All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque Essay

1. Title: ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT 2. Author: ERICH MARIA REMARQUE 3. Published: 1929 4. SUBJECT: This book is written by a German veteran of World War I, who describes the German soldiers’ extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home from the frontlines. 5. OPINION: I think this book tells a tale of honor and courage, two of the three core values of the Marine Corps. The author brings his own experiences to light through the main character, Paul Bà ¤umer. Furthermore, I believe that the author is trying to characterize his generation, the young men who fought the Great War and who were destroyed by it. The group of men which Paul Bà ¤umer fights with reminds me of the camaraderie that lies within the Marine Corps ethos. 6. INTRODUCTION: All is Quiet on the Western Front begins with Paul Bà ¤umer’s company at rest, five miles behind the front lines between Langemark and Bixschoote. They have had very little sleep for the fourteen days since they relieved the front line and seventy of their one hundred and fifty men are dead at the hands of Russian gunfire. The cook, Ginger, has fixed rations for the one hundred and fifty and, after arguing with the lieutenant, grudgingly consents to give all the food to the eighty soldiers left, including double rations of smokes. As the narrator remarks, â€Å"Today is wonderfully good.† In All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque creates Paul Bà ¤umer to represent a whole generation of men who are known to history as the â€Å"lost generation.† Eight million men died in battle, twenty-one million were injured, and over six and a half million noncombatants were killed in what is called â€Å"The Great War.† Throughout the story, I feel that the generation has gone through an event that steals the memories of their childhood. As early as the second chapter, Paul Bà ¤umer describes the difference between his generation, his parents, and the older soldiers. They had a life before the war, a life where they felt comfortable and secure. But Paul’s generation never had a chance at that life. Even when the story begins, all Paul has known is death, horror, fear, and suffering. He and his fellow classmates are only nineteen and twenty years old; the age of the average Junior Marine today. However, they feel nothing, believe in nothing, and see no future because of their experiences in the war. Apart from being deprived of the sweet memories of childhood and the hopes of a bright future, this generation felt a terrible sense of betrayal by their parents, teachers, and government. The myths of the older generation become apparent when Paul goes home. A sergeant-major reprimands Paul for not saluting him when Paul has spent a good share of his life in the trenches killing the enemy and trying to survive. Many Marines can relate to this reference, as many find it difficult to transition back into garrison after being in country for so long. As the war story unfolds, Paul and his friends become cynical towards death and horror all around them, that the inhumanity and atrocities of war become part of everyday life. The author describes the atrocities, the terrible consequences of weapons of mass destruction, and how soldiers become hardened to death and its onslaught of sensory perceptions during battle. Atrocities are simply a part of the inhumane business of war. In chapter 6, Paul and his men come across soldiers whose noses are cut off and eyes poked out with their own saw bayonets. Their mouths and noses are stuffed with sawdust so they suffocate. This constant view of death causes the soldiers to fight back like animals. They use spades to slice faces in two and jab bayonets into the backs of any enemy who is too slow to escape. Their callousness is contrasted with the reaction of the new recruits who give in to front-line foolishness described over and over again in scenes of the front. Despite all the terrible stories of death and gore, the author revisits a redeeming quality: comradeship. When Paul and his friends ambush Corporal Himmelstoss and beat him up, I laugh because he deserves it and they are only giving him his due. As time goes by, however, the pictures of camaraderie relieve the terrible descriptions of front line assaults and death, and they provide a bright light in a place of such terrible darkness. A recruit becomes gun-shy in his first battle when a rocket fires and explosions begin. He goes to Paul and cries and Paul does his best to comfort him. This reminds me of when I was deployed and my fellow Marines would make me feel better and tell me we would be home soon when I was feeling homesick. Through thick and thin, battle and rest, horror and hopelessness, these men hold each other up. Finally, Paul has only Kat and he loses even this friend and father-figure in Chapter 11. This man, this hero, this father, this life — has been closer to Paul than his own blood relatives and yet Paul must say, â€Å"No, we are not related.† Remarque says that this novel â€Å"will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war.† If words can touch what men hold to be dear in their hearts and so cause them to change the world, this book with its words of a lost generation, lost values, and lost humanity is surely one that should be required reading for all generations. LESSON: I think that this book is great insight into what soldiers went through during World War I. It really captures the essence of basic Marine Corps Values, such as honor and courage. The main character Paul Bà ¤umer shows great courage in that he takes care of his fellow soldiers and pushes forward, despite all the day to day atrocities. Paul and his friends show honor by sticking up for what is right and being there for one another. Lastly, my favorite quality displayed by the characters was camaraderie. This is something that Marine Corps has taught me and that will always remain with me even after I get out, because it has showed me that no matter what, your peers will always be with you, during wartime and during peacetime.

