debt E = market value of the firm's equity D = market

Technology and Social Skills Essay Example for Free

Technology and Social Skills Essay Not long ago people took the time to get to know a person whom he or she had just met. In years past, for a person to claim he or she had a relationship they would invest time in building that relationship. Years ago when people spent time together they paid attention to those they were with, they socialized and interacted with other human beings in a real life environment. The technology today has provided many ways to interact with others via cell phones; computers and PDA’s, just to name a few. With all this technology, it seems as though the true social interaction between people has started to disappear. This technology allows people to interact more but has it made us less sociable? The interaction is taking place in separate rooms, states and even countries, but not together. Is this true interaction? Social interaction is vital to our physical and mental health and it has been proven that maintaining healthy relationships help us to live longer. It is becoming more common for people to socialize via simulated means, internet, texting, and chat rooms to name a few, and ultimately replacing a part of human behavior that is vital for society to function. A second grade teacher of 20 years is shocked when her students do not know what to do when the time comes for recess. AIM, a feature from AOL, encourages the butchering of the English language with abbreviations such as LOL, (lots of laughs), and IDK, (I don’t know). The incentive for going out to make friends has disappeared because of the idea of hundreds of friends on Facebook and MySpace (Knapp, 2008). The dating world has also been completely turned upside-down. Just a couple decades ago chivalrous romance was the way to go about finding a date. Today one would send a friend request on facebook and the prospective date would look at the online profile to see if he or she would be interested. I must admit that I have fallen victim to these new ways of dating and technology but not to the end of chivalry and romance. In due time these ancient ways will be gone as well. Cell phone texting and social networking Web sites such as Facebook help keep today’s teens connected to their peers at all times. A recent national survey of 800 teens and nine focus groups in four United States cities revealed that half of the teens surveyed send 50 or more text messages a day, or 1,500 texts a month. One in three sends more than 100 texts a day, or more than 3,000 texts a month (Gore, 2011). The book â€Å"Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community,† by Robert D. Putnam states that over the past 30 years, nationally, community involvement has declined. In his book Putnam debates that the baby boomers and their children have contributed to this decline. Reasons blamed for this decline has been the growing availability of the Internet and electronic entertainment and gadgets such as IPods, portable computers, and smart phones (Putnam, 2000). Dr. Philip Aspden and Dr. James E. Katz conducted a study that covered several aspects of the internet; the influence on societal infrastructures, and the role the internet had in creating new modes of interaction and communication. Aspden and Katz were unable to find any support to prove that internet activity contributed to any decline in community involvement. In fact, some of the internet users that were interviewed stated they were more involved in social activities than the non-users surveyed. Also found was that 70 percent of internet users had four or more online friendships with 60 percent of this group having met at least one internet friend in person (Blair, 2001). A three year study by sociologist Barry Wellman and Keith Hampton of a social interaction in â€Å"Netville,† a community in Toronto Canada that was one of the first neighborhoods in the world to have broadband internet technology. According to Hampton and Wellman (1999) â€Å"Relationships are rarely maintained through computer-mediated communication alone, but are sustained through a combination of on-and off-line interactions. Despite the ability of the Internet to serve as a global communication technology, much online activity is between people, who live (or work) near each other, In Netville, the local network brought neighbors together to socialize, helped them to arrange in-person gatherings-both as couples and as larger groups (barbecues, etc. facilitated the provision of aid, and enabled the easy exchange of information. The high rate of online activity led to increased local awareness, and high rates of in-person activity. † People today can live in Florida, work in Texas, go to school in Arizona and never leave their house. They can buy a car in their pajamas, attend a meeting halfway around the world and do all their shopping on the Internet. Basically one can do just about anything necessary over the Internet and never see or touch a human being. At times this will be an ideal situation but society is becoming isolated and self absorbed even lonely. Indeed, the fact that people in the United States today claim to be lonelier than prior generations, suggests that although technology has increased interactions it has not created true connections between people. For children raised on the illusion of connection through technology, the danger is that of never understanding how to develop true relationships and to grow up not understanding that without social connections societies easily fall victim to self-interest and fade away. Reference http://www.strosechronicle.com/2.13878/new-technology-replaces-social-interaction-1

Margin of Appreciation

Margin of Appreciation The analogy of the doctrine of margin of appreciation reflects the rational behind the separation of power and constitutional framework. Margin of appreciation is a means by where member states are conferred a privilege to balance between the rights of the individual with the rights of the public at large. When there is a conflict between the security of public with the individual human rights then it is for the state to determine whether it is within the margin of appreciation that they can violate that individual’s human rights without being held liable for violation. In the case of Goodwin v. United Kingdom(1) the court held that the United Kingdom arguments for violation was not within the margin of appreciation and the fair balance inherent in the Convention tilted in favour of the applicant.   Margin of appreciation is the term that refers to margin between the governments justification to be excused from infringing human rights. This exception is delegated to member states under certain circumstances. Not all rights are subject to margin of appreciation(2). In Harb v. His Majestry King Fahd Bin Abdu(3) the applicant challenged the lawfulness of a private hearing, it was argued that the Article 6 of the ECHR were not incompatible as Article 6(1) permitted a hearing in private and the margin of appreciation should be extended to reflect the principle underlying state immunity. To large degree, there is a legitimate justification for the existence of the margin of appreciation, most of all it is necessary as a means of balancing between the human rights of individual citizen against the protection and safety of the public as whole. If this balance did not existed, human rights would inevitably override the protection of public and pose great concern to the interest and security of the public. â€Å"In particular the press as a public watchdog are entitled to a high degree of protection.(4)† In vast number of cases, courts have indicated that authorities have wide margin of appreciation. In the House of Lord case, A (FC) and others (FC) (Appellants) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department (2004)(5) it was decided that Article 15(1) gives the authorities a wide margin of appreciation. This was clear evidence that where there is a pressing need for the security and protection of public the authorities possess a power of derogation to derogate from compliance with the human rights(6).   Conversely, in the Chahal v United Kingdom (1996)(7) European Court of Human Rights declared that Article 3 is the most fundamental right in a democratic society and â€Å"no derogation from it is permissible under Article 15 even in the event of a public emergency threatening the life of the nation(8)† This clearly demonstrates the conflict as to when margin of appreciation can and cannot be used as a justification for violation of human rights.   Arguably, there are evidence of pressing social and political needs for the rational and necessity of margin of appreciation. Margin of appreciation is a necessary and prerequisite element of state privilege in the measures they take when confronted with human rights issues of an individual citizen or a group of citizens(9). Nonetheless, the extent of margin of appreciation vary in accordance with the type of right the states authorities are interfering with and each case depended upon the circumstances and merits of the case. In Pretty v. United Kingdom [2002](10) it has been established by the ECtHR that â€Å"the national States margin of appreciation is narrow as regards interferences in the intimate area of an individuals sexual life†(11); explicitly, this is referring to interference with Article 8 of the ECHR or the HRA 1998. Further rational was set out in R (on the application of Tangney) v. The Governor of HMP Elmley and Another [2005](12) confirming that Strasbourg polices the boundaries between criminal and disciplinary charges, but it has to be appreciated that no two member states operate an identical penal disciplinary system and inevitably when dealing with fact specific situations in which the context is important each member state has some margin of appreciation(13). In other words, this coherently identifies that margin of appreciation is necessary for the smooth governance of a state in accordance with laws, norms and moralities of that specific state.   The legislator has a wide margin of appreciation in implementing social and economical policies and the legislator’s judgement are respected as to what constitutes â€Å"in the public interest†; thus, in James v. United Kingdom (1986)(14) the ECtHR determined that national courts are better in balancing individual and community interest. In this matter, Article 15(1) leaves those authorities a wide margin of appreciation(15). On the contrary, Article 2 and 3 do not recognise a margin of appreciation as they are absolute rights and not subject to any limitations because right to life and protection from torture is most fundamental right than non-discrimination as the government can derogate from right to non-discrimination in the event of a public emergency threatening the life of the nation (Article 15)(16).  Ã‚   Broadly speaking, the ECtHR developed the margin of appreciation doctrine to enable states to balance conflicting fundamental rights. For example where there is a outstanding claim for a possession order, the claimant has a right to a fair hearing under Article 6 whereas, the defendant probably has a right to a respect for family home under Article 8. In this case, the two rights clashes but it is the court’s duty to balance conflicting fundamental rights by using their power under margin of appreciation(17).  Ã‚   All qualified and limited right other than absolute rights under the HRA and the ECHR is subject to a range of restrictions. Restrictions provided under the Articles are similar between all the qualified and limited human rights and the restrictions have been applied in a similar way by the Commission and the ECtHR. The prescribed human rights may be restricted by limitations proscribed by law, which are necessary in a democratic society in the interest of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others(18). The ECtHR recognises that its role is to review and ensure that the decision of local bodies fall within the margin of appreciation as identified in Ahmad v. United Kingdom (1981)(19). Case law suggest that there are arguments for and against the existence of margin of appreciation. However, to preserve a same level of human rights to each citizen there must be a provision enabling the state to draw a line between two or more conflicting right or the protection of the citizens of that state. There are more rational behind the existence of margin of appreciation as a means of balancing mechanism in a democratic society.

