Ethnography. Patrons Flock the Supermarket Research Paper

Ethnography. Patrons Flock the Supermarket - Research Paper Example Key Observations and Findings 9 6. Validation 11 Application of Ethnography: When Patrons Flock the Supermarket 1. Introduction 1.1. Research Question Through personal observation it was found that when customers walk into a supermarket, the only things they set their eyes on are products that are displayed. On the other hand product producers have their eyes set on wallets of customers that walk in, to gain as much profit as possible. But both groups of the customers and suppliers play an important role in affecting each other directly and indirectly. In addition the entire set up of the supermarket, its environment and customary changes that are brought also influence customers. With reference to the current subject matter i.e. ethnographic study of clientele in the supermarket, following are the research questions that have been framed: What specified factors influence a customer’s behaviors towards the sales process?’ ‘How the associations of culture of such a clientele modify their routine product consumption?’ ‘Whether the cultural affiliation of people affect their communicational procedures or not?’ Maguire and Ball (1994) presented alarming results regarding various ethnographical studies conducted in the United Kingdom. This study brought forth that the contemporary setting had a large amount of strain, which still continues to exist. The reasons behind these strains are numerous (2006: pp.269-285). As per my perspective, a less participant observational method application in ethnographical researches has been found to be a major contributing factor and reason behind a less number of these researches. It has also been found out that the persons involved in the researches were unable to understand the circumstances on personal experience which caused this deficiency in previous researches (Maguire, 1994). So in order for an ethnographic research to be a successful a personal involvement of the researcher is indis pensible. 1.2. Purpose and Rationale This research paper has been conducted to bring in light the various sides of the state of affairs, and the course of action when various customers congregate in the supermarket. Other than the above provided motive, this paper aims at; a) understanding and a close observation of the people from many different backgrounds, b) Understanding the effects of the environment of the shopping are on the shoppers, c) the effects of the principles of certain people surrounding a populace. Thus a guidebook or some specific guidelines can be established by the marketing companies so that they could be able to understand the need of the customers. It is obtainable from Boddy’s research that 17% of the research organizations in the United Kingdom used the ethnographic research method to gain the results for better development of customer-supplier relationship (2009: pp.49). 2. Context of Research The field work of this research procedure was carried ou t in many markets which include Tesco Supermarket, in the West End area of Central London for two weeks. This specific supermarket was selected due to the reason that it was a simple superstore with a wide range of food items, clothing and accessories, DVDs, items of technical use, home-ware accessories, bakery items, available opticians, fresh meat, fish and items for kids such as toys etc. Though this store was uncomplicated with reference to the alignment of aisles and item availability, yet, a lot of attention was given to the atmospheric set-up and development of the ambiance. In accordance to Atkinson and Hamersley’s verification, the research procedure which I carried out mainly, or at least partially, (1994: pp.248). This meant that I had to be an active participant and it was necessary for me to gain access to the insights of

E-Bussiness Essay Example for Free

E-Bussiness Essay Intermediary analysis, competitor analysis, demand analysis, opportunities +threats, SLEPT factors, resource analysis Demand analysis Examines current and projected customer use of each digital channel and different services within diff. target markets it can be determined by asking for each market: What % of cust. Bus. Have acces to the int. – what % of members of the buying unit in this bus. Have acces to the int. – what % of cust. Are prepared to purch. Ur product online. Customer demand analysis 2 parts: org. arket (internet access , visit site , purchase influenced , buy online) Customer market( Same ) segmentation Is the identification of diff. groups within a target market in order to develop diff. product offerings and comm. For the groups Stages in target marketing strategy: 1- segmentation(informed by market research and informs market segment definition) 2- target marketing (evaluates and select target segments it is informed by demand analysis and informs select online targeting and target segments) 3- positioning ( identify proposition for each segment ,informs core brand proposition,online value prop. 4- planning (deploy resources to achieve plan, informed by evaluation of resources and informs online marketing mix restructuring) Diff types of segmentation variables 1. behavior 2. attitude and preferences 3. lifestyle and psychographics 4. demographic profile data 5. unknown Questions To help develop a customer centric strategy for e-marketing -who are our customers -how are their need changing -which do we target -how can we add value -how do we become first choice(positioning ,differential advantage, online value proposition) 6 I’s The difference btwn new media and traditional media has been developed as the 6 I’s: -Interactivity: (enables companies to communicate with customers in a new way) pull marketing, the consumer is pro active with interacting with companies thru actively seeking info thru search engines. Push marketing, comm. Are broadcasts from an advisor to consumer . In interactivity we have dialogue not monologue(2 way feedback) -Intelligence: the int. can be used as a low cost method of collecting marketing research (everytime a user clicks on a link this is recorded and can be analyzed with the web analytics tool) Individualization: It is as personalization and it is an important aspect of achieving customer relationship management online thru extranets , thru B2B , it is an example of mass customization where generic customer info is supplied for particular segments, this means in a traditional media u send same msg to all the customers but in new media u can send diff. sgs to each customer and have diff feedback from them. -Integration: how the int. can be used as an integrated comm. Tool : as an intermediary btwn company and customer we can have a web an email a phone a mail or a person , the int. can be used as a direct response tool , the website can have a direct response or a call back facility , the int. an be used to support the buyi ng decision and to support customer service. -Industry restructuring: disintermediation, reintermediation and countermediation are key concepts of industry restructuring that should be considered by any company developing an e marketing strat. -Independence of location: to be globalized , the int. makes it possible to sell a country without a local sale or customer service force. P’s Used to provide new opportunities for the marketer 7 P’s(marketing mix) Product: quality and branding Promotion: sales promotion , direct marketing Price: list discounts , positioning Place: trade channels , segmented channels People: individuals on marketing activities, recruitment, training Process: customer focus , business led Physical evidence: sales and staff contact experience of brand , product packaging Different price points Subscription: sign Pay-per-view: a fee for a single download or viewing session Bundling: diff channels or content can be ffered as individual products or gr oup at a reduced price compared to pay per view Implications of the internet 1. Increase price transparency and its implications on differential pricing. Supplier can use the tech. for differential pricing , they must use it with precaution to don’t let price discrimination. Pricing is only one variable. 2. downward pressure on price. Purchase of some products that have not traditionally been thought as commodities may become more price sensitive. 3. new pricing approaches. There is two approaches: dynamic pricing . prices can be updated in real time according to the customer. Aggregated buying is a form of customer union where buyers purchase the same num. of items at the same price. 4. alternative pricing structures: basic price, discounts. Main elements of promotional mix Advertising(implemented by ads payperclick) Selling(virtual sales staff, chat) Sales promotion(rewards , coupons) Public relations(blogs , feeds, newsletter) Sponsorship Direct mail Exhibitions Merchandising Packaging (virtual tools , word of mouth) People process and physical evidence Some tactics by which people can be replaced or there work automated: 1. auto responders 2. mail notification 3. call back facility 4. frequently asked quests 5. on site search engines 6. virtual assistants Questions that need to be solved when specifying actions 1. what level of investment in the internet channel is sufficient to deliver these services 2. what training of staff is required. 3. what new responsibilities are required for effective internet marketing 4. are changes in org. structure requir ed to deliver int. based services? 5. what activities are involved in creating and maintaining the website. Barriers and risks of e-proc -competition issues. Eg: in exchanges using collaborative purchasing -possible negative perception from suppliers eg: their margins reduced further from eauctions -negotiated procurement benefits may be shared with other exchange users who may be competitors -creation of catalogues can be a long pricess and costly to suppliers -culture profile within orgs eg: resistance to change SCM Processes Processes thru which inputs are transferred to outputs. Upstream: Suppliers then supplier warehouse(can go directly to manufacturer the B2B company) then independent wholesaler then B2B retailer then distributor then manufacturer the B2B company. Suppliers can go directly to manufacturer the B2B company or can pass also thru supplier agent. Downstream: Manufacturer The B2B company can go directly to customers or pass thru B2B agent. Or go thru the company warehouse(can go directly to customers) then independent wholesaler then B2B retailer then distributor then customers. Drivers of procurement Control: improving compliance , achieving centralization, raising standards and improved auditing of data. Cost: improved buying leverage thru increased supplier competition. Process: rationalization and standardization of e-proc processes giving reduced cycle time Individual performance: knowledge sharing,value-added productivity and productivity improvements Supplier mgt: reduced supplier numbers , supplier mgt and selection integration. Benefits of e-supply chain 1. Increased efficiency of individual processes: if b2b co. Adopts e-procurement it will benefit from reduced cycle time and cost 2. Reduced complexity of the supply chain: B2B co. Will offer the facility to sell direct from its e-commerce site so it will reduce cost of channel dist. 3. Improved data integration: reduce cost of paper preocessing 4. Reduce cost thru outsourcing: lower costs thru price competition and reduced spend on manu capacity and holding. 5. Innovation: more flexible in delivering a more diverse range of products and reduce time market to achieve better customer responsiveness Push and Pull Push: a supply chain that emphasizes distribution of a product to passive customers. (Supplier manu. Distributor retailer customer) Aim is to optimize the production process for cost and efficiency Pull: an emphasis on using the supply chain to deliver value to customers who are actively invovled in product and service specification. Aim is to enhance product and service quality. Types of e-procurement E-sourcing: finding potential new suppliers using the int during the ingo gathering step of procurement process E-tendering: process of screenin suppliers and sending suppliers requests for info E-informing: qualification of suppliers for suitability E-reverse auctions: enable the purchasing company to buy goods and services that have lowest prices E-MRO and ERP: involve the purchase and supply of products which are the core of the mode e-proc apps. Vertical integration Extent to which supply chain act. Are undertaken and controlled within the org. Characteristics: majority of manu in-house and distant relationships with suppliers Virtual integration: majority of supply chain activities are undertaken and controlled outside the org. By third parties Charac: total reliance on third parties and close relationships with suppliers Vertical disintegration: move to outsourcing and network of suppliers, helps in cost reduction The value chain Model that considers how supply chain activities can add value to products and services delivered to the customer Virtual value chain involves electronic commerce used to mediate traditional value chain activities such as market research, procurement, logstics.. alternatives: traditional value chain model that distiguishes between primary actvts that contribute directly to getting goods and services to the customer and support activities to take place. And revised chain model Exp: if a retailer shares info electronically with a supplier about a product, this can enhance the value chain of both parties since the time for ordering can be reduced and lower costs. Types of intermediaries for e-proc -traditional manufac which produce physical goods that are sold to other customers -direct sales manu: they bypass intermed and sell direct to end consumers via web -value-added proc partners: act as intermed to sell product and services to other businesses(travel agents) -online hubs: industry specific vertical portal that generate revenues via B2B exchange -knowledge experts whos produce info goods -online info services provide unique info to end users -online retailers include startup e-businesses -portal communities seek to aggregate diff online info services into an integrated customer experience ex: online bill payment Systems Stock control system: relates mainly to production-related procurement CD or web-based catalogue: paper catalogues have been replaced by electronic forms that make it quicker to find suppliers E-mail or database-based workflow systems: integrate the entry of the order by the originator. Order-entry on website: the buyer often has the opportunity to order directly on the suppliers website Accounting systems: networked accounting sustems enable staff in the buying department to enter an order which can then be used by accounting staff to make payment when the invoice arrives Integrated e-procurement or ERP: these aim to integrate all the facilities above and will aolso include integration with supploers systems What is logistics? Logistics is the time related positioning of resource, or the strategic management of the total supply chain. It is used to refer not to all supply chain activities but specifically to the management of logistics or inbound(mgt of material resources entering an org from its suppliers) and outbound log. (Mgt of resources supplied from an org to its customers and intermediaries) Virtual organization Org which uses info and communications tech to allow it to operate withouy clearly defined physical boundaries btwn diff functions. CHARACTERISTICS: -lack of physical structure: virtual org have littlr or no physical existence. -reliance on knowledge: the lack of physical facilities and contacts means that knowledge is the key driving force. -Use of comm. Tech: they rely on IT -Mobile work: reliance on comm tech means that they do not rely only on plant or office to work. -Boundaryless and inclusive: they have fuzzy boundaries. Flexible: can be pulled together quickly Value network Or external value chain which is the links betwn an org and its strategic and non strategic partners that form its ext ernal value chain. Partners of a VN: supply-side partners: suppliers ,b2b exchanges, wholesalers Partners that fulfil primary or core value chain activites Sell-side partners: b2b exchanges,wholesalers,distributors,and customers Value chain partners who supply services that mediate the internal and external value chain Types of procurement Production related proc: relate to manufacturing of products. Operating procurement: thats supports the operations of the whole business and includes office supplies ,furniture,info systems..