The Restructuring of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Essays

The Restructuring of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Essays The Restructuring of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Essay The Restructuring of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Essay Application Exercise Strategic Management Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), where I am employed, is engaged and exploration, refining, distribution and marketing of petroleum product across the country. In downstream product marketing BPCL, has bouquet of products on offer, ranging from Petrol, Diesel, to Aviation Fuel, to Cooking Gas to Auto Lubricants. It is a global major and ranked 225th in the Fortune Global 500 rankings of the worlds biggest corporations for the year 2012. The ChangeOpening up of the Indian economy in the nineties brought with it more competition and challenges to BPCL, kindled by the phased dismantling of the Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) on petroleum products and emergence of additional capacities in the region in refining and marketing. Increasing globalisation, new products and services, and innovative marketing resulted in a very market savvy consumer. The production-based success philosophy of marketers was replaced by a customer-oriented philosophy.Bharat Petroleum took cognisance of this situation well in time and took radical steps to keep itself attuned to the changing times, realising that the future belongs to those who listen and adapt to their customers. Application of 7-S Framwork To assess the effectiveness of the implementation approach in BPCL in late 90s, I have applied below the 7-S Framework, which is based around seven key elements of any organisation, with the view that in order for it to operate successfu lly, all the elements in this model must align synergistically together.The factors are split into two groups: hard or soft. The hard elements are those that can physically be seen when in place, whereas the soft are more intangible and cannot readily be seen. Hard Elements| Soft Elements| Strategy| Shared Values| Structure| Skills| Systems| Staff| | Style| Shared Values Shared values are the pinnacle of the model and therefore in any organisation. They form the underpinning culture, strategy, effectiveness and performance, linking to every other element in this framework.They link all that is of the organisation: how people behave, the structure, its systems and so on. Getting this balance right means getting the culture right. In 1996, Bharat Petroleum went through a process of visioning, involving people at all levels, which evolved a shared vision and a set of shared values. Visioning exercise started with the board, facilitated by external consultants. The exercise was extended across the organization in a snowball approach flowing from top management to the junior management, facilitated by the external experts, specifically trained for this purpose.Thus emerged the core of the vision for BPCL which was owned by every management staff. The core of vision as articulated by the organisational members across the organization is given below – Be the Best| Make the workplace exciting| Improve boundary management| Fulfill social responsibilities, be ethical| Apply the best technology| Make systems strong and dynamic| Establish first-class brands and corp. image| Excellent customer care amp; service| Go for excellent performance and operational efficiency| Make people source of improvement|The visioning exercise the provided for articulation and aspirations of the people. The process brought the whole organization out of lethargy, increased the energy levels and expectations on individuals, teams and the organizations. Since, the vision was iterated thro ughout the organization, there was greater buyin for the change. Strategy Bharat Petroleum recognised that all strategic initiatives must conform to the overall vision of the Corporation and improve the economic value.Based on the assessment / visioning exercise carried out across the BPCL, following strategic gaps and opportunities emerged – 1. Collective dissatisfaction with status quo 2. Low customer focus and customer orientation 3. Huge gap between the vision and capabilities to achieve it a. Increase refining capacities to reduce the dependence on other oil PSUs for product support. Invest in refineries to cater to marketing aspirations in south, east amp; north India. b.Backward integration to invest in exploration and production to make up for the margins pressure in down stream activities. BPCL relentlessly worked towards fulfilling these gaps by taking following initiatives – Product Security Initiatives: To improve product security, BPCL acquired two standal one refineries – Kochi refinery (9. 5 MMTPA) in South and Numaligarh Refinery (3 MMTPA) in Assam. Investment in 9 MMTPA refinery in joint venture with Oman Refineries in Madhaya Pradesh to cater to Northern India, where BPCL was dependent on other PSUs for product support.Backend Integration Initiatives: Bharat PetroResources Ltd (BPRL) was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary company of BPCL with the objective of implementing BPCL’s plans in the upstream exploration and production sector. The exploration and production activities of BPRL and its subsidiary companies extend to 26 exploration blocks where they hold participating interests (PI). Of this, 11 blocks are in India and 15 are abroad. Besides India, BPRL has blocks in Australia, Brazil, East Timor, Indonesia, Mozambique and the United Kingdom.BPRL’s total acreage in all these blocks is around 68,000 sq. km, of which approx 89% is offshore acreage. These blocks are in various stages of exploration w ith definite finds. Brand Initiatives: In the highly competitive scenario, it has become imperative to own dominant brands. BPCL introduced new generation branded fuels Speed, Hi Speed Diesel and Speed 97, to introduce premium fuel brands in the Country, keeping pace with the technological advancements in the automobile industry leading to introduction of new generation vehicles.BPCL also recognized the customer need for pure