MAMLD1 Mutation and Phenotypes of Hypospadias

MAMLD1 Mutation and Phenotypes of Hypospadias The relationship between clinical phenotypes and mutations of MAMLD1 in children with hypospadias Yong-fen Lv, Lu-lu Cui, Pin Li* Department of Endocrinology, Shanghais Children Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University Acknowledgements: The work was financially supported by the key project of Shanghai municipal health bureau (2011111), youth project of Shanghai municipal health bureauà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’major issue subprojects of Shanghai science and technology commission (12411952408), Yangtze river delta research project of Shanghai science and technology commission (13495810300). Abstract Purpose: To verify the relationship between clinical phenotypes of hypospadias and mutations of MAMLD1. Methods: Seventy-two patients were diagnosed to be hypospadias in department of endocrinology and department of urinary surgery in our hospital. Among all the patients, 69 were with normal karyotype and enrolled as the studied group. Fifty healthy boys were employed as the controls. Peripheral Blood were collected for DNA extraction. For the studied group, PCR primer was designed and direct sequencing was performed for screening for MAMLD1 mutations in six coding exons and the flanking region. Those mutated exons were examined for the control group. Results: Thirty-five of all the 72 patients (48.6 %) were isolated hypospadias. The other 37 cases (51.4%) were complicated by other genitourinary system malformations, including 12 cases with micropenis and/or underdeveloped testicles. Abnormal karyotype was identified in 3 patients, and all were karyotype as 46, XX (SRY+ in 1 case and SRY- in 2 cases). Six types of MAMLD1 mutations were detected in exon 2, 3, 5, 7 in studied group, including c.5A>G (p.D2G), IVS4-364C/A, c.1910A>Gà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ p.N637S), c.2208T>C, c.2227 G>A (p.E742K) and IVS8-144C/T. All were single nucleotide polymorphism except c.5A>G (p.D2G), a newly discovered point mutation. The frequency of IVS4-364C/A was significantly different between patients and controls, and it was also significantly different between patients with and without micropenis and/or underdeveloped testicles. Conclusion: Chromosome abnormality is not the leading cause of other genitourinary system malformations complicated with hypospadias. Mutations of MAMLD1 maybe closely related to hypospadias in Chinese. c.5Aà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¾Gà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ p.D2Gà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °is the newly discovered point mutation in this work. IVS4-364C/A is associated with underdeveloped testicles and/or micropenis in hypospadias patients. Introduction Hypospadias is one of the most common congenital genitourinary system malformations in males, with incidence 1†°Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ½Ã… ¾1%. As one of the Juvenile-types of testicular dysgenesis syndrome,(1-3) the prevalence of hypospadias is obviously increasing in these years. From 1987 to 2001, the prevalence rate was doubly increased in China.(4) Hypospadias will lead to different degrees of genital malformation, and the clinical phenotypes vary when with other complications. For instance, besides the general signs of hypospadias, e.g., ectopic ureteral orifice, phallocampsis, redundant dorsal prepuce, etc, the patient may be also suffered from other malformations including penoscrotal transposition, cryptorchidism, hydrocele, oblique inguinal hernia, micropenis and underdeveloped testicles. Hypospadias is a complicated disease due to various causes. The causes of most cases are not able to be verified, especially for those mild cases. For these cases, environmental factors, endocrine fa ctors and abnormal gene expression may be the leading causes.(5) The sex differentiation of males is a continuous series of processes related on the balancing and interaction of various genes like SRY, WTl, ATF3, SF-1, etc. MAMLD1, which is previously called chromosome X open reading frame6 (Cxorf6), is the important candidate gene widely studied recently. This gene is located in Xq28,(6,7) with molecular length of 157898 bp and containing 8 exons, among which exon 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 are coding exons. MAMLD1 is initially detected in patients with X-linked myotubular myopathy. The reproductive systems of patients are normally developed with mutations in Myotubularin MTM-1, while different degrees of malformations occur in cases with deletion of MTM1 gene.(8-11) The subsequent experiments indicated that, for patients with 46, XY disorder of sex development (DSD), except MAMLD1, no other candidate genes were found in the deletion region. These results indicate that MAMLD1 is the perfect candidate gene for the study of 46, XY DSD, especially for hypospa dias. This work aimed to evaluate the mutations of MAMLD1 and clinical phenotypes in children with hypospadias in China, and thus to illustrate the role of MAMLD1 mutation in hypospadias. Methods Patients Seventy-two children with hypospadias admitted to Shanghai Childrens Hospital Affiliated to Jiaotong University from March 2011 to December 2012 were enrolled in this study. Definite diagnosis was based on the clinical signs, and patients with adrenogenital syndrome were excluded through clinical examination. Clinical examination Clinical survey was performed including patient’s complain, present medical history, past medical history, personal history, family history, birth history, mother’s medical history in pregnancy, previous exposure to environmental pollution, etc. Physical examination was performed to measure the hight, weight, heart rate, blood pressure and the status of gonad development, etc. For adolescent, the development of secondary sexual characteristics was also assessed. Regular auxiliary examinations were performed including blood and urine routine test, biochemistry test, gonadal hormone level, adrenal cortex function and abdominal ultrasound exam, etc. Karyotype analysis and detection of SRY gene Lymphocytes were isolated from peripheral blood of patients, cultured and smeared on slides, and G-bands were produced by treatment with trypsin. Thirty split-phases were selected for each case, and karyotype analysis was performed according to ISCN-1995. SRY gene detection was performed for all the patients. Screening for MAMLD1 mutations The gene sequence of MAMLDI was obtained from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which was the same as obtained from Ensembl Genome Browser: NC_000023.10 (NCBI) versus ENSG00000013619 (Ensembl release 70-January 2013). Primers were designed for the coding exon 