Human Rights Violations in the War on Terrorism Essay -- Terrorists Te

Following the September 11th terrorist attacks in which at least 3,000 people were killed, the United States has pursued policies that violate human rights in order to wage the war on terrorism. These policies include the adoption of new security measures, the poor treatment of captured fighters at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, and the willingness of the Bush administration to overlook human rights violations in other countries in return for their support in the war on terrorism. When the enemy is faceless, as it is in the United States' fight against terror, there is a tendency to violate human rights in order to identify the perpetrators and anticipate further atrocities. Violations include detaining suspects without sufficient evidence or cause, denial of access to lawyer, and unfair trials. In addition to these violations, the United States has passed legislation that allows for the indefinite detention of non-US nationals facing deportation on national security grounds. This is currently the case with Mazen Al-Najjar, a Muslim academic who came to the United States in 1981 as student and later became a university professor. In 1997, Al-Najjar was detained for three years after government lawyers claimed that he had raised funds for a terrorist organization. A judge later ruled that there were insufficient reasons for concluding that he posed a threat to national security and he was released. However, he was placed back into custody in November 2001 when immigration agents claimed that he "had established ties to terrorist organizations." According to Amnesty International, no new evidence was presented to support this claim and he is currently being held in solitary confinement for twenty-three hours a day in a ... ...ver, the United States has established military bases there, and is thus willing to overlook several violations in exchange for cooperation against terrorists. While the threat of terrorism does require the adoption of specific security measures and policies, a grave danger exists in that human rights may be sacrificed in the name of security. The United States and its allies must do all that they can to ensure that human rights and freedoms are preserved. As a supporter of international law, the United States should be expected to adhere to a higher standard when it comes to the application and enforcement of these basic rights. Therefore, the United States must not use or condone the use of terrorism as an excuse to curb human rights. Human rights must govern how states treat people at all times. It is only then when states will truly be able to sustain peace.

Accrual Method Essay

The accrual method of accounting and the cash basis of accounting are different in the way that they record transactions. With cash basis accounting, the agency records money to its book once it is received or when it leaves their system. The accrual method, though, records a transaction when it happens, even if they do not receive money for it yet. Accrual accounting is a more accurate portrait of the nonprofit organization’s finances. If they supply a service they immediately record the cost of that service. This point of view is important because it is more accurate than the cash basis form of accounting, which only documents income when cash comes into the organization. The statement of cash flow is of fundamental importance to an organization’s financial management. This statement gives the organization a breakdown of every transaction that comes in or out. This is totaled up over a particular time period. If there are any differences in the organizational transactions, the statement of cash flow makes this clear. The financial stability of an organization rests on what money they make or spend every day. The organization might go bankrupt if they do not track how their money is spent. These accounting practices offer solid documentation of where money goes.

Best Buy Marketing Plan Essay

Since its start in 1966 Best Buy Co. , Inc. has become a leading multi-channel global retailer and developer of technology services and products. The company is headquartered in Richfield, MN and currently has 180,000 employees. Best Buy operates in the U. S. , Canada, Mexico, Europe, as well as China. Their product offerings include mobile products, televisions, e-readers, digital cameras, computers, appliances and many others. Best Buy attributes their steady growth over the years to their deep commitment to innovation and their customers. They continually adapt their product offerings to meet and exceed the ever changing technology needs of their customers. Best Buy recognizes that in the world of retail company’s need to constantly be finding new ways to attract, and retain customers. This has led the company to transform their operating models, as well as their stores to have a more customer-centric focus instead of the product-centric focus they once had (BBY, 2012). Recently Best Buy has been forced to make some difficult decisions regarding their company in an effort to stay competitive. With the departure of Best Buy’s CEO, Brian Dunn the company had to deal with some negative press regarding his inappropriate behavior with a company employee. In addition the company’s founder and chairman of the board of directors, Richard Schulze, was also caught up in this negative press and also resigned from the company. Recently Best Buy announced the closure of 50 of their big box stores, and lay off of hundreds of employees in an effort to cut costs (â€Å"Opportunity amid,† 2012). As online shopping increases in popularity, Best Buy’s current website may not be equipped to capitalize on this trend. This was demonstrated last holiday season when a malfunction of the company website cost Best Buy sales as well as credibility with consumers (â€Å"Company’s strength,† 2012). These recent events are forcing Best Buy to reevaluate their once very successful business model as they look to the future. Situation Analysis The electronics retail industry that Best Buy operates in is one that is constantly evolving as technology and customer preferences change. Business models that were successful in this industry in the past are not as effective in today’s world, thus companies are forced to adapt their techniques to retain their market position in the industry. Over the years Best Buy has built a strong brand recognition in the U. S. as well as around the world. This reputation helps the company maintain a solid market share in the industry. Another advantage for Best Buy is that they are becoming one of the few companies where customers can actually go to a store and try out electronics. Their stores give customers the opportunity to ask questions about electronics, something that online-only companies are lacking (Katsenelson, 2012). In addition Best Buy also offers customers a more personalized experience with their in-house group of electronics experts known as the Geek Squad. Since Best Buy purchased the unknown computer repair group in 2002 the Geek Squad has grown into the world’s largest tech-support operation with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion (â€Å"Company’s strength,† 2012). This industry contains two different types of retailers both offering  similar products. One type of retailer are those that offer electronics in stores, such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Target. The other type of retailers are those that sole offer their products online, like Amazon, EBay, and Newegg Inc. There is a huge opportunity for Best Buy to really focus on redesigning their website, in an effort to compete with the online-only retailers. The company should work toward building a tighter collaboration between their website and their physical stores (Katsenelson, 2012). In order to truly capitalize on their stores, Best Buy should consider investing more in customer service training for their employees. When customers shop at a Best Buy store the company has an opportunity to personalize the technology experience for them. In the past Best Buy employees have been too focused on selling customers what they want to sell them instead of what customers actually need (â€Å"AT BEST,† 2012). Improved customer service will also help in the battle to turn Best Buy stores into more of an asset instead of a liability. Customers are testing products in Best Buy stores, and asking employees questions about them but then ultimately going to an online competitor to make their purchase for a cheaper price. Providing employees with more customer service training may help reduce the threat of losing sales to online-only competitors (Katsenelson, 2012). In addition to improving customer service at Best Buy the company should also focus on reinventing their customer rewards program. By creating a solid rewards program and promoting it the company could encourage more repeat business, and build a more loyal customer base. This industry is also characterized by intense competition, where many different retailers are offering the same products, thus making price one of the main motivators for customers. Best Buy’s main competitors are discount chains such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Costco. As well as online-only companies such as Amazon, EBay, and Newegg Inc. When it comes to appliances Best Buy also competes with home-improvement superstores such as Home Depot and Lowes. In an industry that is driven mostly by price companies will need to discover ways to set themselves apart from the competition in an effort to gain market share. Based on the company information for Best Buy, as well as the industry analysis a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis was created to summarize key items that the company should address. This SWOT analysis will help guide Best Buy as they look to implement a new marketing plan that will hopefully lead to a successful future. SWOT Analysis Strengths (Internal Factors):Weaknesses (Internal Factors): Brand recognition Cost of operating large stores Extended portfolio of products and services Recent negative press regarding departure of upper management Geek Squad Disconnect in regards to pricing between stores and website Opportunities (External Factors):Threats (External Factors): Focus on redesigning company website Intense industry competition Improve employee customer service training Customer information stored on website being hacked Work with vendors to offer bundled products available exclusively at Best Buy Customers shop products in Best Buy stores but ultimately buy product cheaper from online-only competitors Enhance customer rewards program New product launches by major vendors Implementation Control Best Buy executive leadership should review this marketing plan quarterly to track the marketing strategy. Executive leadership should assign individuals to take on responsibility for pushing projects along to meet the marketing strategy. Management must create a schedule and budget to monitor progress but also adapt to any unexpected events that may occur and plan accordingly.