quality and correct quantity of fuel for their vehicles and launched the flagship initiative of Pure For Sure (PFS) offering the guarantee of pure quality and correct quantity of fuel to our customers. The petrol pumps displaying a prominent Pure For Sure signage became landmark destinations. Automotive Lubricants Initiatives: Bharat Petroleum launched the full range of Automotive Engine Oils, Gear Oils, Transmission oils, Specialty Oils and Greases under the umbrella brand MAK, offering range of benefits to the users of present day modern vehicles.Structure Th e older structure was functionally organized. There were mainly four functions – Refineries, Marketing, Finance, and Personnel – each headed by a Functional Director. Other support departments like corporate affairs, legal, audit, vigilance, coordination and company secretary were directly under Camp;MD. Whole of India was divided into four regions and further in 22 divisions. Each region was headed by Regional Manager who was incharge of all activities within the region. Across the marketing function, every individual and role was focused on multiple customer segments.Hence, there was low customer awareness in terms if unique needs of different customer segments and marketing strategy was formulated by people who were far from the customer and had low understanding of customers they were targeting. Thus the old structure had created a bottleneck between strategy formulators and implementers in terms of regional structure and between the field staff and the corporate o ffices and the refinery. The early traumatic experience of huge loss in market share amp; profitability in auto lubricants, after it’s deregulation in 1990, forced the strategists for due reflection.BPCL then embarked upon the journey of restructuring. Bharat Petroleum realised that, in the long run, success can only come with a total reorientation and change in approach with the customer as the focal point. In a proactive move to adapt to the emerging competitive scenario and support the emerging strategy (discussed earlier), function-based structure was carefully dismantled and replaced with a process-based one. This made the company more responsive to its customer needs. BPCL therefore was restructured into a Corporate Centre, Strategic Business Units (SBUs) and Shared Services and Entities.The organisational design comprising of five customers facing SBUs, viz. Aviation, Industrial and Commercial, LPG, Lubricants and Retail and one asset based SBU, viz. Refinery, is based on the philosophy of greater customer focus based on the specific needs of each customer segments. Systems Bharat Petroleum has always been on the forefront of harnessing technology initiatives for BPCL has been on forefront in harnessing technology, maximising efficiency and achieving greater customer satisfaction.Bharat Petroleum became the first PSU to implement Enterprisewide Resource Planning (ERP) solutions SAP. The challenge of SAP implementation was to ensure that all the integrated elements work seamlessly across the length and breadth of the country, including the remote locations. Bharat Petroleum reaped huge benefits of the integrated system in many areas of its operations like, tracking customer-receivables, monitoring credit-management, inventory management, besides easing the operations in a large number of areas. SkillsAs a Strategic Business Partner, HR supports skill-upgradation and multi-skilling of staff by identifying target segment and requirements from each SBU, evaluation of on the job performance post deployment in the job requiring those skills sets. BPCL designed Structured Standard programs’ which is implemented across the organization on BPCL Core Values amp; Culture / Identification and Development of Talent / Coaching Skills / Understanding of PMS Process and its timeliness / Understanding of New Manager Assimilation Process for Senior Managers having experience of handling a team.Impact of training is assessed and evaluated through proper framework. HR designed integrated Talent Management process with 360 degree assessment of all management staff on competencies, engagement and aspiration. Based on these inputs, individual development plans are designed. The purpose of the exercise is to ensure that talent is retained, encouraged and groomed to take over leadership position in near future. Staff Various HR initiatives were also taken by BPCL. Some of them are listed below –Engaging Employees: BPCL realizes tha t event based engagement is not sufficient instead employees needs continuous engagements so that their grievances are addressed, they are hand held, if needed, feel secured and appreciated and get committed to their work and corporation. Performance Planning amp; Appraisal System: PMS system in BPCL facilitates achievement of the Vision and Business Plans of the Corporation and foster development of every management staff, thereby gaining competitive advantage in the industry.The objectives of PMS in BPCL is to create awareness of Corporate and SBU/ Entity goals, translate such goals into tangible objectives and measures at the individual level through discussions between Appraiser and Appraisee, identify managerial attributes/ competencies for each role necessary to achieve the goals, establish a formal process of continuous feedback on performance and identify developmental plans to enhance performance.Manpower Planning: Based on inputs from SBUs / Entities, HR either relocate th e already employed resource from other facility, based on the strength of the employee and the job requirement or initiate the process of recruitment. Career Planning: To bring HR closer to work place, BPCL has embedded HR with each SBU / Entity, who hand hold these set-up in HR matters in consultation with central HR set-up.Every year, embedded HR, alongwith corporate HR to discuss the talent development, career planning of individual staff to decide on inter-functional movement and short to long term career path. Conclusion The Quantitative impact of re-structuring, which placed BPCL ahead of its time among Oil PSUs, has been amazing over the period of time and helped it embark on path of successive progress.