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 of MAMLD1. DNA extraction was performed using TIANamp Blood DNA Kit (TIANGEN Biotech (Beijing) Co., Ltd, China) and purity test was done. Ploymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with use of LONGgene A300 PCR and Premix Ex Taq Version2.0 (TaKaRa D332A), GC buffer (TaKaRa DRR20GC1) and rTag (TaKaRa DR001BM), 35 cycles of denaturation at 94à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 30 seconds,extension at 72à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 60 seconds. Mutations were identified in the six coding exons and flanking regions of MAMLD1, and those mutated exons were examined for the control group. Statistical analysis The SPSS 18 software was used for statistical evaluation. Chi-square test was used to compare the two groups, frequency of single nucleotide polymorphism between the two groups was analyzed using Fisher Exact test, and differences were considered statistically significant when the p-value was G (p.D2G), IVS4-364C/A (rs1209024), c.1910A>G (p.N637S), c.2208T>C, c.2227 G>A (p.E742K, rs5925166) and IVS8-144C/T (rs658748). Two types of mutations were detected in exon 5 and 7 in all healthy controls, including c.1910 A>G (p.N637S, rs2073043) and c.2208T>C. Among all the mutations, c.5A>G (p.D2G) was a newly discovered point mutation, others were all single nucleotide polymorphism. The studied group compared to the control group, the frequency analyzed by Fisher Exact test, the P value for IVS4-364C/A, c.1910A>G (p.N637S), c.2208T>C, c.2227 G>A (p.E742K) and IVS8-144C/T were 0.002, 0.638, 0.362, 1 and 0.509 respectively. Therefore, the frequency of IVS8-144C/T was significantly different be tween the two groups, and the frequency of the other 4 SNPs were not significantly different between the two groups. Relationship between mutations of MAMLD1 and clinical phenotypes of hypospadias One case with c.5A>G (p.D2G) was isolated hypospadias, the urethral opening position was located at the middle segment of penis. Due to the limited number of mutation cases, the sample size should be increased to study the relationship between c.5A>G (p.D2G) and phenotypes of hypospadias. Analyzed by Chi-squared test with Yates continuity correction, the frequency of IVS4-364C/A was significantly different between patients with and without micropenis and/or underdeveloped testicles (p=0.001). Discussion Chromosome abnormality and karyotype change is one of the causes of hypospadias. Till now, ten types of chromosome abnormalities were confirmed involving chromosome 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13 19, 20, 21, X, Y, etc. In the studied 72 patients, abnormal karyotype was identified in 3 patients, and all were karyotype as 46, XX (SRY+ in 1 case and SRY- in 2 cases). For these three patients, uterus and ovary were not found through the laparoscopic exploration. Therefore, they were diagnosed to be 46, XX male sex reversal syndrome. Karyotype analysis is important for hypospadias patients with sex reversal syndrome in exploring candidate gene and pathogenesis, in clinical diagnosis as well as in making therapeutic plan. However, there are only 3 cases with karyotype abnormality in the 72 patients studied, which means chromosome abnormality is not the leading cause of hypospadias. MAMLD1 is initially detected in patients with X-linked myotubular myopathy. The reproductive systems of patients are normally developed with mutations in Myotubularin MTM-1, while different degrees of malformations occur in cases with deletion of MTM1 gene.(8-11) Except MAMLD1, no other candidate genes were found in the deletion region. These results indicate that MAMLD1 is the perfect candidate gene for the study of 46, XY DSD, especially for hypospadias. In the works of Fukami et al., three nonsense mutations were detected, i.e., p.E124X, p.Q197X and p.R653X, in 4 XY DSD cases, involving micropenis and hypospadias with urethral opening position located on scrotum and the joint at penis and scrotum.(12) Kalfa et al. have studied the mutations of MAMLD1 in hypospadias patients and discovered 3 mutations, including p.V432A, p.E109fsX121 and P.531ins3Q, and they proposed that 10 percent of all the severe hypospadias cases was caused by mutations of MAMLD1.(13) In the study of Chen et al., three mutations of MAMLD1 were discovered, i.e., p.Q529K, p.D686D and noncoding region c.2065+8a>t, in 99 Swedish with hypospadias.(14) However, this is not the case in China. Qian et al. have studied the mutations of MAMLD1 in 100 cases of isolated hypospadias,(15) where 200 healthy participants were randomly selected as control. In their work, two point mutations, c.1699C>T and c.1985A>G, were detected and all were SNPs, and statistical analysis revea led that MAMLD1 is not the candidate gene for isolated hypospadias in China. The different results may be due to the different inclusion criteria of studied population between China and abroad, i.e., the studied populations of foreign works were mostly composed by hypospadias cases complicated by other genitourinary system malformations, including gonadal dysgenesis, while mostly isolated hypospadias cases were selected in the works of Chinese. In this study, a new point mutation c.5A>G was detected in exon 2 of one patient, and this mutation was not found in controls. The mutation makes the second amino acid position, originally the hydrophilic negatively charged aspartic acid, substituted by a neutrally charged glycine. For various species, the second amino acid position in exon 2 of MAMLD1 is highly conserved, and analyzed via polyphen, the mutation c.5A>G (p.D2G) of MAMLD1 is predicted to be probably damaging with a score of 0.996 from HumDiv and 0.993 from HunVar, which indicates that c.5A>G (p.D2G) is highly related to hypospadias. SIFT predicts that the mutation can affect protein function, since there is no protein diversity on the site (supplementary figure 20). The case with c.5Aà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¾G was isolated hypospadias, and the urethral opening was located in the middle segment of penis. A big sample size and the information of the exact protein function are required to elucidate whether c.5A>G (p.D2G) of MAMLD1 is the cause of isolated hypospadias and its role in human sexual differentiation. The meaningful SNP detected in this work is the full mutation in introns close to exon 3, i.e., IVS4-364C/A (rs1209024), in 12 patients, which is not found in controls. The 12 cases including 2 cases with anterior hypospadias, 9 cases middle urethral openings and 1 case posterior urethral opening. Among all the 12 patients, 6 were complicated by 2 other malformations, 8 cases were complicated by micropenis and/or underdeveloped testicles. Generally, introns are non-coding sections of a gene, which are removed before the mature mRNA can be transported, thus do not exist in the mRNA sequence. However, there may be several mini genes in some introns, the so called genes-within-genes. The frequency of IVS4-364C/A was significantly different between patients and controls, and it was also significantly different between patients with and without micropenis and/or underdeveloped testicles. Therefore, two possibilities could be speculated, the first is that there may be coding sequence relat ed to micropenis and/or underdeveloped testicles in the introns close to exon 3 of MAMLD1, the second is that the mutation could affect mRNA shear mode, thus lead to the change of protein function. Next step of our study plan is to verify whether the mutation could affect mRNA shear mode through reverse transcription, amplification and sequencing of extracted mRNA. References 1. Skakkebaek NE, Rajpert-De ME, Main KM. Testicular dysgenesis syndrome: an increasingly common developmental disorder with environmental aspects. Hum Reprod 2001;16:972-8. 