4 Tips for Writing a Stand-Out Why UChicago Essay

4 Tips for Writing a Stand-Out Why UChicago Essay SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips For students applying to the University of Chicago, the â€Å"Why UChicago† essay is more straightforward than most of the other essay prompts you’ll see, but it can still be intimidating to try to figure out how you should tackle this essay. What should you mention? What will impress the admissions team? What are they really looking for in your response? We break down the why UChicago essay, explain everything the University of Chicago is looking for in this essay, suggest topics to write about that’ll help you stand out, and give why UChicago essay examples to help get your creative juices flowing. The Why UChicago Essay Prompt The â€Å"Why the University of Chicago† essay is the only prompt that shows up every year on the UChicago application, and it’s also the only prompt that everyone must answer (for the other essay you’ll have multiple prompts to choose between). This alone should tell you that the University of Chicago takes this essay, and applicants’ responses to it, seriously. Here is the prompt: â€Å"How does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago.† There is no strict word limit to this essay, but UChicago suggests a response of around 250-500 words. What Is the Purpose of This Essay? Why does UChicago require applicants to answer this essay? What are they really looking for in your response? Let’s analyze this prompt. No matter which schools you’re applying to, "why our college?" is probably the most common prompt you’ll on college applications, and for good reason: colleges, including the University of Chicago, want to see that you really want to attend their school. Why? Applicants who love UChicago are more likely to accept an offer of admission, be committed to their studies, participate in extracurriculars, and give back after they graduate. Basically, schools are looking for students who will take advantage of all the unique opportunities they offer so they have the biggest impact at the school and when they’re alumni.If you show in your essay that you really love UChicago, it makes admissions officers feel more confident you’re going to have a significant and positive impact on their school. If you can’t give any compelling reasons for choosing UChicago and/or you don’t seem to have done much research on it, that makes UChicago worry that you’re not that invested and will only do the bare minimum in college, without having much of an impact at the school or afterwards. They may also think you don’t really care about getting into their school, which can make them less likely to admit you. Additionally, UChicago asks you to write this essay to ensure that you and their school are a good fit for each other. If you use the why UChicago essay to talk about how much you love D1 sports teams or how you want to be a famous researcher in geology, the admissions team may be hesitant to offer you a place at UChicago since their sports teams are Division III, and they don’t have a geology major. Basically the purpose of this essay is two part: UChicago wants to make sure you know and value what they offer, and they also want to see how you’re going to make use of these opportunities to reach your goals for the future. What Should You Write About in Your â€Å"Why UChicago† Essay? There are multiple ways you could approach this essay prompt; although since UChicago is best known for its academics (as opposed to killer sports teams, for example), most people will discuss the academic side for at least part of their response. Here's a list of possible topics you can write about: Majors or classes you’re especially interested in The UChicago Core curriculum Professors whose work you admire and whom you’d like to study with or conduct research with Extracurriculars that you’d be interesting in joining The school's intense academic atmosphere UChicago Scav Research opportunities you’d like to have Small class size/discussion-based classes University of Chicago students you’ve met who you admire Volunteer opportunities Financial aid opportunities UChicago offers that make it possible for you to attend In your response, you should choose about one to three reasons why you think the University of Chicago is the best school for you. For each reason, you should describe what UChicago offers and connect it back to your interest and skills to show how you’re a good match for the school. Remember to answer the prompt completely; this means talking about both the learning and community at UChicago, as well as your plans for the future and how UChicago can help you achieve them. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Tips for a Great Response to the Why UChicago Essay Regardless of how you decide to answer this prompt, there are four tips everyone should keep in mind to make sure they’re fully answering the question, giving the information UChicago wants to see, and making sure they stand out from other applicants. #1: Do Your Research Before you begin writing your response to this essay prompt, you should know exactly why you want to attend the University of Chicago. There are multiple ways to do this research: School website Course catalog School newspaper Campus visit Meeting with an alum or current student Meeting with a professor #2: Be Specific From your research, you should have come up with specific reasons why UChicago is a great school for you. The more specific you can be when answering this prompt, the better. Don’t say UChicago has great academics, caring professors, and an interesting student body. Most schools have that. Instead, try to mention opportunities only UChicago can provide, like specific professors, course names, extracurriculars, or research opportunities.The things you discuss should be things your other top schools don’t offer, things that really make UChicago stand out. #3: Show Your Passion UChicago wants students who care a lot about what their studies and their school, so make sure this comes across in their response. A bland statement like, â€Å"I am impressed by UChicago’s strong economics program† doesn’t tell the school anything about you or help you stand out from other applicants. You’ve done your research to mention specific qualities of UChicago that have enticed you, and now you need to discuss specific qualities about yourself as well. Why does the economics program make you so excited? What do you want to get out of it? Do you want to use your knowledge to study the economies of different developing countries and use that knowledge to fight global poverty? That's what you should write about. Showing a passion that’s unique to you will help differentiate you from other applicants and show UChicago that you’re going to take your studies seriously. #4: Discuss Your Vision for the Future It states right in the Why UChicago essay prompt that they want to know how UChicago relates to your goals for the future. So let them know your plans!Do you hope to use your time at UChicago as a launching pad for a career as a researcher at Fermilab? Do you want to major in Theater and Performance Studies and eventually open a drama school for underserved kids?UChicago wants students who dream big, so let them know what your dreams are. Why UChicago Essay Examples To help you get a better idea of what a great response to this prompt can look like, below are two Why UChicago essay examples. The first is an excerpt of an essay written by an admitted student, and the second is an essay we wrote. After the examples we explain what makes them excellent responses. Essay 1 As I prepare to leave my home for a university, I dream of joining the University of Chicago community. In all honesty, UChicago is probably the only university that will accept and even encourage my eclectic thinking and passion for finding adventure in everyday life. Although I hope to major in Computer Science, I also want to study political science and the Italian language to the extent that I can confidently debate Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan and copy Dante’s terza rima poetry. I want to learn about game theory and astrophysics not just in surface-level introductory classes, but through in-depth discussion and analysis. At UChicago, the Core curriculum will feed my hunger for a broad undergraduate education by guaranteeing that one-third of my studies will be dedicated to the exploration of the humanities, sciences, and arts. I yearn to engage in vibrant discussion with UChicago musicians who study neurosciences, business majors who star in theatrical productions, and psychology students who are learning Mandarin. At any other school, I would be an untraditional student, but at UChicago, I will fit right in. Traditional warrior princesses feel at home in castles; it is no surprise that UChicago’s campus is full of them. At UChicago, surrounded by diverse thinkers and unique personalities of every kind, I know that I will feel at home, too. -Samantha M. Essay 2 It was reading an issue of the Chicago Shady Dealer that made me know the University of Chicago was the right school for me. Any school that produced a satire paper that included hilarious and clever articles joking about students taking a math class in an abandoned parking garage or hysterical preaching and projectile vomiting during alumni weekend was a place where I knew I’d belong. After speaking with a current UChicago student, I felt even more strongly that this is the school for me.This student is a Creative Writing major, as I plan to be, and he mentioned so many opportunities for University of Chicago students to publish their writing, from the Shady Dealer, to the Chicago Maroon, to Sliced Bread. My only concern was having enough time to write for all these publications! I’m especially interested in the student magazine Diskord because of its focus on student opinions of national and global news. Many people dismiss young people as uninformed or naà ¯ve, but I’ve found many have my peers have extremely important things to say, and it’s important to hear each other. The student I spoke with on the phone also mentioned that he was able to combine his interests in poetry and French Literature, and I really like how interdisciplinary the major is. Theater and scriptwriting is something I’ve always been interested in learning more about, and I think University of Chicago’s theater workshops and groups like Court Theatre could help me gain more skills in this area. People joke the University of Chicago is where fun comes to die, but from what I’ve seen, it’s just the opposite. I’ve never met a group of students who were so funny, creative, and intent on making an impact, and I’d love to be a part of that. Why Do These Essays Work? Answer the entire prompt:Both of these responses answer every part of the Why UChicago essay prompt. They mention the type of learning the writers hope to receive, the type of community they want to be surrounded by, and what their plans for the future are. Give details:There are many details in both these responses, such as specific classes the authors want to take, what they want to major in, specific extracurriculars and school publications they want to join. Show where they fit in:It’s clear from reading these essays how the authors see themselves fitting in at the University of Chicago. The first hopes to major in Computer Science while also debating famous literary works with fellow classmates, while the second wants to become a writer for school papers, and possibly work on theater productions. They’ve shown the University of Chicago has opportunities they want to take part in and contribute to, and they tie this into their goals for the future. Summary The Why UChicago essay likely won’t be the make or break factor in your application, but it can help give the admissions teams a good idea of why UChicago is a great fit for you.The purpose of this essay prompt is for you to show UChicago that you’ve done research on their school, you feel it’s a good fit for you, and you already know some of the opportunities at the school you want to make the most of. In your UChicago essay, you can write about multiple topics, including academics, the student body, extracurriculars, and research opportunities.When writing your essay for this prompt, be sure to do lots of research on the school, be specific, show your passion, and mention plans you have for the future. Looking at Why UChicago essay examples can also help. What's Next? You'll need to write to essays when you apply to the University of Chicago. Check out our other guide to learn how to tackle both UChicago essays. (coming soon) The "Why This College?" is a common essay topic on college applications. Learn how to write a great "Why This College" essay for every school you're applying to by reading our guide on the topic. Want to see some more college essay examples? We have links to 101 great college essays that includes our expert analysis on how you can write a standout essay of your own. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now:

To What Extent is Se7en an Exa essays

To What Extent is Se7en an Exa essays The film Se7en, directed by David Fincher in 1995, was at the time both a shocking and deeply disturbing text that left audiences with a profound psychological trauma, that some film critics have said is reminiscent of the classic genre of Film Noir, calling the film an example of Modern Noir. This is what I will be investigating in this essay. In terms of plot, Se7en is a narrative with a bleak and sinister undertone, built up to a landmark ending which director David Fincher was forced to fight for in order to give the film that gloomy and menacing feeling that it holds so well. Film Noir has a number of plot motifs that must be followed for it to be truly called Noir. Firstly, most Noir films begin with usually one protagonist being given a task, a mission to follow through with by a client. This is true in the classic Noir film Out of the Past (1947) where Jeff Bailey, the main protagonist is offered a job by Whit Sterling, a criminal gambler, involving the retrieval of documents from a tax lawyer. The film in question, Se7en, also uses this beginning to the plot, as the two characters are asked to investigate the case of the serial killer. Although there are two characters instead of the conventional one, the nature of the identification is the same. Typically in Film Noir texts, the main protagonist is deceived by someone, or a number of people. This is our second plot motif identifiable in Se7en, as the serial killer John Doe deceives Detectives Mills and Somerset a number of times, as he makes them believe that the sloth victim may in fact be the killer, or that he manages to take a picture of Mills as an anonymous photographer among other circumstances, leading them further and further into his web of deceit. In another classic Noir text Double Indemnity (1944), directed by Billy Wilder we can also see the same narrative tool, as the main protagonist Walter Neff is deceived by his lo...

Celebrities Who Speak Spanish as a Second Language

Celebrities Who Speak Spanish as a Second Language If youre learning Spanish, youre in the company of celebrities. Although there are plenty of famous folks who grew up with Spanish as a first language and have crossed over into English-language celebrityhood, there are some celebs who had to learn Spanish like the rest of us. Here are some you may recognize, although not all of them claim to be fluent: Actors Ben Affleck and his younger brother Casey Affleck learned Spanish while living in Mexico and during film stints in that country. Poet Maya Angelou (1928-2014) traveled extensively during her adult life. According to her official website, Angelou voraciously read and studied and was able to master French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic and Fanti (a language of western Africa). Baseball manager Dusty Baker speaks Spanish fluently. According to SportingNews, he learned the language in high school classes because his mother made him. Early in his baseball career, I was the only (American) guy on the team talking to the pretty little girls, he told SportingNews. Im 19 years old. I didnt have any clue how beneficial it was going to be later on in my life. Among those his language abilities inspired was first baseman Joey Votto, who said in a 2012 interview that he studies Spanish daily and even hired a tutor so he could communicate better with Latin American players. Having grown up in Canada, he also speaks French. Soccer superstar David Beckham learned Spanish while playing for Real Madrid. Italian actress Monica Bellucci has appeared in at least one Spanish-language movie, 1998s A los que aman. (IMDb) German-born Pope Benedict XVI, who like many of his predecessors was  multilingual, routinely addressed Spanish-speaking audiences in their native tongue. Rocker Jon Bon Jovi has recorded a few of his songs in Spanish, including Cama de rosas (Bed of Roses). (Bonjovi.com) Actress Kate Bosworth speaks Spanish fluently. (IMDb biography) When he was president of the U.S., George W. Bush would occasionally answer questions in Spanish from news reporters. He appeared to understand the spoken language much better than he could speak it. His brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, however, speaks Spanish quite well. When he was president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, who studied Spanish at the U.S. Naval Academy, would often speak Spanish at conferences in Latin American countries. But in situations where the nuances of words mattered, he insisted on the use of professional translators. (2012 interview with the Council of Foreign Relations.) Although he married an Argentine woman, actor Matt Damon spoke Spanish long before he met her. He said in a 2012 interview with The Guardian that he studied Spanish through immersion in Mexico as a teenager and later backpacked throughout Mexico and Guatemala. American actor Danny DeVito, who voiced the title role in the 2012 animated film The Lorax, also provided the voice for the Spanish and Latin American versions. (ABC.es) Young actress Dakota Fanning had a Spanish-speaking role in the 2004 film Man on Fire. (IMDb) Although he didnt speak Spanish before signing on, actor and comedian Will Ferrell starred in the 2012 Spanish-language film Casa de mi padre. Australian movie heartthrob Chris Hemsworth has picked up a smattering of Spanish from his wife, Spanish actress Elsa Pataky.   British actor Tom Hiddleston is known for his his attempts at speaking native languages when talking to his foreign fans, and he has been known to speak French, Spanish, Greek, and Italian along with bits of Korean and Chinese, among others. (Bustle.com) Actor Matthew McConaughey picked up Spanish while growing up in Uvalde, Texas, which has a large Spanish-speaking population. (Perezhilton.com) American actress Gwyneth Paltrow spent the summer of her sophomore year in high school as a foreign exchange student in Talavera de la Reina, Spain. She continues to regularly visit the town and her host family. (People) Rocker David Lee Roth recorded a Spanish version of his 1986 album  Eat Em and Smile, calling it Sonrisa Salvaje (meaning Wild Smile). Actor Will Smith spoke a limited amount of Spanish during a 2009 interview on the Spanish TV show El Hormiguero. At one point he exclaimed,  ¡Necesito ms palabras! (I need more words!) (YouTube) Actor and singer David Soul learned Spanish while attending college in Mexico City. He also can speak German.

Ethics, Corporate Governance and Social Responsible Investemtn Essay

Ethics, Corporate Governance and Social Responsible Investemtn - Essay Example A number of other major economies have however embraced the adoption of the enabling mode of governance and rejected the mandatory corporate governance. A number of differences exist between these two systems as outlined by Anand, (2005). Mandatory corporate governance is practiced in major states of the United States, a mandatory system provides guarantee that firms in this system will have to implement any reforms that market regulators put in place. This is contrary to the enabling governance where nothing guarantees a fair play and the enforcement of implementation of any changes. Enabling governance has the ability to ensure that there is compliance to regulatory mechanisms especially when it is implemented together with mandatory disclosure of organizations practices. Mandatory system is also slightly more costly to implement when compared to the enabling governance style (Anand, Milne, and purda, 2006). Mandatory corporate governance is majorly practiced in the United States w hile the United Kingdom practices the enabling kind of governance. Canada and Australia are other major countries that also practice the enabling kind of governance apart of the United Kingdom. The United States mandatory governance is however a blend of the two systems. In some states, companies are not compelled to adhere to the requirements but are required to make formal disclosure of the rules they have or have not adhered to. Firms that are cross listed in the United States are required according to the Sarbanes-Oxley act to submit their evidence of compliance to the mandatory governance regulation. The SOX regulation has a prohibition for ‘insider loans’ especially among companies listed under this act. Such companies must also ensure that they submit their balance sheets for each financial year (Anand, 2005). The mandatory corporate governance system of the United States also has a requirement for all companies listed under its stock exchange at the NYSE and NAS DAQ. They are required to include independent directors in the management board of the firms; the same policies are also practiced in Canada. Firms are required to submit their compliance statuses through proxy to the provincial commissions who are also mandated to ensure that there is strict formulation and administration of the guidelines (McCahery and Vermeulen, 2010). Under the enabling system as practiced in the UK, compliance with corporate guidelines is voluntary. Only companies that are listed in the London stock exchange are obligated by law to submit their compliance in their annual reports. The system as practiced in the United Kingdom has been adopted in Australia with a few modifications on the reporting mechanisms. The UK system also applies incentives that are meant to make firms disclose their compliance information; disclosure of information in the enabling system depends on the sensitivity of the information. In situations where firms feel that their competitors ma y benefit from exposure, such firms have the right to withhold their compliance (Anand, 2005). Enabling systems is also known as voluntary governance system, this is majorly because of the free atmosphere that it creates for its firms. Firms in this system can either chose to disclose their information or not to be based on their reasons; this is the system which is practiced in the

Human Transport System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Transport System - Essay Example The atria and ventricle are separated by auricoventricular septum with a aperture guarded by three flaps called as tricuspid valve which prevents back flow of blood from right ventricle to right atria when right ventricle contracts. The opening of pulmary artery is also guarded by semi lunar valves to prevent the back flow of blood from pulmonary artery to right ventricle when it contracts. Thus right side of the heart receives venous blood from all parts of the body and pumps it to lungs for oxygenation. The left side of the heart also comprises of two chambers iii) upper left thin walled atria which receives oxygenated blood from the lungs through pulmonary veins and pumps to iv) lower left ventricle in turn opens to aorta to distribute to all parts of the body. Here again the atrioventricular septum separates upper and lower left atria and the ventricle with an aperture guarded by two flaps called the 'bicuspid valve' and the opening of aorta is guarded by 'aortic valve'. The superior vena cava collecting the deoxygenated blood from upper torso and head and Inferior venacava collecting from the lower torso and legs feeds the right atrium. The right atrium on contraction pours to right ventricle. The right chambers are small compared to left chambers as they carry blood to lungs of about a short distance. From the right ventricle pulmonary artery carries the deoxygenated blood to lungs for reoxygenation. After reoxygenation from lungs the blood is carried through pulmonary vein to left atrium which on contraction pumps to left ventricle. When the left ventricle if full the left atrium contracts pumping the blood in the left ventricle into the aorta which then distributes to entire body by means of small arteries arterioles and capillaries. Types of circulation I) Coronary circulation: Coronary circulation is the circulation of blood through the tissues of the heart for its own nourishment. The two coronary arteries branch from aorta and further branch themselves into smaller arteries capable enough to penetrate the cardiac muscles. II) Pulmonary circulation: The deoxygenated blood in right atrium is pumped to right ventricle and from there to lungs for reoxygenation and back from lungs to left atrium and subsequently to left ventricle is known as pulmonary circulation. III) Systemic circulation: the reoxygenated blood collected from lungs leaves the heart through the main artery-aorta. Aorta supplies the reoxygenated blood to all parts of the body through network of smaller arteries and capillaries. Again after the exchange of oxygen and metabolites it is collected from the capillaries of venous system and directed to the right atrium through two vena cavae. This phase is systemic circulation. During systemic circulation blood passes through kidneys for waste removal known as 'renal circulation' phase and also through small intestine known and 'portal circulation' phase. Structure and functions of the blood vessels Anatomically all blood vessels are made up of three layers i) inner -tunica intima. It is made up of flat endothelial cells resting on a layer of connective tissue with