Marketing Plan for Chain of Pro Shops Located Within Ice Arenas

Marketing Plan for Chain of Pro Shops Located Within Ice Arenas Executive Summary Pro shops are businesses involved with selling sporting equipments that are required in the sporting facility. The chain of pro shops is situated in an Ice Arena and offers a wide range of hockey equipments as well as bags, apparels and coaching products among others. The chain has a single supplier and for this reason, the products are similar and range within the same price.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Marketing Plan for Chain of Pro Shops Located Within Ice Arenas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These shops are dedicated to ensure that the players, coaches, fans and other interested shoppers get the greatest services and high quality goods. One of the main aims of the company is to increase the awareness among the customers of the available services and products as well as develop trust and loyalty for the growth of the shops. Increase in promotional tools will be used as a marketin g strategy, as well applying proper inventory management techniques. Market Overview The current market status of the pro shops is determined by the players and the individuals who visit the arenas. While the customers have been mainly the fans and the teams using the arenas, there is a need to increase the scope to reach even those who watch the game at home. The new strategy is meant to include online customers, who would access the shops’ products and purchase online. While there is a problem with congestion of shops in one arena, the strategy is to start specializing in certain products in order to avoid competition. Teams’ Model The arenas are used by both schools and professional teams. The amount of customers is therefore at a constant flow as a result of large number of tournaments. While the neighborhood has some other arenas, the specific arena within which these pro shops are located is one of the biggest. There is therefore a better chance of increased cust omers’ inflow as compared to the other ice arenas. With these considerations, the target customers are those attending the matches as well as those from the neighboring arenas, who should be encouraged by the new marketing strategy.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Target Market Growth The popularity of ice hockey has been increasing significantly. According to the TalkOn (2008) guide, Ice hockey is increasingly gaining popularity and for this reason, there is potential for increased customers in not only the United States, but also the rest of the world. With effective online marketing strategies, the shops will have the potential to increase their products awareness to potential customers and hence increase the sales of the sporting equipments and associated products. Marketing Objectives One of the major objectives of the pro shops is increasing the awareness of their products to not only the local customers but also international fans. Increase the seasonal revenues to over $ 1 million collectively. SWOT Analysis Strengths One of the strengths of the pro shops is that the arena is state-of-art and hence encourages more fans than most other arenas. There is therefore a chance of increased demand of the products in the pro shops. The pro shops retail in many products and they combine a variety of products from different teams. This allows the fans an opportunity to get the specific products that they require. Weaknesses One of the major weaknesses with the company is the concentration of many pro shops within one arena. This creates unnecessary competition and affects the returns generated. Opportunities The increasing use of online marketing and financial transactions will allow for increased and expanded sales to not only the local-based customers but also the international ones. Threats The increasing popularity in other games like basketball and soccer may lead to reduced interest in Ice hockey and hence lead to reduced demand for ice hockey products. Pricing Strategy Some of the products in the pro shops are considered to be overpriced. The shops will try to adjust the prices by considering various cheaper sources and this will require the diversification of supply chains.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Marketing Plan for Chain of Pro Shops Located Within Ice Arenas specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, to avoid price competition, the pro shops will develop a strategy that will have the different shops engage in different products to avoid unnecessary competition. This will allow for the comparison with other competitor prices in different arenas in the region (Mondschein, 2009). Through appropriate and timely promotions, the pro shops will ensure that the customers are given a chance to purchase at reduced pric es (Smith, Smith, 2011). Some services will be introduced that will be meant to save the customers’ spending, while still contributing to the shops’ returns. One of such will be skates’ repair and sharpening in order to tap those individuals who would not afford new pairs of skates. Through this strategy, the shops will create another way of increasing the customers without compromising on the shops’ returns. Marketing Communications Plan To increase the customers’ awareness of the available products in the pro shops, it will be essential that proper communication strategies be implemented (Masterman, Wood, 2006). One of the strategies that the shops will adopt is the use of brochures and leaflets during tournaments. This will ensure that the customers will spread the information about the shops’ products as they leave the arena after matches. In