2. Sharpe RM. Pathways of endocrine disruption during male sexual differentiation and masculinization. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab 2006;20:91-110. 3. Sharpe RM, Skakkebaek NE. Testicular dysgenesis syndrome: mechanistic insights and potential new downstream effects. Fertil Steril 2008;89(2 Suppl):e33-8. 4. Wu YQ, Dai L, Wang YP, Liang J, Zhu J, Wu DS. Secular Trends of Hypospadias in Chinese Perinatals. J Sichuan Univ (Med Sci Edi) 2005;36:274-6. 5. Liang WQ, Ji CY, Zhang JM, et al. The correlation between the type of hypospadias and external genital system malformations. Chin J Urol 2011;32:126-9. 6. Laporte J, Kioschis P, Hu LJ, et al. Cloning and char acterization of an alternatively spliced gene in proximal Xq28 deleted in two patients with intersexual genitalia and myotubular myopathy. Genomics 1997;41:458–62. 7. Laporte J, Guiraud-Chaumeil C, Vincent MC, et al. Mutations in the MTM1 gene implicated in X-linkedmyotubular myopathy. ENMC International Consortium on Myotubular Myopathy. European NeuroMuscular Center. Hum Mol Genet 1997;6:1505-11. 8. Bartsch O, Kress W, Wagner A, et al. The novelcontiguous gene syndrome of myotubular myopathy(MTM1), male hypogenitalism and deletion in Xq28: report of the first familial case. Cytogenet Cell Genet 1999;85:310-4. 9. Bates PA, Kelley LA, MacCallum RM, et al. Enhancement of protein modeling by human intervention inapplying the automatic programs 3D-JIGSAW and3D-PSSM. Proteins 2001;S5(Suppl 5):39-46. 10. Biancalana V, Caron O, Gallati S, et al. Characterisation of mutations in 77 patients with X-linked myotubular myopathy, including a family with a very mild phenotype. Hum Genet 2003;112:135-42. 11. Hu LJ, Laporte J, Kress W, et al. Deletions in Xq28 in two boys with myotubular myopathy and abnormal genital development define a new contiguous gene syndrome in a 430 kb region. Hum Mol Genet 1996;5:139-43. 12. Fukami M, Wada Y, Miyabayashi K, et al. CXorf6 is a causative gene for hypospadias. Nat Genet 2006;38:1369-71. 13. Kalfa N, Liu B, Klein O, et al. Mutations of CXorf6 are associated with arrange of severities of hypospadias. Eur J Endocrinol 2008;159:453-8. 14. Chen Y, Thai HT, Lundin J, et al. Mutational study of the MAMLD1-gene in hypospadias. Eur J Med Genet 2010;53:122-6. 15. Qian C, Lin HW, Sun P, et al. Research of MAMLD1 gene in Hypospadias. J Clin Pediatr Surg 2012;11:106-11. Figure Legends Figure 1. Mutations of MAMLD1, the number represents the exon serial number, the black area represents the coding region. Table 1à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ½Clinic phenotypes of 72 patients with hypospadias Table 2. Patients complicated by other genitourinary system malformations Table 3. Mutations of MAMLD1 gene screened in patients and controls

Analyzing TM Berhad using Bolman and Deal’s Four Frames :: essays research papers

Bolman & Deal’s Four Frames: Case Report 1.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction The purpose of this paper is to analyse TM Berhad using Bolman and Deal’s four frames, as per figure 1 below. Bolman & Deal suggests that ‘Leaders like everyone else, view their experiences through a set of preconditioned lenses and filters’ (Bolman and Deal, 1991, p 510) (Adapted from Bolman & Deal, 1997) In this paper, we have examined our company of choice, TM Berhad, utilizing each of these four frames as a â€Å"spectacle† to determine the leadership approach of its management, and then detailing the more prominent of the frames used. TM Berhad was chosen for our case analysis, due to availability of data from significant coverage on the company awarded by the media. 2.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Telekom Berhad (â€Å"TM†)- Profile TM is a government-linked corporation, through its substantial shareholder Khazanah Malaysia (Khazanah), the Malaysian Government’s main investment vehicle. It is a major component of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange Berhad Composite Index. In 2004, a new Group Chief Executive Officer, Dato Abdul Wahid bin Omar was appointed by Khazanah under a general revamp exercise of the GLCs. TM is the main nationwide provider of telecommunication services. It has x no of subsidiaries and operates in three core operating areas of: †¢ Telco- Its core telecommunication business †¢ Telekom Multimedia- Develops new media businesses †¢ ServiceCo- Oversees operational activities such as fleet and property management. The fixed line business and residential telephone services remain the core business of TM. TM’s organization chart is depicted in figure 2 below: Figure 2 3.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Four –Frame Analysis Our four-frame analysis (Figure 3 above) reveals that TM, like any other modern large corporation, places heavy emphasis on the structural frame. Other frame elements are also present, for example, career development and training programmes are evidence of HR frame use, as well as deployment of a re-branding exercise and other symbolic rituals to provide symbolic frame elements. We may also make inferences that the political frame is also in play from agenda-setting, ambiguity and uncertainty caused by the rationalization and reorganization leading to scarcity of resources and internal conflict, and signing of a collective agreement to denote bargaining and negotiation. We have chosen to focus our detailed analysis on the more prominent structural frame. 4.0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Structural Frame Analysis Bolman & Deal list six assumptions behind the Structural Frame. 1) Organizations exist to achieve established goals and objectives. 2) Organizations work best when rationality prevails over personal preferences and external pressures. 3) Structures must be designed to fit organizational circumstances.

