Marketing Objectives Essay

Executive Summary Ceylon Tea came into being nearly a century and half back when the then existing coffee plantations, struck by a deadly disease – which virtually proved the death knell of coffee in Ceylon as it was then called, were converted to tea plantations. Nearly all the coffee plantations were very soon converted to tea plantations. As Ceylon Tea made its mark in the world and was being widely traded in the markets, measures were instituted to facilitate and monitor the process of manufacture and sale of tea to be shipped to foreign countries. On 30th July 1883 the first public sale of tea took place. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce brought under its purview the conduct of these auctions. In 1894 the Ceylon Tea Traders Association was established. Today almost all tea produced in Sri Lanka is sold in auctions conducted by these two organizations. Introduction This assignment is mainly about a FMCG product which the organisation depends only on Tea. I have sectioned this assignment in to different sections, to make the reader easy and understandable. I have also given a brief idea about marketing orientation, key steps to follow to be marketing oriented and also difficulties of implementing marketing orientation. Then I have spoke about the marketing environment with micro and macro environment and also how these environments impact to the organisation. At last I worked with marketing mix and how the marketing mix elements are blended together in an organisation. I hope this assignment will be something different and interesting task for you. Thank you. Methodology Mainly concentrated on preliminary data questionnaire and the study also contains secondary data from www.zaidtea.com Got reference from articles and books are revealed by tables and diagrams. Also discussed and got ideas from people who are in the high position in the tea industry. Body of Assignment Task 1 1. Zaid Tea Company 1.1 About Zaid Tea The Company incorporated in 2008 was formed in the year 1998 by a person with multifaceted experience gained in the tea industry and inherited from his forefathers of two previous generations. Naushad Jamaluddin the Managing Director/CEO of ZAID TEA CO. (PVT) LTD and a scion of an icon in the tea industry was nurtured in it from an early age during the tenure of his school days whilst assisting his father and grandfather in their tea business and plantations. He was trained in the delicate art of tea tasting by some of the best experts in the industry. He has blossomed to be an expert, having an exquisite flair in tasting and blending teas to meet the most exacting requirements of his buyers. Zaid Tea with its well experienced, diligently trained resource personal and cutting edge knowhow is eminently suited to seamlessly source and deliver the most exacting tea blends to its diverse worldwide clientele. Selecting for them the choicest of teas produced in factories located in the tea plantations of the central highlands of Sri Lanka and sold at the Colombo Tea Auctions, each having their distinct and subtly varying aroma, flavor and liquor Zaid Tea Co (Pvt.) Ltd is incorporated as a limited liability company under the Companies Act of Sri Lanka. It is registered as an exporter of Ceylon Tea with the Sri Lanka Tea Board – the regulatory body of the Government of Sri Lanka entrusted with the task of ensuring the maintenance of the quality and image of Ceylon Tea exported from the country The Co. is also registered with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board as an exporter of Ceylon Tea. This is another regulatory body of the Government of Sri Lanka promoting exports in general from the country 1.2 Products and Main Brands Zaid Tea Company has their own brand – the â€Å"Maskeliya Kahata† range of black teas comes in aluminum pouches and tea bags with their distinct aroma, flavor and liquor. The teas come from plants grown in the cool crispy air of the mountain ranges of the Hatton – Maskeliya tea plantations famed for its teas with its distinctly fine aroma and flavor Further they have their own brand of blended teas and green teas Black Tea a) Maskeliya Kahata in aluminum pouches b) Maskeliya Kahata in tea bags a) Kingswood Tea in loose packaging b) Kingswood Tea in tea bags – flavored and unflavored Green Tea a) Kingswood Green Tea in loose packaging * Kingswood Green Tea in tea bags – flavored and unflavored 1.3 Services a) BLACK TEA Bulk Teas – They source and deliver unblended or specified blends worldwide packed in paper sacks, plywood chests and corrugated cartons with inner lining of either aluminium foil or suitable polythene to retain the freshness and aroma Branded Teas – They also source as per customer specifications and blend, package in printed cartons or other packaging as per their own brands and deliver worldwide Flavored Teas – Here too we can supply either in bulk or as per customers branded or un branded packaging – cinnamon, vanilla, ginger etc b) GREEN TEA Zaid Tea are in a position to supply you Green Tea plucked and processed from the finest tea gardens located in of the high mountainous terrain found in the central highlands of Sri Lanka where the air is fresh, pure, cool and crispy. It is manufactured to the highest international standards. Like black tea we can supply in bulk or customized brand, packaging and flavoring – unflavored, jasmine, mint etc Task 02 1. What Is Marketing Orientation A business which begins work on, or philosophy that focuses on identifying and meeting customer’s needs and wants satisfyingly. -Himaz Ahamed 2. Key steps that Zaid Tea should implement in order to be marketing oriented 2.1 Customer Focused An organizational orientation toward satisfying the needs of potential and actual customers. Customer focus is considered to be one of the keys to business success. Achieving customer focus involves ensuring that the whole organization, and not just frontline service staff, puts its customers first. All activities, from the planning of a new product to its production, marketing, and after-sales care, should be built around the customer. Every department and every employee should share the same customer-focused vision. This can be aided by practicing good customer relationship management and maintaining a customer relations program. In order to achieve this, the organization must: a) Define its market, effectively segment and target the right customer and listen to customers. b) An extensive programme of employee education and communication may be necessary to introduce customer focus in order to create the environment that encourages to think customers. c) Implement an effective marketing information system that will track customer needs on a continuous basis. 2.2 Competitor Focused In terms of competitors, in marketing and strategic management is an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors. This analysis provides both an offensive and defensive strategic context to identify opportunities and threats. Profiling coalesces all of the relevant sources of competitor analysis into one framework in the support of efficient and effective strategy formulation, implementation, monitoring and adjustment. Competitor focused concept is more preferable in markets which are growing very fast. Tea also one of the fastest growing market in Sri Lanka. So Zaid Tea also can invest in gathering more data about competitors which will enable them to develop innovations at lower costs. 2.3 Strategic Vision Develop a long-term, market-oriented strategic vision by viewing marketing as more than a series of promotional tools and techniques. Strong leadership from the top with high level executives building a customer philosophy into their business plans and define the future in terms of creating long-term value for stakeholders. Figure-01 Market vs Operations oriented structure 3. Difficulties in Implementing Marketing Orientation Concept to Zaid Tea Even though Zaid Tea might feels that the marketing orientation is the only correct path to be successful, in practice there are likely to be barriers in developing such an orientation. They are as follows: 3.1 Lack of Effective Customer Service The job of the customer-service staff involves more than just answering questions and providing solutions to problems that arise. For market orientation to prove successful, it must also include customer-service representatives who take the time to get to know each customer’s needs and preferences. Zaid Tea Company also can gather records of the feedback it receives and analyze them for use in developing market-orientation plans. Without such customer-service efforts, company loses key opportunities to obtain information. 3.2 Lack of Marketing Knowledge Lack of marketing knowledge, skill and experience are among the challenges of developing market-orientation plans. Many company employees understand basic marketing concepts, but lack the in-depth knowledge needed to develop marketing-orientation strategies that work. Some companies deal with this by seeking additional education for key employees or by hiring experienced, skilled marketers. Skilled marketers can help develop solid plans and give direction to key employees and departments. For example, an experienced marketer might help customer service, sales and technical-support departments learn how to incorporate a company’s overall market orientation plan. 3.3 Conflict between marketing and other functions The power struggle between different departments within an organization can hinder the process. Task 03 1. Marketing Environment Framework A company’s marketing environment consists of the actors and forces outside marketing that affect marketing management’s ability to build and maintain successful relationships with target customers. (Philip Kotler – 12th Edition) Figure-02 the marketing environment 2. Micro Environment 2.1 Definition Factors or elements in an organization’s immediate area of operations that affect its performance and decision-making freedom. These factors include competitors, customers, distribution channels, suppliers, and the general public. Micro Environment| Description| Factors that impact to Zaid Tea| Suppliers| A party that supplies goods or services. A supplier may be distinguished from a contractor or subcontractor, who commonly adds specialized input to deliverables. | A supplier’s behavior will directly impact the business it supplies. If a supplier provides a poor service Zaid Tea this could increase timescales or product quality. An increase in raw material prices will affect an organization’s Marketing Mix strategy and may even force price increases. Close supplier relationships are an effective way to remain competitive and secure quality products. | Intermediaries| Firm or person (such as a broker or consultant) who acts as a mediator on a link between parties to a business deal, investment decision, negotiation, etc. Intermediaries usually specialize in specific areas, and serve as a conduit for market and other types of information. Also called a middleman. | Zaid Tea must partner effectively with marketing intermediaries to optimize the performance of the total system.| Competition| The marketing concept states that to be successful, an organization must provide greater customer value and satisfaction than its competitors.| Competitor analysis and monitoring is crucial if an organisation is to maintain or improve its position within the market. If a business is unaware of its competitor’s activities they will find it very difficult to â€Å"beat† their competitors. The market can move very quickly. As a business it is important to examine competitors’ responses to these changes so that you can maximise the impact of your response.| Customers| A person, company, or other entity which buys goods and services produced by another person, company, or other entity.| Zaid Tea Company’s marketing plan should aim to attract and retain customers through products that meets their â€Å"wants and needs† and excellent customer service.| Publics| A public is any group that has an actual or potential impact on an organization’s ability to achieve its objectives. | According to Zaid Tea there are number of publics that will impact. They are:Financial Public, Local Public, Med ia Public, Government Public, General PublicZaid Tea should keep a good relationship with these publics in order to run successful business. | 3. Macro Environment 3.1 Definition The major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organization’s decision making, and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include the economic factors; demographics; legal, political, and social conditions; technological changes; and natural forces. Macro environment is also known as uncontrollable environment. Figure-03 Macro environment forces The main forces in the macro environment are commonly denoted by the mnemonic PESTEEL forces. a) Political Environment b) Economical Environment c) Social and cultural Environment d) Technological Environment e) Ecological Environment f) Ethical Environment g) Legal Environment 3.2 Political Environment The first element of a PESTEEl analysis is a study of political factors. Political factors influence Zaid Tea Company in many ways. Political factors can create advantages and opportunities for Zaid Tea. Conversely they can place obligations and duties on company. Political factors include the following types of instrument: – Legislation such as the minimum wage or anti discrimination laws. – Voluntary codes and practices – Market regulations – Trade agreements, tariffs or restrictions – Tax levies and tax breaks – Type of government regime Non conformance with legislative obligations can lead to sanctions such as fines, adverse publicity and imprisonment. Ineffective voluntary codes and practices will often lead to governments introducing legislation to regulate the activities covered by the codes and practices. 3.3 Economical Environment The second element of a PESTEEl analysis involves a study of economic factors. Zaid Tea Company also affected by national and global economic factors. National and global interest rate and fiscal policy will be set around economic conditions. The climate of the economy dictates how consumers, suppliers and other organisational stakeholders such as suppliers and creditors behave within society. An economy undergoing recession will have high unemployment, low spending power and low stakeholder confidence. Conversely a â€Å"booming† or growing economy will have low unemployment, high spending power and high stakeholder confidence. A successful organisation will respond to economic conditions and stakeholder behaviour. Furthermore Zaid Tea will need to review the impact economic conditions are having on their competitors and respond accordingly. Task 04 1. Traditional Marketing Mix 1.1 What Is Marketing Mix Marketing mix is the set of controllable tactical marketing tool that firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market. The marketing mix consists of everything the firm can do to influence the demand for its product. Thus in performing their key tasks marketing managers have at their disposal marketing programs to create customer satisfaction and ultimately profit for the organisation. These tools are often referred as the â€Å"4P s† on how to use these ingredients require marketing research and information. Marketing mix variables are as follow: Figure-04 Traditional Marketing Mix 2. How The Marketing Mix Elements Are Blended Together In Zaid Tea Company Sri Lanka is one of the oldest tea producing countries in the world – commercial Production was started in 1867 by the British planter James Taylor in Loolecondera Estate in Kandy. The tea produced in this country, popularly known as â€Å"Ceylon Tea†, ranks among the best available teas in international trade. In 2007, Sri Lanka was the third-largest tea-producing country globally, with a 9% share of global production, producing 30.6 million kilograms of tea. The total extent of land under tea cultivation has been estimated at approximately 187,309 hectares. Sri Lanka produces tea throughout the year, and the growing areas are mainly concentrated in the central highlands and southern inland areas of the island. They are broadly grouped under these headings according to their elevations, with high growns ranging from 1200 m upwards, medium growns covering between 600 m to 1200 m. and low growns from sea level up to 600 m. High grown teas from Sri Lanka are renowned for their taste and aroma. The two types of seasonal tea produced in these areas, Dimbula and Nuwara Eliya, are much sought-after by blenders in teaimporting countries. Uva teas from the Eastern Highlands contain unique seasonal characteristics and are widely used in many quality blends, particularly in Germany and Japan. The medium grown teas provide a thick colour variety which is popular in Australia, Europe, Japan and North America. The teas produced in low grown areas are mainly popular in Western Asia, Middle Eastern countries and CIS countries. Most factories in these areas produce what is known as a leafy grade of tea, the tea leaves of which are highly twisted and can grade into long particles. 2.1 Product Tea is produced from the Camellia Sinensis plant. The tea plant, which is evergreen, isn’t a shrub as popularly believed but a tree that is grown like a shrub to facilitate the process of tea plucking and production. It is native to Southeast Asia and is grown in a wide range of climatic conditions across the world. Tea is mainly produced in India (the world’s largest producer), Sri Lanka (till recently the world’s largest exporter), China, Kenya, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The differing climatic conditions in the world’s various tea growing areas influence the quality and taste of the various teas. Zaid Tea Company has their own brand – the â€Å"Maskeliya Kahata† range of black teas comes in aluminium pouches and tea bags with their distinct aroma, flavor and liquor. The teas come from plants grown in the cool crispy air of the mountain ranges of the Hatton – Maskeliya tea plantations famed for its teas with its distinctly fine aroma and flavor Further they have their own brand of blended teas and green teas Black Tea c) Maskeliya Kahata in aluminium pouches d) Maskeliya Kahata in tea bags c) Kingswood Tea in loose packaging d) Kingswood Tea in tea bags – flavored and unflavored Green Tea b) Kingswood Green Tea in loose packaging * Kingswood Green Tea in tea bags – flavored and unflavored 2.2 Price Table 02- Price List Effective from 1st January 2013 of Maskeliya Kahata ZAID TEA CO (PVT) LTD| Price List Effective from 1st January 2013| Product| MRP| WSP| QDP| Maskeliya Kahata 20g| 20.00 | 18.00 | 17.10 | Maskeliya Kahata 50g| 42.00 | 36.96 | 35.11 | Maskeliya Kahata 100g| 84.00 | 73.92 | 70.22 | Maskeliya Kahata 250g| 195.00 | 171.60 | 163.02 | Maskeliya Kahata 500g| 385.00 | 338.80 | 321.86 | Maskeliya Kahata 1Kg| 755.00 | 615.00 | 584.25 | Maskeliya Kahata 2Kg| 1,495.00 | 1,215.00 | 1,154.25 | Maskeliya Kahata100 Tea Bags| 250.00 | 220.00 | 209.00 | | | | | | | | | | MRP – Maximum (Marked) Retail Price| | WSP – Wholesale Price – Price to Retail Trader| | QDP – Quantity Discounted Price| | The above table shows the effective price list of Maskeliya Kahata from 1st January 2013. 2.3 Place The role of this element basically describing availability, which is â€Å"right place† and the â€Å"right time†. Zaid’s Maskeliya Kahata is also available in every retailer shops. A channel of place is a set of interdependent organisation, which helps to make a product available in market for use of consumer. Zaid Tea also uses this concept of channels in order to provide Maskeliya Kahata available in the market. The below diagram denotes how Zaid Tea uses the distribution channels. Figure-05 Distribution channels of Zaid Tea * Note- There is also another Distribution channel method: PRODUCER AGENT WHOLESALER RETAILER CONSUMER Conclusion In a fast growing market day by day everything is fluctuating faster than we expect. Products and services are also same. The purpose of the project is to exhibit organisation to be marketing oriented and to aware about the marketing environment with micro and macro environment , how these environments impact to the organisation. Recommendations Plantation companies a) Explore the possibilities of upgrading plantation jobs, by providing upward movement, to attract more workers to work in the estate. b) There should not be any effort from the plantation companies to dilute the existing labour laws which protect the workers in the tea industry, on the grounds of declining returns. c) The big companies could also tie up with the ILO and other civil society organisations to help small growers achieve minimum labour and environmental standards. Adherence to such standards will give an additional product value to the tea being sold at the retail level. In return, the companies could provide incentives in terms of better prices to the small growers. These practices could work to the advantage of both. The government a) Provide technical and marketing assistance to the small and marginalized Farmers b) Provide credit schemes and debt management services to the plantations c) Strengthen the relationships between small tea growers and private processing factories. Develop a strategic intervention in order to help each actor aware of their rights and responsibilities within the value chain. International tea buyers a) Take responsibility for conditions in their entire tea value chains, particularly where they have more influence. b) Provide support to the small tea growers through technical and marketing assistance c) Pay a higher price for tea produced in a sustainable process d) Do not lobby to dilute the social protections available to tea estate workers e) Conduct multi-stakeholder monitoring and verification of the social and environmental standards on the tea estates from which tea is procured Annexure References * PCM Text Book * Kotler P. â€Å"Marketing Management† 9th Edition, Prentice hall of India, 1997, pp 128-150 * www.zaidtea.com