Transformational Leadership Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Transformational Leadership - Movie Review Example Some of these leaders and their leadership styles have proved effective in attaining the various group or family objectives while others have failed to yield any positive result. Event organizers and musicians Woodstock begins with the music festival organizing team preparing the stage and venue of the festival. Under good leadership, the team seems to be enjoying carrying out their assigned duties for the benefit of the whole group. The union of the team is remarkable, perhaps a portrayal of the good transformational leadership traits displayed by the leader. Furthermore, good leadership among the event organizers is also evident when they remain with the organizers as it begins to rain. This is a critical element especially, when the main intention of the festival was to entertain. The move by the organizers and performers to remain behind with the revelers as it began to rain, could be deemed as a positive step that significantly reduced sudden commotions that could possible cause a stampede leading to death or injuries of those in attendance. They courageously and calmly steer the crowd away from acts that could cause accidents such as leaning on the towers and the stage. Subsequently, the event manager provides idealized influence on the crowd by assuring everyone to remain calm amid the confusion as a result of the sudden storm. Similarly, he calmly leads the stewards in covering the equipment and disconnecting electrical equipment. The event organizer also demonstrates a considerable degree of intellectual simulation, an important aspect of transformational leadership (Lang, 2011). He quickly initiates a means of helping the crowd to persevere the heavy rains by initiating a random song. The musicians and music bands also form another important group that displays transformational leadership styles and abilities. Cohesion is critical for a music band performance particularly in the quest to reach out to the huge crowd that had gathered at the festival. I n most of the music groups that participated, there seemed to be a group leader that organized the group into the respective instrument players in creating harmony and entertaining. Without transformational leadership, it would seem rather difficult to organize each of the participants in the groups. This type of transformational leadership is deemed as overt owing to the fact that each member of the music groups has almost equal roles to play. As transformational leaders, the musician and the event organizers remain as a unit of genuine followers and do not in any way use exploitative or manipulative behavior to get what they believe they deserve. At the same, they also display some emotional connection with their followers, which is created through respect for individual desires of their followers. The musicians, who are transformational leaders, further enhance the emotional connection with their followers by encouraging them to experience their own worth by singing along. In an organization point of view, this can be regarded as a way of encouraging followers to utilize their own skills and deploy their cognitive abilities to transform themselves and an organization (Lang, 2011). The connection between the musicians and their followers, just like the connection between a transformational leader and his followers in an organization, is evident in the manner in which the followers admire ad identify with them and want to imitate them. Irrespective of the deviant

Technology Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology Management - Research Paper Example This research will try to show that the technological changes in modern era cannot always help the corporation to increase the business productivity. Technological Changes Cannot Always Help It is true that the productivity in several non-white collar jobs has significantly increased due to the implementation of advanced technology. On the other hand, productivity in several white collar jobs has not grown at the same rate. It can be stated that implementation of advanced technology does not have that as much positive impact on manufacturing as it is identified in office jobs. It is quite difficult to measure productivity in white collar jobs. Poor quality and inadequate measurement process and implementation of high automation can affect the productivity of an organisation. This part of the research will investigate all the aspects through the implementation of appropriate theories and approaches. Lack of Integration and Knowledge Organisations generally implement a computerised acc ounting system within the organisation in order to reduce and control the operational time and cost. It is not true that all the time this automation process can reduce time and cost. Lack of knowledge about advanced technology and functions can take more operating time. ... There are several people outside of the branches or the departments who cannot avail this facility. However, it is important to integrate all the branches and departments all together before implementing the advanced technology in business process. Otherwise, it can reduce the productivity of the organisation. Unmeasured Productivity and Unnoticed Problems It is true that some organisations implement advanced technology and automation process in business practices without thinking about the future consequences. It is very much difficult to measure productivity after the implementation of advanced technology. Inadequate review of technological tools can affect the productivity of the organisation. Inadequate Initial Decision Making Process In certain governmental firms, the purchase of software and equipment is not undertaken with supreme diligence. It is true that several officials do not know how to increase the productivity and efficiency of business process through the implementat ion of advanced technology. It is very much critical to make a decision about the implementation of advanced technology (Grembergen, 2001). Application of advanced technology automation in business process may not increase the productivity of a firm. First of all, it is important for the management of the organisation to conduct comprehensive and real analysis to make effective decisions. It will be very much difficult for the organisation if they implement process of justifying and deciding the wrong way round. The organisation needs to improve the decision making process based on the notion. It can provide effective solution to the problems. Implementation of Technology without effective

Local Police Response to Terrorism Research Paper

Local Police Response to Terrorism - Research Paper Example It is quite clear that the national security agencies cannot work alone in the fight against terrorism. Hence the situation requires team work among the private and public agencies; most importantly along with the local police. All of them must work in tandem to ensure the security of the country. Getting back to the role of local police it is to be said that local police can definitely identify probable terrorists operating or living in the respective jurisdictions and thus coordinate with the other agencies to prevent or even to respond to terror attacks. However, such responsibilities are of extreme significance and may lead to increase in the work load of the police of force, which to be honest is already quite hectic (Jongman, 2005). The present study looks to analyze the importance of the role of the local police in the fight against terrorism. During the course of the study various aspects such as the effect of political, economic and social changes on the law enforcement agen cies including local police; importance of partnership among local communities and local police along with other critical issues such as related to the role of the local police in the battle against terror has been analyzed. ... It has also been claimed by both of them that this role not much different in the role that the authorities play in case of the fight against local crimes. It has also been argued that counter terrorism should be added into the everyday departments. This should be inducted in to the agendas of every meeting. The officers should be communicated and trained regarding the new role to ensure that the prevention against terrorism becomes a part of the daily thought process and routine. However, things are easier said than done. It is needless to discuss that terrorist attacks are quite rare events. Terrorist attacks would not occur as frequently as a homicide or robbery or theft (Miller and Braswell, 2010). The arguments posted by Researchers are absolutely right and has to be agreed. However, the next question that comes to mind would be: What can the local police actually do? One mat say that the local police can collect intelligence about probable terrorism activities; ensure the prote ction of seemingly vulnerable targets are protected; and there would also be the most obvious response, i.e. the local police should always be in a position to respond to any kind of attack. The last topic is quite controversial and hence in the best interest of the research it has been avoided and hence the first two tasks would be discussed. Such an approach is of great significance because if the phrase prevention is better that cure had to come true then it would be for the battle against terrorism. It is needless to discuss about the devastation of terrorist attacks and hence the prime focus should be on avoiding such disasters rather than any other crime such as murder of robbery, where the main focus would be to ensure that the criminal(s)

Technology Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology Management - Research Paper Example This research will try to show that the technological changes in modern era cannot always help the corporation to increase the business productivity. Technological Changes Cannot Always Help It is true that the productivity in several non-white collar jobs has significantly increased due to the implementation of advanced technology. On the other hand, productivity in several white collar jobs has not grown at the same rate. It can be stated that implementation of advanced technology does not have that as much positive impact on manufacturing as it is identified in office jobs. It is quite difficult to measure productivity in white collar jobs. Poor quality and inadequate measurement process and implementation of high automation can affect the productivity of an organisation. This part of the research will investigate all the aspects through the implementation of appropriate theories and approaches. Lack of Integration and Knowledge Organisations generally implement a computerised acc ounting system within the organisation in order to reduce and control the operational time and cost. It is not true that all the time this automation process can reduce time and cost. Lack of knowledge about advanced technology and functions can take more operating time. ... There are several people outside of the branches or the departments who cannot avail this facility. However, it is important to integrate all the branches and departments all together before implementing the advanced technology in business process. Otherwise, it can reduce the productivity of the organisation. Unmeasured Productivity and Unnoticed Problems It is true that some organisations implement advanced technology and automation process in business practices without thinking about the future consequences. It is very much difficult to measure productivity after the implementation of advanced technology. Inadequate review of technological tools can affect the productivity of the organisation. Inadequate Initial Decision Making Process In certain governmental firms, the purchase of software and equipment is not undertaken with supreme diligence. It is true that several officials do not know how to increase the productivity and efficiency of business process through the implementat ion of advanced technology. It is very much critical to make a decision about the implementation of advanced technology (Grembergen, 2001). Application of advanced technology automation in business process may not increase the productivity of a firm. First of all, it is important for the management of the organisation to conduct comprehensive and real analysis to make effective decisions. It will be very much difficult for the organisation if they implement process of justifying and deciding the wrong way round. The organisation needs to improve the decision making process based on the notion. It can provide effective solution to the problems. Implementation of Technology without effective

Management in Context Essay 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management in Context 2 - Essay Example The restaurant is situated near the corner of the main street between a bookshop to the left and a winter garments store to the right. There is a local deli located a few shops down the busy road where people can be seen walking in the cold, shopping and tending to their routine businesses. From the outside the restaurant seems small, with a brick wall and a tiny wood and glass door which serves as the entrance for customers. Inside, the restaurant the atmosphere is warm and cozy, almost homely. Many wooden tables can be seen scattered around, some with colorful table cloths and different kinds of chairs, some wooden and some upholstered. In the dà ©cor there is a hint of the South East Asian, however despite being a Pakistani restaurant, it does not quiet seem as Pakistani as it should. The warm colored interior reflects bits of Moroccan and even Arabic inspired decoration. A corner sofa and coffee table set up in the extreme right near the window makes it appear like a pure European coffee shop. The restaurant seems inviting and welcoming when you step in the door. The walls a are painted hues of peach, and there are many colorful cloths and drapes hanging from the ceiling. Some handicrafts can be seen placed, hand painted pots, and embroider wall hangings which seem to be representing some form of Mughal art, a distinct culture in its own. The restaurant smells of masala and cheese a mixture of ingredients. The eatery specializes in Pakistani food; however the menu card lists dishes from many other Asian countries. The menu even includes Italian, fish and chips, and a variety of coffees, ice cream and other beverages. Some of the food on the menu seems to be Chinese. Besides the traditional yogurt drink lassi there is even other beverages such as milkshake made of European fruits such as strawberry and the tropical mangoes. Many of those who walk in are