Analysis of The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin :: The Story of an Hour Kate Chopin

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In "The Story of an Hour" Kate Chopin tells the story of a woman, Mrs. Mallard whose husband is thought to be dead. Throughout the story Chopin describes the emotions Mrs. Mallard felt about the news of her husband's death. However, the strong emotions she felt were not despair or sadness, they were something else. In a way she was relieved more than she was upset, and almost rejoiced in the thought of her husband no longer living. In using different literary elements throughout the story, Chopin conveys this to us on more than one occasion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the third paragraph of the story, Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard as she goes into her room and sits on an armchair. Chopin describes how Mallard ?sank pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted the body and seemed to reach into her soul?. In this point of the story Chopin uses symbolism connecting Mrs. Mallard and the chair, the chair representing the death of her husband and her feelings about it. How it was ?a comfortable roomy chair?, she is showing us how Mrs. Mallard was ?comfortable? with her husband?s death and now felt she had room to exist freely. This is supported by the lines ?she would live for herself now. There would be no powerful will bending her in the blind?? This demonstrating to the reader that she felt controlled by her husband, and that she would no longer bet tied down to the ways of the time, which were men control women. This also supported by Jennifer Hicks in her overview of the story which states " Later, when we see Mrs. Mall ard "warm and relaxed", we realize that problem with her heart is that her marriage has not allowed her to "live for herself"."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another example of how Mrs. Mallard was more uplifted than brought down by the news of her husband?s death is the description of the window. As Mrs. Mallard looks out Chopin explains ?she could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all a quiver with new life?. This is telling the reader about the new life that Mrs. Mallard can see in the distance that symbolizes the new life she saw that lay ahead of her now that she was free of her husband. This thought being supported by Hicks in saying "The revalation of freedom occurs in the bedroom"

Events Management Case Study Big Day Out Essay

Conflicts of Interest and communications between founding partners Ken West and Vivian Lees can lead to internal organisational issues for example misguided and confused management, which could potentially hinder the whole event. (2) Host Community and Event Location: Big day out at the moment have a negative relationship Claremont council with the current councillor and mayor both believing that the music festival bringing more negatives to the region then positives. This also generates bad media for the event displaying it, as â€Å"detrimental† to the community and that it should relocate from the showgrounds. As the showgrounds is the only location in Perth that can safely house 40,000 people and is also close to public transport. Relocating to a more isolated and smaller venue would disinterest punters with greater cost of going to the venue and also a lower cap on ticket sales, which will lead to less revenue and inspire greater scalping margins. (3) New Management: With Lees leaving the event, Big Day Out management have to manage their first event working with new co managers C3 Presents. This is an issue because they will bring new techniques used over in America in the management of Lollapalooza which whilst being possibly effective, if the existing Big day out management isn’t dynamic, confusion and conflict could occur jeopardising the whole success of the event. (4) Maintaining Quality of event: Big Day Out organisers are under a lot of pressure to maintain the quality of the line up while dealing with higher and higher asking prices from headline performers, this makes it harder to obtain a higher number of â€Å"big name† acts as the event use to draw as the asking price of performers has risen greatly. Also because in previous years the Event has scored good quality bug name acts such as Nirvana, for a decent price, the pressure is on for the event to deliver equal too or greater than standards year after year. (5) Financing and Ticket Sales: Financing and Ticket Sales are somewhat complimentary in this case because even though BDO managers paid a lot to get headliner Kanye West it was not enough to spark the required ticket sales, not to mention cutting the line up for the Western and South Australia shows and abandoning New Zealand. Without high Ticket sales there is less profit and therefore lower finances to support the next years bill resulting in less headliners and less ticket sales. If C3 Presents had not bought into BDO this could have been the start of a relentless cycle for BDO, which could have resulted in its demise. (6) Competition: Apart from higher asking prices from performers, bidding against other events such as future and soundwave for headliners makes the asking price even higher. This can then determine who headlines which event, which can turn into a competition for punters. With the main demographic of music festivals being young low-income earners, generally they have to decide which one summer festival they would like to attend. This decision is generally made from how many big acts are on the line up. (7) Fan Loyalty: After completely scrapping the New Zealand leg of the even and cutting some headline acts fro the South and Western Australian legs of the event, Big Day Out managers have to work really hard to keep a loyal fan base and try make the regrettable cuts have as less impact as possible on the events fan bas and ticket sales. Will punters trust Big Day Out if it returns to New Zealand and will Western and Southern Australians pay the same price as the east coast for less of an event? (8) Bad Media: Big Day Out has recently come under fire from Claremont Councilman Peter Browne stated to the media â€Å"The benefits of such concerts are hopelessly outweighed by the intolerable noise, the late finish, the high level of criminal activity and general social misbehaviour in and outside of the grounds. This inspires a bad relationship with Big Day Out and the media because such a quote can trigger the media to produce stories that correlate the big day out with public disruption, un happy residence, criminal behaviour and delinquent youths. Which are all damaging to Big Day Outs’ public image. 3. What alternatives would you offer when recommending solving three of your major issues that you found in question 2? Be detailed in your answer. (10 marks each = 30 marks in total) (1) New Management- The Intro duction of C3 Presents to the management team of Big Day Out could be one of the best or worst things to happen to event. To ensure that it is a good thing a smooth integration must occur. Existing management must be willing to be dynamic and open to change whilst still employing standards and techniques that have shaped Big Day Out into what it is renowned as. Because C3 has shown to be very successful with Lollapalooza in the states they should be given quite a bit of control but given direction not to totally re shape the festivals image jeopardising its reputation and loyal fan base. C3 can bring a lot of good management traits to the table with the main two being effective HR and also industry contacts. With lollapalooza being such a large and successful even the managers at C3 Presents have been able to develop exception management and HR skills which would help BDO excel. The Managers at C3 would also have excellent contacts allowing possibilities for international growth and exposure, not to mention contacts with talent agents, managers and performers which leads to my next recommendation. (2) Competition – With Managers from C3 Presents at the helm of BDO the event can now excel in getting big name headliners at better prices and also reduce the risks of being out bid by other festivals such as Soundwave and Future Music. This is because of C3’s buying power and contacts. C3 can use past contacts from Lollapalooza to invite headline shows from their American festival to also tour as part of BDO. Almost every main headliner that has played BDO in the past has played at Lollapalooza and contract deals could be made where some headliners get paid to play both festivals, also knowing C3’s reputation acts could be inclined to take lower offers to play the event due to exposure and the chance to be asked to play at Lollapalooza after BDO. 3) Host Community – Although most venues are welcoming to the event, Claremont Council forced the event to relocate last year to Victoria Park. This venue is smaller and more isolated then the previous location of Claremont Showgrounds. To reclaim the Showgrounds as the venue for Big Day Out relationship with the mayor, council and local residents need to bee improved. Making the event more sustainable is a start as then there would be less environment al impacts on the venue itself. Improved Crowd controlling would also play in favour as most complaints come from how patrons of the event act outside the venue before and after. More external security and police presence should be employed after the event to make sure that public nuisance is reduced to a minimum and that the neighbouring community is kept safe. If the BDO managers can prove that they have a fortified and planned event that minimising impact on the host community they may have a chance of re hosting the event at the Claremont showgrounds, which would result in higher ticket sales due to the size and capacity of the venue. 