Children of Wealth In Your Warm Nursery

This poem is a Patriarchal sonnet that consists of two stanzas- the first one is an octet in which the thesis is explained and the second one is a sestet in which a solution for the thesis is explained. The poem is about the children in rich families that are overprotected and lead luxurious and extravagant lives. The comfort that they get isn't as good for them as it seems but plays a part in making them ignorant and making them unprepared to face whatever calamities that may befall them. The poem which has a sober and didactic tone is written in second person narrative so that the message has a greater impact on the reader and the reader feels like he's been addressed directly. The poem begins with the children of wealth being addressed in their warm and comfy homes directly as in the first line of the poem which is also the title of the poem as in every sonnet. The children are seated in a warm place on â€Å"cushioned windows† which tells us that they are provided with so much comfort that even their window seated are cushioned .from the beginning we see that the poet exaggerates their riches. They are watching the snow falling that's falling continuously outside sitting from their windows as in the line â€Å"set in the window seat to watch the volleying snow guarded invisibly†. There are two images formed here- one is of the comfortable and warm room in which the children are seated and the second image is of the cold and chilly and harsh winter outside. The only barrier between the two is the clear window referred to as an invisible guard because you cant see it. It doesn't let any pain reach the children as in the line ‘by the clear double pane through which no touch untimely penetrates†. The children don't know what winter is because they have never felt it, just seen it and heard it. Winter is not something which is known just by seeing .. it has to be felt. In the same way, they [the children] have never experienced the hardships that some people face in this world. They have just heard about them. The pun pane describes the window and tells us that no pain can reach the children. If the window would have been single paned the children would still be able to feel the cold air that would seep in. thus we see that winter and â€Å"cold† symbolize harsh realities of the outside world. The glass does indeed keep the children away and well protected from the harsh winter but it also keeps them away from the pains of winter and makes them ignorant which can be painful for them. Their citadel keeps them away from feeling and knowledge which is essential for the survival of human beings in the world as in the line â€Å"your citadel is safe from feeling and from knowledge too†. In the second stanza the poet says that the only way these kids can get rid of their ignorance is if they are exposed to the harsh realities in the world from which they are kept away. In the line † go down go out to elemental wrong†, the poet says that these children should be made to go out and seek the worldly problems out and solve them. The children of wealth are visualized as fair and round so the poet tells them to shed their weight by working hard as in the line â€Å"waste you two round limbs , tan your skin too white†. The poet also says that they should tan their skin which is too white that it looks pale and gives a feeling of something that's decaying by exposing it to the sun. the word â€Å"too† makes it negative. So, the poet is urging them in using a tone with urgency to seek the outside world and face its difficulties so that they may be able to shed their ignorance. The second stanza shows the glass as not only a barrier that provides protection but also a dangerous object that is being identified with ignorance as in the line â€Å"the glass of comfort, ignorance seems strong†. In the next lines the poet warns them that of a possibility of a fire starting in their houses as in the line â€Å"today and yet perhaps this very night you'll wake to horrors wrecking fire your home is wired within for this in every room . The word â€Å"yet† in this line gives an effective warning sound. And if something like that does happen they wont be able to protect themselves and how ever will they escape? Their only way will be out of the window which unfortunately won't give way too easily because it's double paned. In the same way they won't be able to survive in the outside world because of their ignorance which is symbolized by glass. The poem ends with a very clear warning to the children of wealth making it clear that unless they don't seek and expose themselves to reality and experience the difficulties of this world they are going to be vulnerable to this worlds dangers.