Death of a Salesman Detailed Analysis Essay Example for Free

Death of a Salesman Detailed Analysis Essay ARTHUR MILLER Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 February 10, 2005) was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), The Crucible (1953) and A View from the Bridge Miller was often in the public eye, particularly during the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s, a period during which he testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Prince of Asturias Award, and was married to Marilyn Monroe. SUMMARY It is important to bear that the story is told through the mind and memory of Willy Loman and there is a constant back and forth between two periods ,1928 and 1942.The first period is one of the happiness and contentment when Willy Loman is young and dynamic and the children ,Biff and Happy are running about in shorts ;the second is one of gloom and discontent -Willy is now old and ,virtually out of a job and the children are grown up and gone their different ways. The play is thus structured in such a way to show the pleasures of the past ,the dreams and hopes the characters had and how these aspirations had turned sour. Willy Loman had built his life in such a way that he had finally trapped himself in an impossible situation. Willy Loman ,the protagonist in the play was a travelling salesman in the services of the wagnor company for 34 years. When his old boss died ,his son Howard took over the administration of the company .Willys family consists of three other members ,his wife Linda, Biff,the elder son and Happy, the younger son. Willy unexpectedly returned on the same day he had left for New England territory on a business tour. Linda felt that her husband is thoroughly  exhausted both physically and mentally and he has almost reached the breaking point. Willy, who is 63, has driven the car off the road twice or three times and when he reached home he was found to be panic stricken ,desolate and shattered. Willy liked his eldest son Biff,who was wellknown as a football champion. Though he is 34 , it is unfortunate that he could not settle in life. Inspite of the fact that three colleges offered him scholarship in recognition of his proficiency in football, he did not join any college . Happy, the women chaser also could not settle in life. For the next two days, immediately after his unexpected return, Willys mind was rather disturbed with thoughts of todays realities inter mingled with yesterdays half forgotten episodes. He felt that it was mistake on his part not to have followed his elder brother Ben ,who dared his way into the diamond minds of Africa and amassed fabulous wealth . Willys guilty consciousness pricked him at the flash back scene of Boston hotel room, when his son Biff makes a surprise visit and finds his father having an affair with a strange lady .After this episode, Biff seemed to hold a grudge against his father and could never again bring himself to trust Willy. As suggested by Linda, Willy visits Howard, the young Boss and request for a change of job in the New York City office as he is physically and mentally incapacitated as a travelling sales man. When the request was unceremoniously turned down by Howard and Willy dismissed from service he protest You cannot eat orange and throw the peel away ; man is not a piece of fruit. Willy is very much frustrated and disillusioned at the behavior of capitalists who lacked the human milk of kindness, sympathy and gratitude. Biffs attempt to raise a loan from Bill Oliver, the proprietor of sports goods company also failed. Oliver, who once liked Biff immensely, now refused to recognise him now because Biff has stolen a fountain pen, Charley ,Willys neighbour extended a helping hand in those days of adversity. He ,not only advanced a loan to him but also offered him a job to him. But Willy refused to accept it with a false sense of dignity. The two sons invited the father for a dinner party at a prominent restaurant in the city. But Happy picked up two call girls and left the place along with Biff,  leaving Willy alone. Willy felt humiliated and this experience was shocking and unbearable when Biff and Happy returned home, Linda ordered them out of the house by the next morning. She was planning to commit suicide on a particular night .Willy was left alone while all others went upstairs. He has insured his life for 20,000 dollars. Once he dies, the family will be entitled to receive the amount from the insurance company. So Willy got into his car and drove madly through darkness, only to kill himself. His funeral was attended only by Linda, the two sons, charley and his son Bernard. Linda could not stand the strain of separation from her beloved husband; but still she stooped down and dropped flowers on the grave of Willy. DEATH OF A SALESMAN AS A TRAGEDY: According to the traditional views based on Aristotelian cannons, the tragic hero was to be a person of high rank and status. So that his down fall could produce an inevitable emotional effect on the audience. In ancient Greek tragedies, fate or destiny is mainly responsible for the downfall of human beings. But Shakespeare and Marlow attributed human misfortune mainly to the personal draw backs of the tragic heroes themselves and hardly to the hidden forces which we describe as fate or destiny. Miller generally departs from both these concepts of tragedy as in the tragic hero in the Death of a sales man belongs to the middle class. He does not hold the view that tragic effect can be produced only by the downfall of a highly placed individual in society. It matters not at all whether hero falls from a great height or small one, whether he highly conscious or dimly aware of what is happening ,if the intensity is their America grows like a giant in unimaginable proportions . Willy symbolically stands for all the low men in American business community not just salesmen -who in a way sell themselves. Willy sells himself and in the process wears himself out and he is finally discarded when he is no longer useful. Willy begins as a salesman 36 years ago, opens up unheard of territories to their trade mark, but in his old age they take his salary away. It is pity that once Willys energy is exhausted by the work that  society has assigned to him, he is thrown aside and dismissed by the son of his old boss. Willy protests, you cannot eat the orange and throw them peel . Man is not a piece of fruit no doubt ,Willy loman is a superannuated employee, but he is rejected and ill treated by his employer at the end of his career. Even a change of job with less travelling was denied to him. But still it may not be fully correct to say that Willy is wholly a victim of the prevailing social system. His own responsibility of his tragedy is by no means insignificant or negligible. In the first place he failed to realize his own limitations and short comings Willy has the conviction that success depends on personality, contacts and good cloths and that these will bring everything one wants in life. Obviously Willy is a prey to that magical book of Dale carnegies How to win friends and influence people we know that mistake is that Willy had chosen a wrong profession for himself under the impression that the selling profession is the best in the world. Secondly the sense of guilt which he carries with him due to his past infidelity to his wife has also serious repercussions in his mental stability .His affair with the woman in the hotel when he was visited by Biff hangs on his conscience. Biffs discovery of Willys infidelity marks the crucial turning point in the relationship between the father and the son .There after Biff no longer believes Willy . Another point to be noted is Willys incurable optimism .He has had higher expectation about the future of his elder son Biff who looks so charming as the Adonise in Greek mythology and who has earned high reputation as a good football champion. Biff has become disillusioned .For Biff ,life came to be an end with his match. He could neither make a mark in business nor could he go back to school to finish his course. Ironically Bernard who never represented University of Virginia, Bernard who pleaded to carry Biffs helmet or shoulder guards , prospered. Bernard wins glory by pleading before the supreme court ,but he does this without any pushing from his father. According to Willy, they ought to be success at all; for both Charley and Bernard were not well liked. These tragic experiences shatter Willys conception of American dreams. No human or super natural agency interfered his life .The sense of frustration and psychological neurosis upsets his  mental equilibrium and shatters him to pieces. CHARACTER LIST WILLY LOMAN: An insecure, self-deluded traveling salesman. Willy believes wholeheartedly in the American Dream of easy success and wealth, but he never achieves it. Nor do his sons fulfill his hope that they will succeed where he has failed. When Willys illusions begin to fail under the pressing realities of his life, his mental health begins to unravel. The overwhelming tensions caused by this disparity, as well as those caused by the societal imperatives that drive Willy, form the essential conflict of Death of a Salesman. BIFF LOMAN: Willys thirty-four-year-old elder son. Biff led a charmed life in high school as a football star with scholarship prospects, good male friends, and fawning female admirers. He failed math, however, and did not have enough credits to graduate. Since then, his kleptomania has gotten him fired from every job that he has held. Biff represents Willys vulnerable, poetic, tragic side. He cannot ignore his instincts, which tell him to abandon Willys paralyzing dreams and move out West to work with his hands. He ultimately fails to reconcile his life with Willys expectations of him. LINDA LOMAN: Willys loyal, loving wife. Linda suffers through Willys grandiose dreams and self-delusions. Occasionally, she seems to be taken in by Willys self-deluded hopes for future glory and success, but at other times, she seems far more realistic and less fragile than her husband. She has nurtured the family through all of Willys misguided attempts at