4. Identify at least five main differences between marketing a product and marketing an event such as BDO (5 marks). Discuss and analyse five only in detail. (5 marks) (1) Lifetime of Marketing – The marketing of an event is only relative in its marketed regions until the event has ended and is marketed months before tickets go on sale sometimes even up to a year before the event is held. Marketing lifetime for a product is different because only some products are marketed before they are actually on sale and lifetime depends purely on the type of the product where the lifetime of a market campaign of events is generally similar. 2) Use of Media – Events are mainly marketed through newspaper magazines, social media and Internet, billboards and flyers with less frequent television advertisements. Products on the other hand generally have a lot more TV and catalogue advertisements placed. (3)Type of Marketing- Event marketing is normally very forward and will show part of an event or samples performers and activities where product marketing is generally more creative in use of characters, settings and narratives to help personify the inanimate objects. 4) Marketing Events – Events marketing especially in the case of music festivals employ the use of pre-events, for example stereosonic music festivals has a number of launch parties in venues with copious amounts of ticket and merchandise giveaways, this generates a lot of hype about the event and can increase ticket sales. Product marketers on the other hand generally don’t hold a lot of â€Å"Launch Party† type events to create hype and increase sales; although promotions are employed they are more of a rarity in product marketing. 5) Repetition of campaign – Events will use the same advertisement for the life of the campaign where several different advertisements can be produced to market one product 5. When it comes to planning for an event such as BDO, list at least ten aspects that event organisers need to take into account? Be as specific as you can. (10 marks) 1. Human Resources and Management. 2. Location of event 3. Marketing of Event 4. Auditing and Bidding for the Event 5. Event Insurance and Liability 6. Crisis Control and Crowd management 7. Sustainability 8. Host Community 9. Stakeholders 10. Financing and Sponsorship . From question 5, choose two aspects and go into detail with specifics relative to BDO. Topics can be chosen from the first 4 weeks of lecture topics and readings. (10 marks each = 20 marks in total) Sustainability of Big Day Out: In today’s day and age sustainability is one of the most important aspects in large scale event planning. Sustainability reduces the environment al impact of an event, which as a hole reduces the carbon footprint, reduces rubbish and waste litter, leaves less impact on the venue flora and fauna and also helps generate positive media and perception about the Event. Below I have listed ideas in detail, which would help make Big Day Out a more sustainable Event; Mobile App – This would include an E ticket QR code, event timetable and also an interactive music trivia app about the festivals band (to encourage use). This is app would reduce the use of printed tickets and timetables. Public Transport Tickets – Include public transport in the cost of ticket (as used for Suncorp Stadium events) reduce the amount of people who drive and cab to the event. Cup system- Make a system where either for every 6 cups you pick up off the ground and return you get a free refill or introduce a system where if you hold onto your cup you pay a cheaper rate for refills. Recyclable products – Make sure all disposable goods available from vendors, besides merchandise, are recyclable and have majority of bins at the festival recycle bins. Human Resource Management- Human resource management at a large-scale event has to be employed exceptionally for the event to run as smoothly and risk free as possible. The importance of HR’s contribution to the successfulness of events is shown through precedent such as case studies of the Sydney Olympics, which was deemed to be the most successful Olympics ever. For BDO managers and HR staff would be employed professionally, hopefully using staff from previous years. General vendors bar and cleaning staff would all be qualified volunteers working intermittent shifts allowing them to enjoy the festival after there shifts as there pay. A free festival ticket for a few hours work should be enough incentive to keep the workers motivated. Those who work till end of event would have monetary incentive, also enthusiastic employed managers should be able to keep their workers motivated. Crowd Controllers would be professionally hired, preferably those with experience, although they ask a higher wage one experienced festival crowd controller would be more beneficial then three rookies thrown into the mist of the Big Day Out. Police and professional Medical team will also be employed as per state law requirements.

Hotel Repositioning

pass offframe University of Derby/Buxton Hospitality caution MA Hotel Renovation A weapon For Re placement In the Hotel Industry endurance Date 7th May 2009 melodic line Analysis and Decision Making assimilator Nana Yaa Addo Module Leader Norman Dindsdale trope The cordial reception intentness has grown phenomen altogethery since 2001 and has been driven by deuce empty and personal credit line line demand (kloppers 2005). The of necessity of the consumer fall in now be total moral force kind of than static.Consumers today stupefy a intempe invest desire for luxury in both sense of the word be it travel, goods or even a night tolerate in a hotel, thitherby creating a competitive environment among commerce owners and organisations to come up with innovative ways to gain and alike retain their argument. Altstiel and Grow (2005 p. 28) as well as kingdoms that people do non misdirect things tho or else a happiness of their wants and essentials. at tha t placefore the hospitality industry macrocosm a helper sector is non an exception as the industry moldiness(prenominal)(prenominal) withal realise challenges by formulating and implementing strategies that go forth meet todays frugalal conditions and to a fault requite customer inevitably. This traumatise guidancees on how hotel restoration place be utilise as a slit for shift in hotel operations. It pull up stakes explore the theory behind dislodge and guttervas the theory by looking at some mull studies within the industry, it entrust also try to refer its challenges and successes and chitchat how it could be under screwvassn in the future tense. Main eubstanceThe bound repositioning has been mapd typeface by side with positioning, denounceing or hot yield commencement and has a wide hunt of exposition, as a endpoint it has no sole(prenominal) legitimate definition. For example, the work of Hassien and Baum (2002p146) break-dance the next definitions of the confines which perceives a greater understanding. (Lovelock,1996Lewis et al1995) squ atomic number 18 off the confinesinal as the ever-ever-changing of the animated position with stunned referring to its implementation (Hart and Stapleton, 1987 Collin, 1989 Jefkins, 1987 Ries and Trout,1986) define it as an advertising trategy by which the comp whatever shadow reassign the image of its product and the scholarship of people al shape up it. Booz, Allen and Hamilton (1982) define the term as one of the six categories of bracing products in toll of their rude(a)ness to the comp any and to the securities industryplace, as organism the march of targeting the quick products to clean grocery stores or foodstuff segment. In provideition the business dictionary also defines it as changing a brands status in comparison to that of the competing brands.Further more(prenominal) Hassien and Baum go on to say that an in-depth re construe of its litera ture identifies that there is a general agreement in most of these definitions, that repositioning involves a inter variety to the image of a product in the marketplace by with(predicate) changing the detection of the customer(p. 146) and finally define the term as the market management address of changing, partially or totally, the perception of the familiar about a firm by dint of any modification or addition to one or more of its manageable variables (eg.Customer, competition, technology, coporate, etc. ) in order to retain, boom or throw its target markets(p. 147) From the in a high place definitions it is obvious that repositioning involves the modification of a product to make it more outdoorshearted in order to attract existing customers or new market segments The sen sequencent Of Repositioning. Due to intensifying global competition, a evermore changing environment, current consumer trends and new(a) technology, repositioning like any early(a)wise mar keting tool adopts a strategy in order to be successful.For good example Macmillan (2000, p45) states that conditions in the global business environment demands that established firms adopt entrepreneurial strategies. pottyson and Scholes(2002 p10) have delineate strategy as the heraldic bearing and scope of an organisation oer the coarse term which light upons advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a changing environment and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. Bowie and Butler (2004 p. 06) state the fol measlying reasons as to why a company