Good Order and Discipline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Good Order and Discipline - Essay Example Good Order and Discipline Recently in the United States, there have been reports of army men being discharged from the army without honor due to lack of good order and discipline. Other professionals are also expected to maintain good order and discipline. The same applies to teachers who are expected to instill the virtue of good order and discipline to their students. This notion is used as a yard stick in almost every concept of life. So the pertinent question remains what is good order and discipline? For purposes of better understanding Ireland describes this phrase in the form of two entities before integrating it into one. Discipline is defined as the capability to do something in accordance with set regulations and laws. The phrase good order is taken to mean ‘doing something in the right manner’. In totality, good order and discipline are generally taken to mean training to follow set rules and regulations and also to act in the right manner. All military organizations have set regulatio ns and any military member is expected to be aware of and follow these rules. Any conduct prejudicial to this effect is considered an offence and is punishable by law. Being introduced in the military as early as the seventeenth century, it has been developed and is now considered as a catch-all offence. Major revisions are still being done on documents in various countries to make this article more specific. Basically, the article on good conduct and discipline serves to provide several sections of the army. (Michael 100). For instance, in United States of America, it provides policies on issues such as changes of rank, procedure of designation, professional and non-professional relationships between soldiers of different ranks, use of language and even distribution of non-government printed materials. The same is the case in countries such as Britain with several clauses being more specific. A typical example in this case is the honorable discharge of soldiers depending on the cau se of death (Michael 209). According to Miner (90), the realization of the possibility of abuse of power by the military led to the creation of such a regulation. Before its creation, various questions were raised on whether the military maintained well-honed professional skills during their missions. For example it was not surprising to find cases of rape where soldiers visited. Actually, most civilians who underwent such ordeals will remain forever grateful to the unknown prodigy who was the initial conceiver of discipline and good conduct in the military. It is noteworthy to consider that this law has been applied successfully over the years to get rid of unworthy soldiers. Recently, a United States Army member was discharged without honor because of bashing president Barrack Obama. Additionally, members of the army have retired without any problems and in the process they were also able to get their full dues. In cases of work related death or injury, the families are well compe nsated. However, unquestionable empirical and recorded data have also shown the abuse of this code especially by the senior officials in the military. Mostly, this code is used as a tool for framing charges and even vindicating unquestionable crimes. Most army men and women have been unlawfully discharged on ostensibly stated crimes. This raises questions as to the validity of this code and whether it is being applied in some countries. Furthermore, it is contentious in regard to how it is being implemented. In some situations the code is manipulated and obstructs justice. Thus supervision of code is rightfully necessary. It is not only unfair, but inhuman to discharge army personnel on false accusations given the service they offer serving their country (Ireland 78). Apparently, unquestionable data have also shown that some soldiers are unaware of all or part of this code. In some cases, it is the meaning that brings the major difference in this masterly piece of military jurisprud ence. One episode

How did the differences in Persian and Greek political and military Essay

How did the differences in Persian and Greek political and military organization determine the course of the Persian Wars - Essay Example It may be more than substantial to note that most of the facts on the Persian Wars were written by Greeks in what can be perceived as less than objective detail of account. The tyrants who were placed into office after their defeat at Ephesus in 498 B.C. created further conflict among the Hellinistic states. Sparta lend a hand to Alcmaeonidae to overthrow Hippias in 510 B.C. but it was still not enough to ensure a lasting alliance. The eventual coalition came to be in defense of Ionia wherein the leading factions were able to set aside their differences to be able to overcome Persian autocracy. ii The emergence of Greece as a strong compounded force made it difficult for the already dwindling Persian force to defeat it. As the war fizzled out, the huge Persian Army, which overshadows the Greeks in sheer number proved to be inadequate in comparison to the combined cunning and force of the Greeks. The internal conflicts among the different convictions within Athens in reference to other city-states were one of the main factors which contributed to the prolonged indifference to finally halt the

UPS Invests Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

UPS Invests - Essay Example Many of these objectives are going to be attained by monitoring, fuel consumption which will mean that they will be able to use less fuel during their activities. Another thing that the company aims at by introducing the new technology is to encourage responsibility and accountability of their employees. With the new technology they will be able to monitor their activities throughout the world. There are a number of things that United Parcel Service is doing in the bid of embracing technology. They are fitting their delivery vans with sensors that enable them to collect data about the activities that these vans are involved in. For the data that is collected to be inclusive the sensors are installed various parts of the vehicles. The parts of the vehicles that are fitted with these sensors include: the brakes, engine boxes, and the accelerators. A combination of data collected from these parts can help in coming up with inclusive information on the performance of these vehicles. The data that they aim at collecting include information about the routes used by the vans, the amount of fuel consumed by the vans, and amount of time that the engines are left idle. Given that most of their parcel transportation takes place through air transport, they also aim at conserving flight fuel, moderating flight speed, and regulating the routes that are used by their flights. The sensors that are used by their trucks will also see to it that the consumption of fuel is minimized. Every morning the drivers are briefed on the data that was collected from the vehicle that they drive (Sobey, 2009). Apart from the briefing the company also offers advice to the drivers on things that they could do to make sure that their activities contributes to the sustainability of the company. There are a number of ways in which United Parcel Service will benefit from virtualization. The

The Developing Conflict Management Skills in the Hospital Essay

The Developing Conflict Management Skills in the Hospital - Essay Example Communication is very important in making the oncology ward staff effective. I will always listen before I speak, speak slowly and clearly, use diagrams where possible to express my points and encourage questions (Ellis, 2009, p. 33). Burnard (1997, p. 83) asserts that listening shows that one cares. Furthermore, I will acknowledge differences of opinions, be open-minded, not be judgmental, accept feedback, be assertive, and share my feelings and thoughts with members of staff. Good communication ensures that interpersonal communication between leaders and followers is clear and understandable. Good communication ensures that all the team members are informed about how their actions, behaviour and work affect the hospital, patients and the society (Ellis, 2005, p. 23). Good communication skills will ensure that the vision and mission of the oncology ward are well communicated to the staff. Proficiency is necessary for informing and seeking information. I will try as much as possible to communicate with all members regularly. When a problem arises, I will meet with affected parties to discuss and arrive at an acceptable solution within twenty-four hours. I will establish direct contacts with all team members once every week to recognize their efforts and notice their concerns. In addition, I will always be explicit and clear on the expectations I have for all my team members. Effective persuasion is an important communication skill that I will alarm. It enables a leader to influence followers and other key persons in the hospital to follow a particular path or implement a certain idea.

Identification the Stages of C elegans Lab Report

Identification the Stages of C elegans - Lab Report Example Most molecular genetics experiment cannot be employed on humans because of their complexity. In order to perform these experiments, researchers use certain model organisms which can be cultured very easily in the laboratory and is easy to manipulate. These model organisms though physically different from humans bear certain biochemical and physiological features that have been conserved during evolution (Hedges,2002, p838). With this respect, the nematode worm Caenorhabditis Celegans offer certain exceptional advantages and is one of the foremost model systems in molecular genetics. In order to study gene function in model organisms, single gene mutations are introduced and phenotypical characters are analyzed. The result of this analysis may vary-some of these single gene mutations would produce drastic biochemical or structural differences while others may go silent when compared with the wild-type phenotype (Fire at all,1998). Background of RNAi RNAi (RNA inference) also known as post-transcriptional gene silencing is a biological process which down-regulates expression of the targeted gene. Exogenous dsRNA could induce potent and sequence-specific silencing of endogenous gene expression in C.elegans (Fire et al,1998) i.e. intentional introduction of dsRNA into any organism, the difference in traits as a result of gene silencing may be observed. Worms as a model system: Most molecular genetics experiment cannot be employed on humans because of their complexity. In order to perform these experiments, researchers use certain model organisms which can be cultured very easily in the laboratory and is easy to manipulate and Celegans is an ideal organism because of the following characteristics: It is a eukaryote Genome size is small (97 Megabases) Small lifecycle Easy to maintain in laboratory (Gilbert,2000) Gene that we studied: The entire genome of C.elegans has been sequenced and therefore we have a clear understanding about the genes. We used 4 mutant with different genes suppressed so as to try and understand the role of the genes in the wild C.elegans. The genes are day-10, roll-6, by-1, and unc-22.  Material Required: Mutant worms on NGM-lite plates Wild-type worms on NGM-lite plates Binocular dissecting microscope Methods: 1. LAB1-part 1- Plates with wild worms are seen under microscope and behavior is observed. Life stage of microscope and drop on the plate to induce movement. Tapping the plate may also be required to induce movement. Observation of lifecycle is made. 2. LAB1-part 2 Both mutant and wild types are observed under the microscope and morphological and locomotor differences between them are observed and recorded. 2 E. coli are used as the food source for C.elegans. C.elegans are propagated on the lawn of E-coli on NGM-lite medium. The worms are propagated from plate to plate by the process of chucking and picking. Chucking and Picking Chucking is a rapid way of transfer and involved cutting out a portion of the NGM-lite medium where E. coli food source had been consumed and transferring it on a new plate. Picking involves transferring of individual worms with the help of flattened tip of a platinum wire.