success, and her emotional strength and perseverance support Willy until his collapse. HAPPY LOMAN: Willys thirty-two-year-old younger son. Happy has lived in Biffs shadow all of his life, but he compensates by nurturing his relentless sex drive and professional ambition. Happy represents Willys sense of self-importance, ambition, and blind servitude to societal expectations. Although he works as an assistant to an assistant buyer in a department  store, Happy presents himself as supremely important. Additionally, he practices bad business ethics and sleeps with the girlfriends of his superiors. CHARLEY- Willys next door neighbor. Charley owns a successful business and his son, Bernard, is a wealthy, important lawyer. Willy is jealous of Charleys success. Charley gives Willy money to pay his bills, and Willy reveals at one point, choking back tears, that Charley is his only friend. BERNARD Bernard is Charleys son and an important, successful lawyer. Although Willy used to mock Bernard for studying hard, Bernard always loved Willys sons dearly and regarded Biff as a hero. Bernards success is difficult for Willy to accept because his own sons lives do not measure up. BEN Willys wealthy older brother. Ben has recently died and appears only in Willys daydreams. Willy regards Ben as a symbol of the success that he so desperately craves for himself and his sons. THE WOMAN Willys mistress when Happy and Biff were in high school. The Womans attention and admiration boost Willys fragile ego. When Biff catches Willy in his hotel room with The Woman, he loses faith in his father, and his dream of passing math and going to college dies. HOWARD WAGNER Willys boss. Howard inherited the company from his father, whom Willy regarded as a masterful man and a prince. Though much younger than Willy, Howard treats Willy with condescension and eventually fires him, despite Willys wounded assertions that he named Howard at his birth. STANLEY A waiter at Franks Chop House. Stanley and Happy seem to be friends, or at least acquaintances, and they banter about and ogle Miss Forsythe together before Biff and Willy arrive at the restaurant. MISS FORSYTHE AND LETTA Two young women whom Happy and Biff meet at Franks Chop House. It seems likely that Miss Forsythe and Letta are prostitutes, judging from Happys repeated comments about their moral character and the  fact that they are on call. JENNY Charleys secretary THEMES, MOTIFS SYMBOLS THEMES Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. THE AMERICAN DREAM Willy believes wholeheartedly in what he considers the promise of the American Dream- that a well liked and personally attractive man in business will indubitably and deservedly acquire the material comforts offered by modern American life. Oddly, his fixation with the superficial qualities of attractiveness and likeability is at odds with a more gritty, more rewarding understanding of the American Dream that identifies hard work without complaint as the key to success. Willys interpretation of likeability is superficial-he childishly dislikes Bernard because he considers Bernard a nerd. Willys blind faith in his stunted version of the American Dream leads to his rapid psychological decline when he is unable to accept the disparity between the Dream and his own life. ABANDONMENT Willys life charts a course from one abandonment to the next, leaving him in greater despair each time. Willys father leaves him and Ben when Willy is very young, leaving Willy neither a tangible (money) nor an intangible (history) legacy. Ben eventually departs for Alaska, leaving Willy to lose himself in a warped vision of the American Dream. Likely a result of these early experiences, Willy develops a fear of abandonment, which makes him want his family to conform to the American Dream. His efforts to raise perfect sons, however, reflect his inability to understand reality. The  young Biff, whom Willy considers the embodiment of promise, drops Willy and Willys zealous ambitions for him when he finds out about Willys adultery. Biffs ongoing inability to succeed in business furthers his estrangement from Willy. When, at Franks Chop House, Willy finally believes that Biff is on the cups of greatness, Biff shatters Willys illusions and, along with Happy, abandons the deluded, babbli ng Willy in the washroom. BETRAYAL Willys primary obsession throughout the play is what he considers to be Biffs betrayal of his ambitions for him. Willy believes that he has every right to expect Biff to fulfill the promise inherent in him. When Biff walks out on Willys ambitions for him, Willy takes this rejection as a personal affront (he associates it with insult and spite). Willy, after all, is a salesman, and Biffs ego-crushing rebuff ultimately reflects Willys inability to sell him on the American Dream-the product in which Willy himself believes most faithfully. Willy assumes that Biffs betrayal stems from Biffs discovery of Willys affair with The Woman-a betrayal of Lindas love. Whereas Willy feels that Biff has betrayed him, Biff feels that Willy, a phony little fake, has betrayed him with his unending stream of ego-stroking lies. MOTIFS Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that can help to develop and inform the texts major themes. MYTHIC FIGURES Willys tendency to mythologize people contributes to his deluded understanding of the world. He speaks of Dave Singleman as a legend and imagines that his death must have been beautifully noble. Willy compares Biff and Happy to the mythic Greek figures Adonis and Hercules because he believes that his sons are pinnacles of personal attractiveness and power through well liked-ness; to him, they seem the very incarnation of the  American Dream. Willys mythologizing proves quite nearsighted, however. Willy fails to realize the hopelessness of Singlemans lonely, on-the-job, on-the-road death. Trying to achieve what he considers to be Singlemans heroic status, Willy commits himself to a pathetic death and meaningless legacy (even if Willys life insurance policy ends up paying off, Biff wants nothing to do with Willys ambition for him). THE AMERICAN WEST, ALASKA, AND THE AFRICAN JUNGLE These regions represent the potential of instinct to Biff and Willy. Willys father found success in Alaska and his brother, Ben, became rich in Africa; these exotic locales, especially when compared to Willys banal Brooklyn neighborhood, crystallize how Willys obsession with the commercial world of the city has trapped him in an unpleasant reality. Whereas Alaska and the African jungle symbolize Willys failure, the American West, on the other hand, symbolizes Biffs potential. Biff realizes that he has been content only when working on farms, out in the open. His westward escape from both Willys delusions and the commercial world of the eastern United States suggests a nineteenth-century pioneer mentality-Biff, unlike Willy, recognizes the importance of the individual. SYMBOLS Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts. SEEDS Seeds represent for Willy the opportunity to prove the worth of his labor, both as a salesman and a father. His desperate, nocturnal attempt to grow vegetables signifies his shame about barely being able to put food on the table and having nothing to leave his children when he passes. Willy feels that he has worked hard but fears that he will not be able to help his  offspring any more than his own abandoning father helped him. The seeds also symbolize Willys sense of failure with Biff. Despite the American Dreams formula for success, which Willy considers infallible, Willys efforts to cultivate and nurture Biff went awry. Realizing that his all-American football star has turned into a lazy bum, Willy takes Biffs failure and lack of ambition as a reflection of his abilities as a father. DIAMONDS To Willy, diamonds represent tangible wealth and, hence, both validation of ones labor (and life) and the ability to pass material goods on to ones offspring, two things that Willy desperately craves. Correlatively, diamonds, the discovery of which made Ben a fortune, symbolize Willys failure as a salesman. Despite Willys belief in the American Dream, a belief unwavering to the extent that he passed up the opportunity to go with Ben to Alaska, the Dreams promise of financial security has eluded Willy. At the end of the play, Ben encourages Willy to enter the jungle finally and retrieve this elusive diamond-that is, to kill himself for insurance money in order to make his life meaningful. LINDAS AND THE WOMANS STOCKINGS Willys strange obsession with the condition of Lindas stockings foreshadows his later flashback to Biffs discovery of him and The Woman in their Boston hotel room. The teenage Biff accuses Willy of giving away Lindas stockings to The Woman. Stockings assume a metaphorical weight as the symbol of betrayal and sexual infidelity. New stockings are important for both Willys pride in being financially successful and thus able to provide for his family and for Willys ability to ease his guilt about, and suppress the memory of, his betrayal of Linda and Biff. THE RUBBER HOSE The rubber hose is a stage prop that reminds the audience of Willys desperate attempts at suicide. He has apparently attempted to kill himself  by inhaling gas, which is, ironically, the very substance essential to one of the most basic elements with which he must equip his home for his familys health and comfort-heat. Literal death by inhaling gas parallels the metaphorical death that Willy feels in his struggle to afford such a basic necessity. QUESTIONS The play Death of a Salesman revolves mainly around a conflict between ? What are the reasons for Willys failure as a business man? American dream in the play Death of a salesman. What is the central theme of the play Death of a salesman. The father son conflict in the play Death of a salesman. The hotel scene in the play Death of a salesman. The role of mother Linda Loman in the play Death of a salesman. Why did Biff Loman leave the school? The significance of the titleDeath of a salesman. Why did Willy commit suicide? The flash back scene in the play Death of a salesman. Millers play as a critique of the American way of life.