whitethorn be hale to reposition Falling sales (often a symptom of customer dissatisfaction) An opportunity to service an emerging market segment The brat of competing for market lot. As a payoff Jobber in the book of Enew and Waite (2007 p. 165), identifies quatern basic repositioning strategies and they argon describeed as follows Image repositioning- This performer keeping the product an d target market the same but changing the image of the product.Product repositioning This means that the product has been modified to meet more fully the expectations of the target group. nonphysical repositioning-An organisation targets a new market segment with existing products but places the violence on a different , slight actual aspect of the product. Tangible repositioning-In some market sectors there is the need to substitute both product and target market piteous upmarket or downmarket through the introduction of a new range of products often demands a comprehensive repositioning strategy.Similarly a study by Kotler et al 1993 recognitiond in Crompton 2000 pp70-72) offers three strategies that potty also be used to achieve repositioning and they are as follows tangible repositiong which means that an agency variegates what it does so that want community priority needs are met through its offerings Competitive repositioning which means altering stakeholders belief s about what an agencys competitors do. Psychogical repositioning which means altering stakeholders beliefs about what an agency currently does From the above, it sewer be deduced thatRepositioning is used to alter perceptions of the consumer It is used by organisations to tick off they exceed the expectations of the consumer in order to retain themselves in the business environment It is used to identify gain and opportunities. It must however be tell that whatever strategy that is employed ,must be graphic, achievable, results focused and must also take into account which strategy best fits the needs of the business as well as that of the consumer.However for the pur baby-sit of this report the assistance is on restoration as a tool for repositioning in the hotel industry in opposite voice assemblage the focus is on the use of renovation to develop or improve existing and new product lines. Renovation Definition accord to Hassien and Baum (2001p. 148), renovation ma y be defined as the wreak of retaining or ameliorate the hotel image by modifying the tangible product, payable to a variety of reasons, through any channelizes in the hotel layout (e. g. Property structure-new extension) and/or any additions or replenishment of materials and furniture, fixture and equipment.It may also be defined as a forwardness for which a unassailable amount of the equipment, structure or new(prenominal) components is renewd or modified and which may plump capacity and/improve the process of the facility (CII 2006, P1) From the above it can be noneworthy that renovation as a process involves a lot of activity which can either be upgrading of the design, decor etc of the blank space layout or the development of an entirely new product. Types of renovation Renovations may be classed as major(ip) or minor depending on the amount of work involved in each type.For instance a renovation that involves the renewal or replacement of all equipment, furnishing s and coatinges in order to improve or substitute the image of the physical layout of the hotel may be termed as a major renovation, whiles a renovation that involves the upgrading or replacement of soft goods such(prenominal) as carpets, drapes, beddings etc without changing the physical layout of the blank space. The property must be in a market not sustaining the desired level of operation There must be an alternate market not being served Change in the market they serveFurthermore Hassien and Baum (2002p. 148) cite these reasons To keep up with the competition To celebrate or increase market share by satisfying current or potential customers To improve the operational ability of the hotel that leave alone lead to an increase in both productivity and dour term savings in operational expenses To obtain corporate image and bars To upgrade the hotel to a higher category (eg. From 4 to 5) To admit with the new trends and technology in the market The process of renovation wh ile its go off a renovation or brand conversion is intended as an proceeds on your coronation, managing a long list of finalitys will make for a famine in revenue without the right computer programme in place(sansone et al 2009 p. 20). It must be noted that renovation is constantly an ongoing process in hotels and it employs received end qualification factors to ensure its success. These finishs if undermined can cost hoteliers a great betray of property and if taken seriously can reap rewards in separate words renovation can either pose a fiscal challenge if not planned well or reverberate profitability if planned well.There is postcode worse than being in a hotel when these processes are on going, the noise, the uncertainty and the aspect that you are experiencing second best. The pursual ends have been identified through question that renovation undergoes the following processes. Planning In the planning process, elements such as team, budget, epoch and marke ting are taken into friendship. squad It has been argued that the very first step when the decision on renovation has been taken is the excerption of a team commonly comprising experts and start managers. Rowe and Megan1995,Hassien and Baum 2002). These people are commonly supercharged with the responsibility of providing expertise in the achievement of budgets, contingencies and scheduling from the start till finish of the end and can be a complete waste of time and money if they are not involved in the renovation project(Sansone et al 2009 ). Budget This usually involves taking into leaseation a realistic amount of money that is believed to be full to finance the project. It is also the most in-chief(postnominal) and critical aspect pertaining to the project.It is usually found on criteria such as the time place of money, wealth maximisation and detect accommodation. Timing Recognising when to undertake a renovation is also very weighty in the decision making proc ess. This is because hoteliers must withstand out such projects when occupancy is low so that renovation can be carried out with less disruptions and minimise insecurity in terms of safety Bowe and Megan 1995 ) It is also interesting to note that there deflexion the above decisions taken during the renovation process, fundamental areas of long term decision making is that of investment.The decision to carry out these pregnant salmagundis must, of course, involve a much more complex set of criteria. The key thought of finance being the first that is re feelinged and factored in terms of risk. It is faux that the objective of any monetary investment is to maximise economic benefits. Hence projects which pass through the precedent harbouring phase become candidates for mean monetary appraisal to ascertain if they would add set to the firm (Dayananda et al 2002 p. 7). quaternion investment appraisal techniques namely, ARR(average rate of go through, Payback, NPV(Net fou nder value)and IRR(Internal rate of pop off)are usually considered in the decision making process in hulky companies with Payback and NPV proving to be the most popular(Lamminmaki et al cited in Guilding 2005 p. 205) To touch briefly on the above ARR- measures the incremental operating income that will be generated per sawhorse of investment in other words it measures profitability by equivalence the required investment to future annual earnings(Oliver& Amacom 1999p. 11, Dayananda et al 2002 p43) Payback-It attempts to forecast how long it will take for the expected meshing immediate payment inflows to payback the investment outlays (Glautier and Underdown 2001 p. 448) NPV- The excess of the record value (PV) of cash inflows generated by the project over the amount of the initial investment (Shim&Siegel 2007 p. 209) IRR- It re devotes the true interest rate earned on an investment over the course of its economic life (Colin Drury 2004 p. 501. For the following the NPV and I RR are used as being the most important in the various(prenominal) case studies.This does not mean the others would not work, simply these were the most appropriate. Informed assumptions are made within the case studies as only outline information was operable from the companies Case study 1 January 18-24, 2004 jacket crown Plaza Owners of the hotel invested 7 million dollars to mend the crown plaza in Philadelphia to rectify the hotels reputation which owners believed have suffered as a place for corporate meetings and stays as well as well as to target the SMERF market(social, military, educational, religious, fraternal bookings).Hotel owners updated rooms ,with a redone lobby, eating place, common areas and meeting rooms. The hotel is located on city avenue and is a paseo distance from the new target store, that brought with it a host of smaller retailers including chipotle grill, sandwich deeds and California pizza. Im not sure how it affects business, but thickenings l ike to passing game to a restaurant which is definitely a convenience for guests. Calculating IRR IRR=A+(Na/Na-Nb)*(B-A) Where A =Lower DF (10%), B = Higher DF (20%), Na=NPV at 10% Nb= NPV at 20%. Therefore IRR= 10+ (0. 662/0. 662-1. 02) * (20-10) IRR= 10+ (-O. 2) *(10) IRR=9. 