Crimes in the Movie Fletch Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Crimes in the Fletch - Movie Review Example As much as his intentions are praiseworthy, he still runs into trouble. Scene #1 There is a criminal solicitation in this opening scene. According to Section 5.02 of the Model Penal Code, â€Å"an individual is only guilty of solicitation to commit a crime if with the interest of promoting what he supports, encourages or request someone else to participate in that involves committing such a criminal act (Schmalleger, 2010).† It is evident that Stanwyck tries to involve Fletch in a criminal solicitation crime, when he asks Fletch to kill him and end his suffering from cancer and save his insurance for his wife. In this same scene, criminal conspiracy as a crime is evident. When Stanwyck mentions his murder as a way of providing his wife with insurance money, it clearly portrays the conspiracy to commit insurance fraud. According to the Model Penal Code section 5.03, â€Å"an individual is guilty of conspiracy with someone else to commit a crime if with the intention of endorsi ng its plan he agrees to work or help such an individual in planning such a crime (Schmalleger, 2010). Scene #4 In this scene, Fletch doubts the condition of Stanwyck and feels that he is tricking him. To seek the truth behind this, he decides to visit the family doctor of Stanwyck for information who turns him down. Failing to get the information, Fletch disguises as a doctor and sneaks in the hospital to acquire the information. At this juncture, he violates the doctor to patient privileges. According to the Mode Penal Code section 241, impersonating a public servant, â€Å"an individual commits a crime if deceptively pretends to work in the public service with the intention of inducing someone else to give in the pretended official power†(Schmalleger, 2010). The second crime is the violation of doctor to patient information. A patient should not be full of fear of revelation and access of his information to someone else by the doctor. When Fletch disguised as a doctor and accessed the information, he committed a crime. Based on Find a Law, â€Å"Doctor-patient confidentiality is not supposed to be shared unless with the permission of the patient (Breaches of Doctor to Patient Confidentiality, 2012). If this case was to go to court, Fletch would have no defense, since it is clear that he is going against regulations. Scene #7 Fletch is making a phone call at the beach seeking to know the whereabouts of Stanwyck. He then notices a police approaching them fat. The police chase him and another black guy, gummy. After catching them, the policemen start beating Gummy and force him into the car. On seeing this, Fletch tries to stop the police, but his efforts seem futile. As the police drive away, he throws a stone shuttering the rear mirror of the car. He then goes to the newspaper's office asking for money to return to Uttah. When in Uttah, he contacts Stanwyck’s realtor and gets the truth behind the bought property. He sees that Stanwyck paid $30 00 instead of $3000000 as Stanwyck had told his wife. He then decides he needs intelligence and breaks into the realtor’s office to get concrete evidence. Fletch jumps over the fence and gets into the office to get the data. He then takes some photos of the data and gets chased by a guard dog. At the point where the police chase down Gummy, there is clear evidence of excessive use of force, which violates section 3.07 of the Model Penal Code, â€Å"

The Role of Competitive Intelligence on Google Essay

The Role of Competitive Intelligence on Google - Essay Example nce at Google Advantages of Competitive Intelligence The main objective of competitive intelligence is to identify new opportunities and potential threats that lie ahead. It tries to detect and counter the threat from competition. Competitive intelligence aims to remove or reduce the surprises and therefore tries to develop and enhance the competitive advantage. Globalization along with access to the huge databases and the realization of the new type of competitor and business opportunities has also led to the advancement in the competitive intelligence. Therefore, competitive intelligence keeps the companies ahead of their competitors and therefore opens new horizon for them (All Hands Business Solutions, 2009). The figure below explains the competitive intelligence cycle which begins with planning and ends at diffusion of the information at the organisation. Source: (Quoniam, n.d.). When the data is gathered from numerous sources, it is evaluated in order to identify the competitor ’s strategies as well as future directions. The main objective of the CI is to make informed marketing as well as strategic decisions through which gaining strategic advantage and reduction of the risk is possible (College of Business and Public Policy, 2011). It is worth mentioning that when a company has detailed information and knowledge regarding the product/ services of its competitors, the company is likely to gain advantage that will assist it in planning the best strategies and therefore enhance the overall profitability and market share (The University of New York, 2011). The main result obtained from the competitive intelligence is its capability to prepare forward-looking decisions. Hence, it can be stated that it is through competitive intelligence that the companies are...When the data is gathered from numerous sources, it is evaluated in order to identify the competitor’s strategies as well as future directions. The main objective of the CI is to make inf ormed marketing as well as strategic decisions through which gaining strategic advantage and reduction of the risk is possible (College of Business and Public Policy, 2011). It is worth mentioning that when a company has detailed information and knowledge regarding the product/ services of its competitors, the company is likely to gain advantage that will assist it in planning the best strategies and therefore enhance the overall profitability and market share (The University of New York, 2011). The main result obtained from the competitive intelligence is its capability to prepare forward-looking decisions. Hence, it can be stated that it is through competitive intelligence that the companies are capable of making strategic decision making as well as that of market leadership. Disadvantage or Potential Pitfalls of Competitive Intelligence As per the views of Malhotra (1996), its main goal is to collect pertinent information which is valid and accurate. Inaccurate information may endanger organisation’s competitive intelligence efforts. The other significant drawbacks of competitive intelligence are that there may be illustrations of fake confirmation where a significant source of data may tend to confirm the records received from other sources.

Zip Car Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Zip Car - Case Study Example The business had a market of people that would enjoy using Zip car. The market was good for those who were able to use the internet and did not have a car available for use at all times. The market for Zip car would target those who did not do a lot of driving throughout the year. It was important for Chase to allow operating costs to be cheaper than the cost of leasing, renting or purchasing a car. By doing this, Chase would entice the targeted market to use Zip cars as a main means of transportation. Funding is a problem for many businesses. Chase, with the help of Danielson, created business plans and presentations that are appropriate for investors. Investors want to see that they are going to receive the money they lent and more. Chase performed the necessary research and gave the investors exactly what they wanted. Seeking a new engineer to create the software was a way to keep cost down and achieve the necessary technology that Zip car needed. A new software engineer costs less than an engineer that has more experience. Little cost cutting techniques like this used by Chase were important for allowing funding to go as far as possible. Zip car had everything lined up to get the business started and seemed as if it could be successful. Question # 2) What is the business model, and how has it changed between Dec. 1999 and May 2000? What do the data from actual operations in September say about how the business model is working? Does this give you comfort or concern? Answer # 2) A business model is important for every business. Business models show the most important part of a business. That part is the businesses numbers. The numbers show everything. If the proper research has been performed and the numbers do not show a potential profit, there is no need to start the business. The business model for Zip car shows the expenses and profit for the company. The business model shows expenses such as leases, insurance, parking

The Political Economy of Permanent Crisis in the Philippines Essay Example for Free