Significance of Pharmacovigilance for Drug Safety

Significance of Pharmacovigilance for Drug Safety AIM: To present an overview on the pharmacovigilance practice and realize the significance of pharmacovigilance in envisaging drug safety and efficacy To decisively appraise the pharmacovigilance findings of the anti-diabetic drug Avandia INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The World Health Organization defines pharmacovigilance as â€Å"The science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug-related problem†.9 THE NEED FOR PHARMACOVIGILANCE: Primarily let us understand the need for pharmacovigilance. It has been long debated that the data from animal experiments is not completely worth of extrapolation. The differences in their metabolic pathways, resistance to drugs and various other factors, the pharmacokinetics and dynamics of drugs tend to vary within species to species as well. Extrapolating such statistics from animals to humans though necessary is not foolproof. Additionally, the clinical trial environment is extremely controlled. The patient population, however large, is not a good representative of the general global population. The number of patients is limited. Owing to these facts, an adverse effect, which would occur in one in ten thousand or so, is very unlikely to arise within the restrictions of the clinical trial atmosphere. Moreover, in a real life situation the patients using the drug are likely to have other diseases, consuming other drugs and with different genetic make-ups. Accordingly arises the urgent need for better pharmacovigilance practices. The importance of identifying rare and serious adverse effects of drugs that have remained secret during the course of the clinical trial cannot be ignored. THE STEPS IN PHARMACOVIGILANCE: Spontaneous reporting and prescription event monitoring: Spontaneous reports and prescription event monitoring include reports of adverse effects of drugs to sponsors, CROs or regulatory authorities, reported by patients, nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals and consumers. The above process is streamlined with the help of global and countrywide structured programs to accelerate the practice and facilitate consumers to testify an adverse effect. Example: the National Pharmacovigilance Program in India. All events that are serious (as defined in ICH-GCP), unexpected, unlabeled, additional efficacy and lack of efficacy should be promptly reported. An incoming report is called as a case report. FDA has defined certain characteristics of a good case report. They are as follows: â€Å"1. Description of the adverse events or disease experience, including time to onset of signs or symptoms; 2. Suspected and concomitant product therapy details (i.e., dose, lot number, schedule, dates, duration), including over-the-counter medications, dietary supplements, and recently discontinued medications; 3. Patient characteristics, including demographic information (e.g., age, race, sex), baseline medical condition prior to product therapy, co-morbid conditions, use of concomitant medications, relevant family history of disease, and presence of other risk factors; 4. Documentation of the diagnosis of the events, including methods used to make the diagnosis; 5. Clinical course of the event and patient outcomes (e.g., hospitalization or death);5 6. Relevant therapeutic measures and laboratory data at baseline, during therapy, and subsequent to therapy, including blood levels, as appropriate; 7. Information about response to dechallenge and rechallenge; and 8. Any other relevant information (e.g., other details relating to the event or information on benefits received by the patient, if important to the assessment of the event).†6 Signal generation: A signal is reported information of the possible causal relationship between an adverse event and the drug, which has been reported more than once. The frequency of reports to generate a signal depends on the seriousness of the event, drug class, disease status, authenticity of the reporter etc. Signal follow-up and strengthening: Signal follow-up and strengthening consists of identifying similar cases in different countries, mining the literature for evidence to support the hypothesis, pre-clinical information and patient follow-up. The prospective analysis of reports of interests is crucial for a signal to generate any action. Careful scrutiny has to be done in order to assess the ingenuity of the signal. The report could have been due to the patients illness history, concomitant medication, disease state or any other reason not related to the use of drug. Even then, such confounded reports should be analyzed promptly. Signal follow-up ensures authenticity of the reports. Causality assessment: Determining whether the adverse event has a causal relationship with the drug or not, and if it has, the degree to which the association exists is called as causality assessment. The WHO has defined six degrees of relationship, namely: certain, probable, possible, unlikely, conditional/unclassified and unassessable/unclassifiable with lowering intensity of causality. Action: Action is taken once it is well established that there exists a causal relationship in between the drug and the adverse event. Depending on the severity of the adverse event, action taken can be in the form of withdrawal of marketing approval, change in package insert, additional trials to confirm causality and dissemination of information globally. THE PRACTICAL ASPECT: Consider the story of the blockbuster drug Avandia (rosiglitazone), used to treat patients with type II diabetes mellitus. â€Å"Rosiglitazone (Avandia ®) is a thiazolidinedione indicated in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus: as monotherapy in patients (particularly overweight patients) inadequately controlled by diet and exercise for whom metformin is inappropriate because of contraindications or intolerance as dual oral therapy in combination with metformin, in patients (particularly overweight patients) with insufficient glycaemic control despite maximal tolerated dose of monotherapy with metformin a sulphonylurea, only in patients who show intolerance to metformin or for whom metformin is contraindicated, with insufficient glycaemic control despite monotherapy with a sulphonylurea as triple oral therapy in combination with metformin and a sulphonylurea, in patients (particularly overweight patients) with insufficient glycaemic control despite dual oral therapy†4 Little did the world know that a boon was in fact a bane for a certain group of people with a history of cardiovascular illnesses. A meta-analysis by Nissen and Wolski et al. provided evidence that â€Å"rosiglitazone was associated with a significant increase in the risk of (MI)myocardial infarction (odds ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 1.98; P = 0.03) and a borderline-significant finding for death from cardiovascular causes (odds ratio, 1.64; 95% CI, 0.98 to 2.74; P = 0.06).†2 Though the meta-analysis study had quite a few numbers of weaknesses, the increased risk of MI in patients consuming rosiglitazone has come as a rude shock to the sponsors as well as the patient community. Something, which could not be unveiled during the clinical trial process. Another study (called Antipsychotic drugs and heart muscle disorder in international pharmacovigilance: data mining study) by David Coulter et al. used a Bayesian confidence propagation network to analyze the correlation between anti-psychotic drugs and occurrences of cardiomyopathy and myocarditis. Though the study did not prove much, it did bring up an association between use of clozapine and incidences of heart disorders. It also scanned the WHO database and concluded that as compared to other anti-psychotic drugs, clozapine is more widely reported. A French pharmacovigilance study (called Reports of hypoglycemia associated with the use ACE inhibitors and other drugs: a case/non-case study in the French pharmacovigilance system database) by Nicholas Moore et al. set out to find any association between use of ACE inhibitors and incidences of hypoglycemia. The results attested that in fact there was no significant increase in the occurrences of hypoglycemia in patients on ACE inhibi tors. Such pharmacovigilance approaches add to the knowledge base of drugs and related Adverse Drug Reactions. Pharmacovigilance is a vital tool. There are various advances and approaches to good pharmacovigilance practices ranging from data mining studies to conducting global clinical trials. What approach is deemed best to yield the right results, only time will tell. CASE STUDY: THE CHRONICLE OF DIABETES MELLITUS TYPE II, AVANDIA, HOPE AND DEATH! Early in august 2006, Vivians mother had gone to the hospital for some routine cancer tests. However, what was supposed to be routine, did not turn out to be. The doctors found the left side of the patients body swollen. She was admitted immediately. On admission, the doctors found her heart swollen as well. Her heart was racing. Every trick in the trade was tried to get Vivians mother under control, but nothing seemed to work. Just a few days into her admission, she died, of cardiac arrest. Till the end, the doctors failed to find out the root cause for her death. However strange it may seem, the drug which she was taking for the past eight years, to control her blood sugar level has been the prime suspect and the causative agent of edema and myocardial infarction. The name, Avandia; generically known as Rosiglitazone. Vivians mother was put on Avandia since 1999, the drugs approval year. Her death occurred in august 2006. Precisely eight years of Avandia, took her life. Then in May 2007, came to light a stunning NEJM study which spilled the beans for GlaxoSmithKline. They found â€Å"a significant increase 43 percentin the risk for myocardial infarction -with rosiglitazone. They also found a 64 percent increased risk for death from other cardiovascular causes in people taking the drug. These findings were based on analyses of 42 clinical trials of the drug.†10 As a response to this, but probably too late for Vivian and her mother, FDA issued a public warning about the findings of the Avandia pharmacovigilance study. Patients with a bad cardiovascular history were now said to revise their use of Avandia. Either stop it, or lower the dose. The information directly applies to Vivians mother death. Vivian said â€Å"At the time I didnt realize that she had any cardiac problems. But there is a history of heart problems in my mothers family, including a history of heart murmurs. And my brother has a congenital heart defect, my mother was also on at least 13 drugs at the time she went to hospital.†10 A CRITICAL ANALYSIS Thats the tale of one drug and one death. But there have been many. And no noise is being made about it. What approach is the right approach for pharmacovigilance is still to be stereotyped. But so far, the structured ADR reporting systems and data mining seems to have turned the fortunes for Avandia. But for the time being lets spare Avandia, and concentrate our resources towards analyzing the situation of global pharmacovigilance. Does it really happen? What constitutes good pharmacovigilance practice? But one things for sure, the mindsets of sponsors and regulatory authorities needs to change. Things need to get crystallized. Vigilance should be policed. Conditional approval to market the drug should follow stringent laws. The two core issues surrounding pharmacovigilance are drug safety and the reputation of pharmaceuticals. Which one of those needs to be sacrificed does the time arise, is a million dollar question. The reputation, it should be. Compromising drug safety puts millions of patients at risk. Reputation can be back, but life, once gone, never returns, and so is Vivians mother. Even then, the reputation of GSK seems to be untouched. Vivians mother did have a history of cardiovascular illnesses, but still she was on the death drug for over eight years. Such an issue was never raised during any of the trials of Avandia. It is thanks to pharmacovigilance that the root cause analysis was performed and the association between Avandia and edema and myocardial infarction was established. If not completely, at least it has rung the bells at the FDA. It was no doubt too late for Vivians mother, but the information has the potential to save millions of life, now that the correlation has been ascertai ned. However, some issues in the meta-analysis also need to be addressed. The study combined data of 42 different clinical trials. Trials with different outcomes, disease states, patients, duration and many other differentiating factors have been combined to pool in the data. The data from varying trials can be sometimes conflicting. GSK argues, the most reliable way to assess the long-term safety of the trial is to conduct a long-term safety trial. Three long-term safety trials of Avandia have been conducted by GSK. Namely; ADOPT (A Diabetes Outcome Progression Trial), DREAM and RECORD. The studies back Avandias safety profile. No more than a minimalist increase in risk has been noted in one of the studies. Again, as Avandia is known to control the blood sugar level for a longer time, it said to have benefits outweighing the risks. The conflict will always remain. However, in such a scenario, the safety of patients should not in any way take a back seat. Sponsors and regulatory authorities along with consumers and healthcare professionals equal should take serious and committed steps to improve pharmacovigilance. The authenticity of the safety profile of Avandia will be demonstrated over time. But in any case, the death of Vivians mother cannot be reversed, not by me, nor by GSK nor by the FDA. CONCLUSION The coming years are bound to be very interesting on the pharmacovigilance front. The techniques regulatory agencies mandate to make PV more stringent will be worth waiting for. Sponsors will have to invest more money to establish the safety profile of the drug. Awareness among patients has to be created for better reporting of ADRs. The current approach to drug development focuses an intensive, strong and time-consuming pre approval process, but a similar standing is required post approval also. The transition from research to marketing has to be more governed with the research step not stopping at the marketing juncture. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Dhruv Kazi, Rosiglitazone and implications for pharmacovigilance, BMJ 2007;334:1233-1234 (16 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.39245.502546.BE Steven E. Nissen, M.D., and Kathy Wolski, M.P.H., Effect of Rosiglitazone on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death from Cardiovascular Causes, n engl j med 356;24, vol. 356 no. 24 Bruce M. Psaty, M.D., Ph.D., and Curt D. Furberg, M.D., Ph.D., Rosiglitazone and Cardiovascular Risk, n engl j med 356;24 Overview of cardiac adverse drug reactions reported in association with rosiglitazone, Nederlands Bijwerkingen Centrum Lareb November 2007 V. Thawani1, S. Sharma2, K. Gharpure1, Pharmacovigilance: Is it possible if bannable medicines are available over the counter?, Indian J Pharmacol | June 2005 | Vol 37 | Issue 3 Guidance for Industry, Good Pharmacovigilance Practices and Pharmacoepidemiologic Assessment, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), March 2005, Clinical Medical David M Coulter, Andrew Bate, Ronald H B Meyboom, Marie Lindquist, I Ralph Edwards, Antipsychotic drugs and heart muscle disorder in international pharmacovigilance: data mining study, BMJ VOLUME 322 19 MAY 2001, BMJ 2001;322:1207-9 Nicholas Moore et al., Reports of hypoglycemia associated with the use of ACE inhibitors and other drugs: a case/non-case study in French pharmacovigilance sysyem database, Br J Clin Pharmacol1997;44: 513-518, 1997 Blackwell Science Ltd. Data Assessment in Pharmacovigilance (powerpoint presentation), R.H.B. Meyboom Avandia: Meant to Help but Killed Instead March 30, 2008. By Lucy Campbell, Seed Newsvine