98 Case study 2 The Grand Hyatt ( natural York) July 15, 2004 To reaffirm the brand as a leader in the multi pop the question hotels, the Grand Hyatt under took a 55million dollar renovation project. The project touched all area of the hotel with more emphasis on guest room and meeting spaces. The guest rooms were designed to give them a more international look with design elements including a colour palette of golds and chromatic with blue accents. Roman shades withdraw in into the window wells to replace traditional draperies, an all new cabling and pumped up(p) smoke detection and emergency communication system.Work and play amenities let in a 27- inch flat screen T. V, a standard workstation with erg onomic chair, CD- clock radio. Bathrooms were upgraded with porcelain tiles, black granite pedestal sinks, stone ball over and curved shower rods. An entire floor was upgraded into a high tech conference centre targeting financial companies that needed the in vogue(p) technology as well as privacy to do their business. Therefore designing the NPV for case study 1 is illustrated down the stairs In evaluating both studies it is obvious that the of import reasons for undertaking these renovation projects was to Compete against other hotelsSatisfy their customers Increase profitability by attracting customers. The basic rule underlying NPV is that if the donation value of the returns exceed the present value of costs then the project should go ahead since it will increase profits. (Atkinson and moth miller p. 315). In other words the project should be carried out if the NPV is positive. In case study 1 an initial investment of 7million dollars in year 0 is assumed to give rise to inflows of 2million dollars for each of old age 1 to 5 So in this case an NPV of 0. 662 and 1. 02 respectively are both positive figures and wherefore the project will be profitable.However this same projects could be risky because of its IRR. For instance Finnerty(2005 p. 157) is of the view that ifthe IRR exceeds the projects cost of capital of the United States then the projects should be undertaken but in this case an IRR of 9. 98 is less than both the decline and higher subtraction factors of 10% and 20% respectively and therefore will be in the interest of decision masters to forgo the project. In case study 2 an initial investment of 55million dollars in year 0 is assumed to give rise to inflows of 12million dollars for each of old age 1 to 5. In this case an NPV of 9. 52 also indicates a positive figure hence a profitable project.This suggest that higher is soften for both NPV and IRR in other words investments with higher place of return are more profitable than i nvestments with lower rates of return but it can be argued that since the economic environment is dynamic the cost of capital can be influenced by such modifications,(Watson & ear 2007) rather it will be better if business owners sought to maximise shareholders wealth through considering their investment value in pecuniary terms rather than focusing so much on its adjacent return. still both the NPV and IRR have its merits as well as its demerits. Atkinson and Miller(1998 p. 18)give the following merits for the NPV Gives a clear quantitative result Emphasises the time value of money and makes it superior to methods which do not involve discounting. Involves maximisation of present set of future cash flows thereby maximising shareholder wealth. Despite its merits ,Siddiqui (2005 p. 325,Rashid, Raj & Walters 2008p. 194) of the view that It is not helpful in study two projects with different cash flows It may be misleading in comparing projects of unequal lives It is complicated to estimate the values of cash inflows and outflows over the life of a project.Alternatively, (Capon& Disbury 2004 p. 224) state that the IRR has the following merits It results in a clear percentage return required on investment since emphasis is placed on liquidity in calculation. Its the measure of the intensity of capital use and also gives a return for risks Takes into consideration the time value of money and passels with discount cash flows. Several authors strongly fight back and cite reasons as to why the IRR may not be the best financial appraisal.For example ( Dyson 2004, Mclaney& Atrill 2007) give the following reasons It does not maximise shareholders wealth There is difficultness in handling projects with unconventional cash flows It gives only an approximate rate of return It can be misleading especially where there are negative crystalize cash flows in subsequent years and when one project has to be opted for in favour of another i. e. mutually exclusive project . ConclusionHotel renovation is an inevitable process especially if hoteliers wish to secure their positions in the marketplace and also keep up with the constantly changing needs of the consumer. The two investment appraisal methods i. e the NPV and IRR usually used by decision makers barely the customer be it a business traveller or holiday maker is the most important element to the hospitality industry, to such a customer, the most important criteria are an appealing image, safety and security, standard of service and most of all value for money.Leaders in the industry must in no uncertain terms ensure that they meet expectations. So irrespective of the financial appraisal techniques considered in the decision making process, hotel renovations are a must unless hoteliers are looking to reposition advertise down the market for instance choosing to go two star(2) or three(3) then they could be justified if they chose not to refreshen other they should be aware that they stand t he chance of loosing market share if they do not renovate when required. ReccommendationsAlthough investment decisions are carried out in the hope of generating future returns, the most important question hoteliers should be interested with is whether they will be in business if they compromised their standards and quality of service by not repositioning as a result of lack of funds. The following suggestions have been attached to serve as a drive to hoteliers wishing to renovate in the near future. Due to the costly nature of renovation, hoteliers could consider alternative sources of capital such as loans that offer low interest rates and low down payments that are unconvincing to careen during the period of the loan.Also hoteliers must endeavour to give priority to areas that need immediate attention, they can achieve this by segmenting the market in order to identify the needs of the market that way they are able to know what to accomplish in the shortest possible time witho ut breaking the bank. again in the present downturn, hoteliers must go back ways to cut down on renovation expenses. For example if there is a choice of choosing between minor renovations such as the changing of bedding, drapes, curtains etc to major renovations that deal with heavy equipments, hoteliers will be better off going for minor renovations.Moreover they could also seek advice (in terms of selecting contractors and experts that are willing to offer reasonable rates) from hoteliers that may have undertaken a similar project. In addition, Harris & Joanne (2003) advice that the best time to undertaken renovations should be less busy periods. Executive Summary The concept of repositioning was looked at in terms of two hotels. It looked at the repositioning and renovation concept.It was realised that the main reasons for carrying out these renovations was to satisfy the customer in order to ensure repeat business, differentiate form other competitors to maintain a leading po sition, open new markets, and also increase profitability. In order to achieve this certain decisions had to be carried out, emphasis was placed on two investment appraisal methods i. e the NPV (Net present value) and IRR (Internal rate of return) since hotel renovation involved a great deal of budgeting. It was realised that irrespective of the investment appraisal methods, hotel renovations was inevitable.The conclusion was hoteliers had to renovate if they wanted secure the business in the constantly changing environment and also if they wanted to meet the changing needs of the consumer. It may be that they repositioned by indifference? Journals Ahmed Hassien, Tom Baum(2002) Hotel repositioning through property renovation. Tourism and hospitality research Vol. 4 p. 144 Beirne, Mike(2004) Crown plazas bed time story injury week Vol. 45 ,pp. 12-12 Brennan, Kate(2001) Lodging hospitality Vol. 57, p. 36 Construction industry set up(2006), definition for renovation. Available from http//www.Construction institute . org/ script content/cfm. Assessed April 1 2009 Crompton, butt L. (2009) Strategies for implementing repositioning of leisure services Vol. 14, pp. 87-111 Foong, Keat(2009) Multi- existent accommodations news Vol. 44 pp. 14-15 Harris ,Joanne (2003) Motel management Vol. 218 p. 36 Hermann, Daniel (2008) Repositioning for the future. Long term living for the continuing care. Vol 57 p. 3 John W. ONeill, Anna S. Mattila (2006) Strategic hotel development and positioning The effects of revenue drivers on profitability. Cornell hotel and restaurant administration quarterly pp. 7 146 Jonathan C. Nehmer, Donald A. Noveau(2005) furbish up or Reposition know the difference. Us international journal pp1-3 Patel, Ashwen Ash(2008)Credit compression may disrupt renovation plans. Hotel and motel management, Vol. 223 p10-10 Rowe, Megan. (1995)Renovation has its risk. Lodging hospitality. Vol 51 p. 40 Watkins, Ed(2004) New York dresses up. Lodging hospitality V ol. 60 p. 36 Books Bowie D. & Butler F. 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Harworth press p. 105 Watson D. & Head A. (2007) Corporate finance Principles and practice. text spay textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange textchange