The Political Economy of Permanent Crisis in the Philippines Essay In a world where competition gets tougher and tighter, it does not pay to play around and settle with typical and average situations. It is not valuable that we settle for anything less. Hence, it is necessary that we improve on what we got and acquire some assets that we do not possess. However, looking on the Philippine context, statistics prove that we lag behind some countries; more disappointingly, behind some countries which were once at the bottom before. How did this happen? History may give the answers but what matters is how the government approached the dilemmas the country was facing few years back. Chapter Six of the book, â€Å"The Anti-Development State: The Political Economy of Permanent Crisis in the Philippines† by Walden Bello talks about â€Å"unsustainable development.† Sustainable development; what could this mean? As defined in the book, â€Å"sustainable development† is the development that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The chapter then discussed about environmental concerns in relevance with the economic policies. Economic activities cannot be separated from the environment since we get resources from the environment in order to produce goods or services that we use up for economic purposes and to supply the necessities of people. Walden Bello takes up the mining and logging industry when both were at their peak. On mining industry, the government was almost over-the-top generous on offering various incentives to multinational corporations for them to extract the country’s vast mineral resources. However, the side-effect of this, on the other hand, was that the indigenous people living within the area of the mine sites involved were eventually out of the government’s concern, consideration, and protection. The situation sets the fact that the indigenous people’s community and welfare were unmercifully ignored. The government focused on improving and strengthening the mining sector for future capital inflow that the benefit and well-being of the indigenous people were disregarded. Would the inflow of money really be used for public necessities? Or would it be kept in the pockets of some few privileged elites? Going now to the logging industry, there was a time when this sector boomed and the Philippines had become the fifth-largest exporter of timber in the world market. Of course, the government was obviously overwhelmed when some logger-turned-politicians gained control over the logging industry and granted special considerations, and exemptions to â€Å"legitimized illegal logging† (as referred to by former DENR Sec. Victor Ramos). Soon after, more and more trees were cut and abused. Although the Department of National Resources (DENR) tried to secure and protect the trees, their power was not enough. Illegal loggers became aggressive to the point where they would kill DENR rangers that would stop them. Loggers got off delirious because the government tolerated the act of cutting trees that had become widely â€Å"legitimately illegal.† As said in the chapter, â€Å"environmental equilibrium and economic strategy were simply in contradiction.† Sustainable development needs balance. Implementing economic policies for economic interests is a necessity; but having them to tolerate environmental degradation could get things worse. That instead of sustaining development, abuse of natural resources may mean halting of progress. Speaking of progress, there are several causes that brings a country to the bottom; or worse, to a downfall; although there is this one popular factor affecting and/or hindering development which is the trendy corruption. Whether be it a petty one, or ratchet corruption, still they contribute to the economic stagnation of the country. But can we really blame our slow growth with this factor? Chapter seven tackles about corruption and poverty with the idea that it is not corruption per se that causes poverty and economic stagnation. With the latter, the chapter brings up the cases of crony capitalism evident in some administrations especially during the presidency of Joseph Estrada. The bottom-line of the chapter lies with the idea that underdevelopment of the Philippines must not be blamed wholly on corruption; but it is with the ruling elite groups having control over the market, resources, some people, and others. Specifically, crony capitalism enters the scenario. During the reign of Joseph Estrada, transactions involving him and some wealthy personalities and public officials were the reasons that brought his supremacy down. Discussed in the chapter were Estrada’s four notorious cronies namely: Lucio Tan, Mark Jimenez, Dante Tan, and Danding Cojuangco. Obviously, these four people were Estrada’s friends; and what do friends do? They support and help each other. Just like what these cronies did for Estrada, they gave him support through providing him cash, campaign arrangement, political connections, and other contributions for his campaign. Of course, for a friend that has been given big things, the debt of gratitude comes next, or what we call, â€Å"utang na loob†. True enough, we cannot really get rid of that attitude of ours since we Filipinos value â€Å"pakikisama†. Back to Estrada, as a great friend, he gave them something in return. Estrada used his powers as a mortal supreme being to repay his crony friend s. He gave them what they wanted. Just like what happened to his first listed friend, Lucio Tan. Lucio Tan, back then, was charged with a tax evasion case. It was one of the biggest tax evasion case in the Philippine’s history. Yes, talk about Php 25 billion. Hearing this, Estrada declared his intention on abolishing the government agency responsible for going after the people with ill-gotten wealth. Getting away with your wrongdoings because of a connection; smart thinking, Mr. Lucio. Another issue involving Lucio Tan, as the owner of Philippine Airlines (PAL), was when he suspended the flights between Philippines and Taiwan because of his accusation that Taiwan’s China Airlines and EVA Airways are stealing the passengers of PAL by implementing lower prices. Lucio Tan accused them of violating the passenger quotas in a bilateral air-services agreement. With the suspension, PAL was able to acquire more passengers. Well, good for PAL. But on the other hand, the suspension meant some diplomatic argument between PH and Taiwan. Just so happened during that time, PH depended on Taiwan for jobs, trade, and tourists. Unfortunately, the suspension was not really of a well-timed move to exasperate the country that we rely upon. Another friend was Mark Jimenez. Mark was charged of several accounts of fraud, tax evasion, and illegal campaign contribution in the US. As he heard of the news, Mark pushed himself in the circle of Estrada. As a friend, again, Estrada said he would take care of the situation; a friend to the rescue, indeed. At some point, Mark Jimenez was also a great broker back then. He was described as a â€Å"corporate genius† by the former president. Surely, they did things for each other; whether be it legal or illegal, right or wrong. Dante Tan, however, was one of the identified depositors in the famous â€Å"Jose-Velarde† account. Dante got caught up with issue on Best World (BW) controversy. BW experienced a strange share-price increase that led for an investigation. However, the very good friend himself, Joseph Estrada, became a hero once more from saving the face of Jimenez. Estrada told the investigators to clear the name of Jimenez; and that was it, another name saved. It was another getaway from a transgression. Lastly, the final friend and crony listed was Danding Cojuangco. During Marcos’ regime, he made Danding as the director of the Philippine Coconut Administration (PCA), meaning, as appointed in a powerful position, Danding could make use of the funds from the said government agency. Danding used the funds of PCA to be able to invest to few corporations making the public funds turn into private ones. He successfully managed to own one of his precious possessions, the San Miguel Corporation, which was allegedly bought through the PCA funds. Another issue with Danding was the matter on land reform. Cojuangco tried to control various lands while assumingly giving up his claims as a landowner; all of these possible because of Estrada’s lavish support to his friend. Tying and combining all of the cases above, it is safe to assume that Estrada has been a corrupt official. Tolerating all the bribery and fraud, shamefully as the most powerful public official whom must be the one showing examples as a good citizen. Cronies of Estrada were undoubtedly good friends to him; and so was he. He received praises as an outstanding friend; of course, from the four cronies he had. He might actually get an award as the â€Å"Best Friend of the Year† award, if there is one. Being a great, helpful, and generous buddy is totally superb and fantastic. Helping is not bad, nor is being generous kind not either. But there are limits that one must know upon giving in to something immoral and illegal. True enough that the cases above were brought about by cronyism and corruption; few factors adding up to the causes of underdevelopment. Philippine’s stagnation has been heavily acquainted with corruption; a fact. Even so, corruption has been the evil word being associated with the country’s poor description. Ask anyone on what causes Philippine’s underdevelopment, I would not even put the effort on asking since I know that almost everyone would answer, corruption. Truth is, corruption cannot be removed in a snap, nor it cannot be eradicated at all. Corruption is not some litter that can be swept off and be dissolved forever, but corruption is somewhat a permanent phenomenon. The only way to fight it is probably to minimize it and prevent it from happening. Nonetheless, we are not living in a perfect world. We cannot monitor everyone in this country if they are doing anything illegal and if they are being corrupt. My point is, petty corruption may be almost anywhere and somewhat unnoticeable. The important thing is we must be able to minimize and control ratchet corruption, as it is being associated with big sums of money that will have an effect over the country’s growth. Whatever it may be, still, corruption is illegitimate as for it promotes interests only for private gains. And whatever Estrada and his cronies did, they contributed to the country’s economic underdevelopment. Although we always blame corruption for poverty and economic stagnation, is it fair enough that we point to corruption per se as the whole sinner for this tumbled economy? In the same chapter, Bello also points out that economic stagnation cannot just be attributed to corruption and cronyism. He brought up cases linked with our country’s neighbors as being developed even though they have high statistics on corruption cases. An example given was South Korea. South Korea also experienced extensive corruption and yet their country grew and grew until now. The argument is, if some corrupt countries are able to attain growth and development, maybe corruption is not the key cause of economic stagnation. As stated, Jens Chr. Andvig and Odd-Helge Fjeldstad, Brunetti, Kisunku, Weder in 1997, and Paldam in 1999, surveyed econometric studies testing the relationship between corruption and economic growth. In their survey, they found out that GDP growth is insignificant. Although some of them said that a country is corrupt because it is poor. Going back to basics and as stated in the chapter, corruption is generally defined to be the misuse of public resources by a public agent for private gains. The view taken from the chapter says that wrong behaviors of the elites are the primary reasons why the Philippines remains to be a weak state. Our country seems to be experiencing â€Å"anarchy of families† (as stated by Alfred McCoy and termed by anthropologist Robert Fox). Due to the ruling class and other abusive and opportunistic elites, they have been dominating the state using their social power and money. As the elites being influential in the country, they have their ways on protecting and getting their interests against the public interests of the state. The disappointing part is that the state has been continuously tolerating and serving these elites through providing them their private interests. As a result, the state’s autonomy weakened because the public resources were privatized and benefitted elite families. The government could no longer fight against these families due to the fact that a weak state has already been existing and elites are the ones being strengthened. It is an awfully bad combination that the country has strong elite families and a weak state wherein few elite families are enjoying the privatization of public resources while the state’s resources are weakening. Now, as to connect the latter with the pointed out root of the state’s stagnation which is corruption, it all trickles down to the idea that both of these are the factors why the Philippines lags behind neighbor countries. But as to slightly defend corruption, Walden Bello suggests and emphasizes that corruption is not the real cause of poor Philippines; rather it is the weak state and the abusive elites. The thing is, people tend to not consider the underlying cause of the state’s problem. Some ignorant people are likely focusing on the proximate causes and not on the ultimate cause which is why the approach on the problem has not been pretty much pragmatic and somehow progress is not really achieved. Walden Bello again pressed the issue on corruption vis-à  -vis the ruling elites when he stated in the chapter that these elite families are using corruption as an escape goat and weapon with the hope that they may take over the power of the public officials and to have something to blame for the country’s economic stagnation. As a result, we keep on blaming corruption as the sole problem of our state’s underdevelopment. Our minds are focused on this target that we do not consider anymore the root cause of our problem. It is stated in the chapter that â€Å"the idea that we are poor because we are corrupt is conceptually and empirically flawed.† That idea has been used to strengthen the power of local elites and empower the neoliberal thought including privatization and deregulation, which are in favor of the ruling elites. In conclusion, Bello stated that what the state needs for development is â€Å"not less, but more state.† This is to give importance of the state’s supremacy over the elites. This means that the weak state must be transformed to a strong state by realizing the greater autonomy of the state than the little prowess of the elites. Strategies on attaining sustainable development must be done accordingly. Taking in consideration some of the points given above, it is strongly clear that the state must act on the emergence of the upper class. Given the fact that the Americans have inculcated in the Philippines their pattern of a weak central authority which in turn gives power to the upper class and prevented, eventually, a developed state, this means that the Philippines had adapted a system in what we call, the â€Å"EDSA System,† as described by Bello. EDSA System is democratic in the sense that it makes the electoral procedure as its weapon for political success. Still, politics in the Philippines are well-dominated by the elite and upper class people and somehow manipulating and sabotaging the Philippines’ developmental system. Lessons from reading the chapters given above have brought about the idea that the political and economic development of the Philippines was worsened over the past years especially through the EDSA System. However, the very fact this book was published is to bring together some analysis supported with historical facts that would create some valid suggestions on letting in development in the Philippines. In the end, Philippines’ developmental plans must proceed to its maximum ability and have an alternative political economy that would boost the political and economic sectors. Build up the strong state and minimize the elites’ powers. The way out of national impasse is not far from possible; that is, unless, if we move the EDSA system out of the Philippines’ political economy.

Attitude and Luxury Essay Example for Free

Attitude and Luxury Essay It is universal truth that luxury brand industry is still booming even during financial crisis because todays people have the right mind-set that luxury products are purposeful and well thought out. In other words, they want to show off their wealth and personal status. Main Forces The Macroenvironment Facing The Luxury Brand Industry Analysing the macroenvironment facing the luxury brand industry, there are demographic forces, economic forces, cultural forces and technological forces. 1) Demographic Forces. Demography is the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race, occupation and other statistics â€Å"Principles of marketing† (Kotler, Adam, Denize and Armstrong, 2008, p. 89). Age It is learnt from the case study that generation Y is so important to luxury brands. The main reason is that most of them are single people with single incomes. So, their spending power is really higher, compared to generation X. Thus, recession also does not affect them much. As a result, generation Y can be considered as a confident segment that prefers to spend over saving. Moreover, they are brand loyal and feel personally connected to their choices. And, they get the information from the social web like Facebook and Twitter as well as from the fashion-forward television series Gossip Girl (Caines, 2009). In addition, they have been attracted by those Hollywood stars like Emma Watson, Rachael Taylor, Kristen Stewart using Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. (Case Study). Therefore, it is understood that the international luxury market is made up of young affluent citizens of the world. Location. According to the â€Å"Luxury Fashion Branding† (Okonkwo, 2007, p. 73), a quarter of the world who are using luxury goods are Japanese. And, most of them are over fifty years old who are the centre of the Japan’s wealth. They are more willing to buy the luxury brands without hesitating. Moreover, Asians are very enthusiastic to sample for new things and prefer to buy the best quality because they acknowledge Western brands as high quality. After all, the most important reason to have the designer brands or luxury brands for them is for their personal status. 2) Economic Forces. They consist of factors that affect consumers buying power and spending patterns â€Å"Principles of marketing† (Kotler, Adam, Denize and Armstrong, 2008, p. 89). In fact, both of the power depends mainly on the personal income and country economy. Based on (Yann Truong, 2010, p666), Yann Truong said that lower and middle class consumers are more interested in luxury brands due to the global growth of disposable income. Indeed, the buying power heavily depends on the income. The consumer income reflects their lifestyle and living standard. It means that the more they earn, the more they spend on luxury products. Thats why, it is studied that the marketers are observing the changes of the economic trend every second in order to grab the opportunities. 3) Cultural Forces It consists of societys basic values, perceptions, preferences and behaviours â€Å"Principles of marketing† (Kotler, Adam, Denize and Armstrong, 2008, p. 89). â€Å"Brand Equity of Luxury Fashion Brands Among Chinese and U. S. Young Female Consumers† (Jung and Shen, 2011, p. 55) explained that Confucian philosophy is deeply rooted in China and Chinese people are too obedience to theirs superiors for social harmony. Therefore, China consumers have a very strong respect for authority compared to the United States consumers. As a result, Chinese are more likely to be influenced by the celebrities and opinion leaders. Furthermore, their imitation of celebrities’ lifestyles is quite high, and their purchasing decisions are strongly influenced by the celebrities. Thus, business people are using the celebrities to advertise their brands in the market. 4) Technological Forces They affect new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities â€Å"Principles of marketing† (Kotler, Adam, Denize and Armstrong, 2008, p.89). It is undoubted that the technology plays as the most powerful force shaping the luxury brand industry. Everything we use nowadays exists because of the technology. â€Å"Luxury Fashion Branding† (Okonkwo, 2007, p. 179) indicated the impact of the internet on the luxury brand industry is mind-blogging and it could change consumer behaviour and the way the company operated. Technology introduced us with the internet, internet banking, credit card and online shopping. The online shopping become very popular since the consumer only needs a few clicks and a few minutes to buy the desire brands. As a result, E-retail has become the essential sales channel for the luxury brands to sell their products online. Clearly, both the consumers and the luxury brands have a lot of benefits because of the technology. Providing up-to-date information, customers can save time not to visit many outlets when they want to get something, can make the products comparison at home and they also feel very convenient and trustworthy to shop online are a few benefits consumers can enjoy because of the technology. Factors Influencing The Increase In Younger Consumers Interest In Luxury Products The main factor that greatly influences young peoples interest in luxury brands is Internet. Nowadays most of the young people are wasting almost half day of their time on the internet. The first thing they do in the morning is the checking their Facebook profile or email. That is the proved that internet is very popular among young people. Those young people are using Facebook or Twitter every day to communicate and share the information with their friends. As an example, a 20 years old girl bought a Kate Spade bag and posted it on her Facebook. Then, all of her friends or who look at her Facebook profile saw the bag and realized that this brand is called Kate Spade from New York, and then they will buy the same bag or the same brand. This is how internet could speed up younger consumers interest in luxury brand. Furthermore, some people like to post their favourite actors or actresses photos on their Facebook, like Kristen Stewart who is the actress of the Twilight, wearing Camilla Marc dress when she attended the film’s Paris premiere. Immediately, her photo wearing that dress was on Facebook and some other blogs. After a short while, the company received the high demand for that dress (Caines, 2009). Similarly, the brand named Billabong also received the high response for its Hannah jacket from the customers by uploading the Stewart photographs on internet. In the photographs, Stewart was wearing the Hannah jacket and soon the company received sell-out-orders for that jacket when the Twilight fans saw the photographs (Caines, 2009). Another factor makes younger consumers interested in luxury brands is magazine. According to the (Caines, 2009), 18 to 27 years old people have been influenced the luxury brand by the magazine. In other words, they love to read magazine rather than the traditional newspaper. Then, they browse through who are at where and who are using which products. The final factor that young people are interested in luxury products is peer pressure. They want to compete with each other and show off among their friends. But, of course, there are some young consumers who want to get high quality with gorgeous design for their personal status. As well as, they have admired the brand’s craftsmanship â€Å"Innovative Tokyo† (Fujita and Hill, 2005, p. 26). Conduct secondary research to find out the reasons for the growing interest in fake luxury brands and ironic purchasing among young people The fake luxury brands exist because of the consumers’ appetite for real luxury brands. And, another reason is that young people cannot afford the genuine products. So, they just buy the replica things like LV and Gucci although they know that those products are fakes and in poor quality â€Å"Why Do Consumers Buy Counterfeit Luxury Brands? â€Å" (Wilcox, Kim, Sen and Sankar, 2009, p. 248). One of the Los Angeles designer also mentioned that â€Å"It is completely opposite from 10 years ago. Everybody is proud to say they got an off-price deal or a knockoff† (Smith, 2000). It showed that consumers are proud to have good quality replica products and even think that they are resourceful. In addition, they even spread the words to their friends that they could find the quality fake goods easily. And, Smith (2000) indicated that â€Å"22-year-old woman not only could buy a replica Kate Spade bag with the bargained price of $35 but also receive the compliments on that bag†. It is obvious that nowadays, majority of young ladies buy only fakes and they do not care about buying a fake Kate Spade bag as long as it has a label. Based on Smith (2000) â€Å"11-year-old daughter ask her mother to buy a Kate Spade handbag for her birthday present and the mother bought two fake bags instead and feeling sure it would be enough†. Moreover, Smith (2000) also expressed that â€Å"Using of expensive luxury handbags at school become so popular among 10- to 14-year old girls† said by one of the school officials. The above paragraphs explain the difference between the genuine goods and the fake goods. Although the fake luxury brands are cheap and poor in quality, they still have many advantages. In fact, they help to reduce the burden of the parents since the real brands are expensive. On the other hand, they give parents the other options because buying real brands for young children is the indirect way of spoiling their attitude and behaviour. Most importantly, the replica luxury brands could satisfy the children and make the both party happy. Some young shopper said that â€Å"With a luxury bag, you’re bored of it after one season† according to â€Å"Counterfeiting Exposed† (Hopkins, Kontnik, Turnage, 2003, p.49). It is true that some consumers might think that they would not pay thousands of dollars on genuine brands when the fake brands could be bought easily with their bargain purchasing power. They could satisfy their needs with the fake brands and most importantly the quality of the fake brands are improving like Korea made Lousi Vuitton called AAA quality, and then they become more authentic looking. In addition, consumers could easily change to other brands or designs due to cheap offer. In summary, the consumers are continuing buying the fake brands although they know they are buying the replica products. Aside to the poor quality, the fake brands have many advantages such as cheap in price, authentic looking and switching to other bands or design without hesitating. In addition, the price difference between the fake luxury brands and the genuine luxury brands is quite significant nevertheless functionality is affected very little. Therefore, it is natural that consumers are growing interest in fake luxury brands and buy it over the genuine brands. Reference Caines, C. , 2009. Young Stars raise style stakes. The Australian, [online]2 September. Available at: http://www. theaustralian.com. au/news/lifestyle/young-stars-raise-style-stakes/story-e6frg8k6-1225768442198 [Accessed on 14 February 2012] Fujita, K. and Hill, R. C. , 2005. Innovative Tokyo. United States of America: Michigan State University. Hopkins, D. , Kontnik, L. T. and Turnage, M, T. , 2003. Counterfeiting Exposed. United States of America: J. Wiley Sons. Jung, J. and Shen, D. , 2011. Brand Equity of Luxury Fashion Brands Among Chinese and U. S. Young Female Consumers. Journal of East-West Business, 17(1), pp. 48-69. Kotler, P. , Adam, S. , Denize, S. and Armstrong, G. , 2008. Principles of Marketing. 4th ed. Australia: Pearson. Okonkwo, U. , 2007. Luxury Fashion Branding. United States of America: Palgrave Macmillan. Smith, L. , 2000. Faking it in the fashion world, Los Angeles Times,[online] Available at: http://articles. latimes. com/2000/mar/19/news/cl-10317 [Accessed 14 February 2012]. Truong, Y. , 2010. Personal aspirations and the consumption of luxury goods. International Journal of Market Research, 52(5), pp. 1-20. Wilcox, K. , Kim, H. M. , Sen. and Sankar. , 2009. Why Do Consumers Buy Counterfeit Luxury Brands?. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), 46(2), pp. 247-259.

Heterocycles: Types and Biosynthesis

Heterocycles: Types and Biosynthesis Heterocycles1 are one of the major classes of organic compounds. They are cyclic compounds containing one or more heteroatom (oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur etc.). These compounds are of biological and industrial importance. Many materials that are essential to life include a heterocyclic moiety; examples of these are: amino acids, nucleic acids, pigments, vitamins, antibiotics and many more. Heterocycles are part of our everyday life and are present in: drugs, dyes, pesticides and plastics.2, 3 Most common heterocycles are five or six membered ring; examples of these are pyridine, pyrrole, furan and thiophene (Figure 1). It is also possible to find two or more of them fused together to give even more complex structures.4 Figure 1: Common heterocyclic structures Many heterocyclic compounds are biosynthesised by plants and animals and hence have biological activity. These include as the haem group in the blood, and the chlorophylls ,essential for photosynthesis, both of these are essential to life.5 Examples of heterocycles used in the pharmaceutical industry include the pyridine based anti-AIDS-virus drug Nevirapine6, or the vasodilator Nicorandil for the treatment of angina (Figure 2).7 Figure 2: Example of heterocyclic drugs Pyrimidines are an important class of heterocycles that are essential to life and biologically and pharmacologically active. Cytosine, thiamine, uracil, adenine, guanine are the nitrogen bases that are present in both DNA and RNA (Figure 3); derivatives of these have been used to form the core of drug molecules, due to their ability to selectively interact with the human body.3, 7 Figure 3: Pyrimidines 2. Synthesis of heterocycles There are various traditional pathways leading to high yielding heterocyclic synthesis. Two of the most common are: Fischer-indole1, 8 synthesis and a Hantzsch synthesis to obtain the pyridines. Fisher-indole synthesis (Scheme 1) has been the most important method for the preparation of substituted indoles. It involves the formation of an imine 1.3 from a hydrazine 1.1 and a ketone 1.2. This will then tautomerise to give a enamine 1.4 that will subsequently undergo a [3,3] Cope rearrangement and form a di-imine 1.5, that will then aromatise. The aromatised amine 1.6 will undergo further intramolecular cyclisation to give the indoline 1.7 which will also aromatise to give the second ring system of the indole 1.8.4, 7 Scheme 1: Fischer-indole synthesis of indoles The Hantzsch1, 8 synthesis (Scheme 2), is a three component reaction, which firstly involves an aldol condensation of a diketone 2.1 with acetone 2.2. This is then followed by a conjugate addition of another equivalent of a diketone 2.1 to give a tetraketone 2.4. By adding ammonia it will lead to the formation of an imine and enamine component 2.5, which will subsequently react with sodium nitrate and acetic acid to aromatise to give pyridine 2.6.9 Scheme 2: Hantzsch synthesis of pyridines These two synthetical techniques have been greatly utilised however they have their downsides; which range from the need for high temperatures, large amounts of stoichiometric reagents, as well as the poor accessibility of the starting materials. This has therefore driven research for the discovery of new methodologies for an efficient route for the synthesis of heterocycles and their derivatives. A wide range of new heterocyclic synthetic routes using metal cross coupling reactions have arisen in particular utilising palladium as catalyst10, examples which are considered in the section below. 2.1. Synthesis of indole heterocycles using catalysis A palladium catalysed Fisher indole synthesis has been discovered by Wagaw et. al.. It involves the cross coupling of an aryl bromide and a hydrazone. This palladium catalysed reaction has proven to be very versatile in respect to the functionality of both the reagents used. The addition of the p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate hydrolyses imine 3.3 therefore liberating the hydrazine which will subsequently react with a ketone to give a hydrazone. This will then undergo standard Fischer-indole process to produce 3.4 (Scheme 3).11 Scheme 3: Palladium catalysed Fischer-indole synthesis 2.1.1. Palladium catalysed reactions Palladium catalysed reactions have been regularly used in both academic and industrial synthetic chemistry laboratories as an important method for the formation of carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds. These have been heavily applied in the synthesis of pharmaceutically and biologically important molecules.1, 12 Many palladium catalysed reactions go through a similar catalytic cycle. The catalytic species can be formed in situ by using a palladium source such as Pd(PPh3)2Cl2 or Pd(OAc)2 with the addition of an appropriate ligand. By choosing the correct ligand this can improve two steps in the catalytic cycle; oxidative addition and reductive elimination.13 A common feature of these catalytic process (Scheme 4) is the formation of aryl/alkyl Pd(II) intermediates which will then be functionalised to form C-C or C-Heteroatom bonds that are cleaved off from the metal centre.14 Most of the Pd catalysed reactions undergo the same basic catalytic cycle involving; oxidative addition, transmetallation and reductive elimination. Scheme 4: Palladium catalytic cycle 2.1.2. Palladium catalysed cross coupling reactions Below in Table 1 are described some of the most common palladium catalysed reactions.15-18 Table 1: Palladium catalysed reactions Name of Reaction Suzuki Stille Negishi Hiyama Sonogashira Heck Buckwald-Hartwig Catalyst Pd(0) Pd(0) Pd(0) Pd(0) Pd(0), Cu(I) Pd(0) Pd(0) Base Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Reagent 1 Reagent 2 R= EWG (eg. NO2, CN, COOR) Product 3. Recent examples of heterocyclic synthesis There are various recent examples of interesting heterocycles synthesis. Large amounts of research covering aspects of C-H activation, atom economy improvements and efficiency with the use of different solvents has been carried out to improve the conditions of the synthesis. An interesting class of heterocyclic moiety is pyrimidines due to their desirable biological activity. Over recent years the pyrimidine system (Figure 4) has been shown to be an important pharmacophore.19 Figure 4: Pyrimidine moiety Pyrimidines are very prevalent in nature; they are the precursors for the nucleoside bases of both DNA and RNA (Figure 3) and are also found in many more natural products such as vitamins and antibiotics. Examples, of this class of heterocycles, are shown below in Figure 5.19 Figure 5: Natural products containing pyrimidine moiety As a result of this long-lasting interest in the pyrimidine moiety as well as in its derivatives in the use as potential drug targets, the synthesis of this heterocyclic ring has been expansively researched.15 Good yielding strategies have been developed primarily on the basis of nitrogen-carbon-nitrogen condensation reactions. An example of this is the Pinner addition (Scheme 5) of guanidines 5.2 and amidine salts to 1,3-diketones 5.1 or their derivatives.20 Scheme 5: Pinner addition for the synthesis of pyrimidines 3.1. Synthesis of ÃŽ ²-Enaminones: an entry into pyrimidines Gayon et. al.21 have demonstrated highly stereoselective synthesis of ÃŽ ²-enaminones via based catalysed rearrangement of propargylic hydroxylamines. ÃŽ ²-Enaminones are versatile compounds that have been used for their pharmacological activity, as building blocks for natural product synthesis and heterocyclic synthesis. The initial discovery showed that propargylic hydroxylamine 6.1 underwent rearrangement to give the Cbz-protected enaminone 6.2 as a single (Z) diastereomer (Scheme 6) which could then be used for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds such as pyrimidines. Scheme 6: Base catalysed rearrangement reaction to afford ÃŽ ²-enaminones The reaction mechanism (Scheme 7) starts from the deprotonated aminol 7.2 that is easily formed; this is due to the association of the hydroxyl anions present in solution with the propargylic hydroxylamine 7.1. With the deprotonation takes place at the propargylic position an imine 7.3 is formed this is also because of the elimination of hydroxyl anions which are triggered by the deprotonation itself. Hydroxyl anions add to the imine which will eventually for the allenol 7.4. This can then undergo keto-enol tautomerisation to produce the deprotonated enaminone 7.5. The last step involves proton exchange between another molecule of propargylic hydroxylamine 7.1 and the anionic deprotonated enaminone 7.5 to give the product and another molecule of aminol 7.6. Scheme 7: Mechanism for rearrangement These enaminones proved to be an interesting building block for the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds such as pyrimidines. The presence of a nucleophilic nitrogen atom, a double bond and an electrophilic carbonyl provided an different cyclocondensation process to simple Pinner addition on the basis of the addition of an electrophile/nucleophile partner; such as a carboxamide. Scheme 8: Propargylic hydroxylamine to pyrimidines The presence of the nitrogen atom on the enaminone 6.2 is advantageous for an alternative synthetic route for the synthesis of functionalised pyrimidines (Scheme 8) from readily commercially available and inexpensive carboxamides that can give easier access to pyrimidines. 3.2. Synthesis of Pyrazine Heterocycles and their Derivatives Pyridazines have been considered one of the ‘most drugable’ heteroaromatic rings for medicinal purposes.22 Its analogues have proved to be good starting points for developing drugs for various molecular targets and have demonstrated biological activity in many key areas such as obesity, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory pain and many more.22 Abed et al. have recently elaborated a synthesis of novel fused pyridazines by carrying out a diaza-Wittig reaction on 1,3-diketones (Scheme 9).20 Scheme 9: Synthesis of pyrazine heterocycles The work was divided in two parts; the first was the development of a convenient strategy to obtain versatile pyridazines containing an ester group at position 6 as a point of divergence. The latter steps involved the synthesis of pyridazines 9.4 with a ketone group at position 6. Towards this aim, different methods of cyclization techniques were applied which led to the formation of previously not known biheterocyclic compounds. This novel methodology provided an attractive synthesis for fused pyridazines derivatives (9.5, 9.6, 9.7, 9.8).20 The synthesis of functionalised pyridazines 10.4 (Scheme 10) proceeded via a diaza-Wittig reaction (10.3 to 10.4, step b.) affording a convenient and safer method for the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles. Scheme 10: Synthesis of pyridazines 3.3. Direct imine acylation for heterocyclic synthesis Much attention has been focussed on the synthesis of diverse heterocyclic structure to advance the discovery of novel lead compounds for pharmaceutical discovery. A particularly useful approach is the formation of N-acyliminium ions from the acylation of imines with acid halides and anhydrides. This is a well-known reaction but very little work has previously been carried out to show the full potential of these ring closure reactions.23 Unsworth et. al. has provided a neat ring closing reaction (Scheme 11) by using propylphosphonic acid anhydride 11.3 (T3P) and NEt(iPr)2 for the coupling of aliphatic acids 11.2 (containing oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur nucleophiles) to imines 11.1. This will generate N-acyliminium ions 11.4 that can easily be trapped intramolecularly by the nucleophilic substituents that are present on the aliphatic acid fragment to form 11.5. Scheme 11: Ring closing reaction for heterocyclic synthesis This methodology has been used by Unsworth for the synthesis of the natural product evodiamine (Figure 6).24 Figure 6: Synthesis of evodiamine 4. Domino reactions A process that involves two or more bond-forming transformations that can take place under the same reaction conditions without additional reagents and/or catalysts, are considered to be domino/tandem reaction.25 In the past decades, synthesis of heterocyclic compounds through new domino reactions has attracted many researches and is still an expanding area.26 The idea of building simple and complex heterocycles starting from very easy and reasonable building blocks using a ‘single pot’ reaction with consecutive transformation taking place, is an attractive tool for synthetic chemists, especially if the synthesis can be used to create multiple stereogenic centres.26, 27 This ‘one pot’ strategy has many advantages; reduction of solvent, waste production, reaction time and atom economy28, all of which are important for developing a more sustainable chemistry. One single reaction can potentially convert an inexpensive material to a highly complex, biologically active heterocyclic molecule.26, 29 For many years the research groups of Valotti and Arcadi have focussed their interests in developing a new synthetic route for the construction of nitrogen-containing heterocycles starting from alkyne derivatives.30 They have focused most of their attention on the synthesis of nitrogen containing heterocycles by the condensation of ketoalkynes with ammonia.30 Examples of these are shown below in Scheme 12 and show the 5-exo-dig cyclisation reactions of 4-pentynones 12.1 to synthesise polysubstituted and joined pyrrole derivatives 12.2, Ketoalkyne moiety 12.5 in an aromatic framework would allow a 6-endo-dig cyclisation of 5-acetyl-4-alkynylthiazoles 12.6 and 2-acyl-3-alkynylindoles 12.7 to pyrido[3,4-c]thiazole and pyrido[3,4-b]indoles 12.8.31, 32 Scheme 12: Synthesis of pyrrole, pyridine and indole nitrogen containing heterocycles Another example of a tandem reaction for heterocyclic synthesis is the intermolecular 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of nitrones for the formation of cyclic isooxazolidines ( Scheme 13). For example an interesting method has been developed for the generation of the cyclic isooxazolidines frameworks by using cheap and accessible starting material, such as Amaryllicaceae alkaloids, through a 1,2-prototropic shift of oximes. Scheme 13: Tandem reaction for cyclic isooxazolidines Wildman observed that the reaction of 6-hydroxybuphandidrine with hydroxylamine produced a cycloadduct; the reaction occurs by the formation of an intermediate oxime that then undergoes a subsequent 1,2-prototropic shift to give the nitrile oxide that then undergoes an intramolecular [1,3]-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. 5. Indoles In both nature and drug discovery, a common nitrogen containing heterocycle is indole and its derivatives. These naturally occurring molecules are present in a range of compounds (Figure 7) such as amino acids (tryptophan) and hormones (melatonin) and many others.33 Figure 7: Naturally occurring indoles As indoles are structural components of a large number of biologically active natural compounds, their synthesis and functionalization has been heavily researched, and is a crucial step in the preparation of many pharmaceutical compounds.33 Below, in Figure 8, are a couple of examples of indole containing pharmaceuticals and their applications; Sumatripan used for the treatment of migraine and Arbidol as an antiviral drug.34 Figure 8: Indole containing pharmaceutical compounds Another potential application for indoles is the possible use of indole derived nitrones as spin traps which can be employed as free radical probes for the identification of radicals in chemical and biological systems.35, 36 The pyrroline based 5,5-dimethyl-pyrroline N-oxide (DMPO) followed by the 5-carbamoyl-5-methyl-l-pyrroline N-oxide (AMPO) have often been used as nitrene spin traps in the past years (Figure 9).37 The use of spin trapping has gained attention in the recent years and it is currently being used in the investigation of reactive intermediates in the areas of fuel cell research, nanotechnology, catalysis, environmental remediation and photodynamic therapy using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR).38 Figure 9: DMPO and AMPO spin traps The main disadvantages with many spin trap nitrones, for example DMPO, is the formation of secondary EPR signals; caused by the formation of other radical species caused by the instability by hydrolysis, decomposition and various other side reactions.37 Also, the slow reactivity of the superoxide radical anion to the nitrones and the short half-life of the spin adducts together, with slow rate of passive diffusion through the cell membran decreases their application in the human body as O2. – probes, unless further modifications can be carried out.38 Variants of the DMPO that contain indole moieties are 1,1,3-trimethyl-1H-isoindole-N-oxide (TMINO) and 1,1-dimethyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-isoindole-N-oxide(3-TF-TMINO) (Figure 10) which offer more stability to the oxygen radical adduct.37 Figure 10: Novel spin trap nitrones 6. Isoindolinone and Isoindoline Novel structures related to indoles such as isoindoline and isoindolinone compounds (Figure 11) are still relatively unexplored and have only begun to be explored over the past few years. Figure 11: Isoindoline and Isoindolinone Both of these structures have attracted a large amount of attention as pharmacophores due to their potential physiological and chemotherapeutic activity. These bicyclic models moieties have found a large importance as intermediates in the synthesis of various dugs and natural products.39 The more stable isoindolinones in particular demonstrate fascinting biological properties40, 41 as part of biologically active natural products such as magallanesine as well as drug candidates such as pagoclone shown in Figure 12.42 Figure 12: Isoindolinones as drug candidates The biological activity of isoindolinones has been utilised for the preparation of drugs for treatments in a wide range of diseases (Figure 13) such as: diabetes treatment, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, antipsychotic agents, for the modulation of dopamine D receptor, inhibitors of amyloid protein aggregation for the treatment of Alzheimer, selective antagonist of Essential Thromobocythemia (ET) diseases related to the heart and the lungs, melanocortin subtype-4-receptor in the targeting of weight disorder and sexual dysfunction43 and as antileukemic agents.42, 44-46 Figure 13: Isoindolines as drug candidates There have been several methods employed traditionally for the synthesis of these compounds based on use of a wide range of transformation, such as Diels-Alder, Grignard reagents, reductions, Wittig reactions and photochemical reactions. An example of one of them follows in Scheme 14. Scheme 14: One pot synthesis of isoindolinones The traditional routes are usually complex and have proved to be very unsatisfactory due to the low yields and the expensive starting material.39 Most approaches do not provide a large compatibility with many functional groups and suffer from a lack of generality.38, 42 New approaches have arisen in the past decades involving palladium chemistry and lithiation procedure for the synthesis of substituted isoindolinones that have proved to be easier to handle. An example of this is shown below (Scheme 15).47 Scheme 15: Lithiation and substitution

Responsibility for Eddies Death Essay -- A View from the Bridge Arthu

Responsibility for Eddie's Death In a 'View from the bridge,' Beatrice illustrates her views clearly on recent events by saying on page 61. 'Whatever happened, we all done it, and don't you forget it Catherine.' She is stating that everyone contributed significantly to what has happened in one way or another. On page 4, Alfieri's view of 'settling for half', is different to the way he says it on page 64. On page 64 he says, 'Most of the time we settle for half.' He has differentiated the two words 'now' and 'most'. This is because he has seen Eddie become a victim of his own culture and seen the way he respects the Code of Conduct. Alfieri has concluded from that, that the best way is not to settle for half all the time. But 'Most of the time we settle for half and I like it better.' Both Beatrice and Alfieri have illustrated their views however, their views on recent events contrast to each other significantly. We are introduced to the first key scene where we find Eddie's reaction to Catherine's job offer, 'You can't take no job, why didn't you ask me before taking on a job?' This is clearly showing Eddie's insecurity and doesn't want her to gain any independence; another reason for this reaction is he doesn't want her to get a boyfriend via her new job. This scene has created a sense of tension due to high levels of jealousy surrounding the conversation. Also, Eddie believes that the man should be the provider and the woman does the housework. This prepares the audience for many more scenes similar to this as Eddie's reaction is huge compared to the situation. Therefore, there may be chances of his jealousy taking over and spiralling out of control. When Marco and Rodolpho arrive from Ital... ..., this could have helped diffuse the situation in a way so then at least everyone's true feelings would have been out in the open. Marco was at fault for what happened at the end of the play was he provoked the situation at eh end of the play by saying that he wouldn't give Eddie back his name, and causing a great deal of tension in the household in the boxing scene. Catherine was remotely responsible for Eddie's death at the end of the play by getting involved with Rodolpho too early and against Eddie's will and so it lead to Eddie snitching on Rodolpho and Marco. Rodolpho was responsible as he got involved with Catherine and didn't ask Eddie for permission in the first place, that is regarded as a sensible thing for a gentleman to do. Out of both quotations made by Beatrice and Alfieri I think that Beatrice's quote summed up the truth of the play.