addition, the shops will develop personal links that will help the interested customers to gai n access to their sites for information about the available products and the prices (Meyerson, 2005). The creation of online databases will also occur in line with the development of online payment options that will save the customers the hustles of making physical contacts with the company. Advertisement will also be made through print and electronic media in order to ensure that the public knows about the products. The internet for example will be great since it is expected to reach a large number of potential customers (Masterman, Wood, 2006). Sales and Marketing Channel Plan The products would need to be introduced to the potential customers through effective sales and marketing channels. This would ensure that rather than knowing of the existence of the products, the customers will be persuaded through appropriate means to purchase the products. One of the important aspects within this strategy is the workforce (Mathur, 2006).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More While the chain has three sales persons in each shop, it will be important to increase the number of sales persons to five, especially during tournaments. This will ensure that there will be broader coverage and hence increased sales. The sales teams will also be positioned in the online channels in order to communicate directly with the customers and offer help and ideas about the available products (Meyerson, Scarborough, 2007). The shops will set sales goals in terms of distributed brochures and leaflets per individual match. This will proceed to be cumulatively reflected at the end of fiscal period, which should also coincide with playing season. In each match, the sales persons will strive to distribute around 5, 000 brochures in each game. This will make it easier for the awareness campaign to speedily get integrated into the interests of potential customers. In addition to the brochures’ distribution, the sales team will strive to increase the number of promotions to one per week throughout the ice hockey season. Product demonstration will also be started. The management will start demonstration initiatives by looking out for pro skaters to demonstrate the use and application of some of the products like skates and goalie sticks. In addition, the management will find opportunities to demonstrate the effectiveness of some coaching equipments in order to encourage not only the players and fans, but also the coaches. While the communications plan is effective enough to increase the number of customers, it will be important to maintain proper records for the sake of customers’ trust. In addition, the inventory will ensure that the management knows of the available products and those that need to be added. This will prevent customers from making orders that are out of stock. One of the most effective ways of managing the inventory is by use of bar codes and radio frequency Identification (McCraven, 2011). These types of technologies count the products as they are purchased and sold to customers. It therefore makes it easier for the marketers to know the products that are on the shelf, how many they are, and the ones already sold. The radio frequency identifiers may be incorporated into the database of available products to evaluate the rate of purchases and hence estimate the demand and supply. These tools will help in reducing chances of mismanagement and missing records since they can affect a lot the credibility of the shops. Since the shops will contemplate on diversifying the supplier chain in order to avoid monopolistic dependence that would affect the pricing strategy, keeping record of the purchases would be a must. The inventories will thus help in restructuring the marketing strategies hitherto applied by the pro shops. References Masterman, G., Wood, E. H. (2006). Innovative marketing communications: strategies for the events industry. Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann. Mathur, P. (2006). Sales And Market ing Management. New Delhi: Ishar Books. McCraven, S. (2011). Inventory Control Comes of Age. Retrieved from https://precast.org/2011/04/inventory-control-comes-of-age/ Meyerson, M. (2005). Success secrets of the online marketing superstars. Chicago, IL: Kaplan Publishing. Meyerson, M. E., Scarborough, E. (2007). Mastering Online Marketing. Upper Saddle, NJ: Entrepreneur Press. Mondschein, K. (2009). Advertising, Sales, and Marketing. New York: Infobase Publishing. Smith, T. J., Smith, T. (2011). Pricing Strategy: Setting Price Levels, Managing Price Discounts, Establishing Price Structures. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. TalkOn. (2008). An Introduction to Ice Hockey. Web.

Qatar National Vision 2030 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Qatar National Vision 2030 - Research Paper Example As far as the living conditions are concerned, the vision aims at developing beyond the production of oil. Basically, vision 2030 Qatar aims at impacting the human development, social, economic and environmental development. Human development is an aspect of the vision that Qatar aims at bringing it to life. The aspects that have been outlined in the human development include the health of the people of Qatar and their political well being. According to General secretariat for development (2012) the vision aims at improving the health of a citizen of Qatar by coming up with a system of healthcare provision that is well integrated. Technology is the order here and, therefore, healthcare services will deploy the latest technology for the good of the health of the people of Qatar (National Health Strategy, 2011). In addition, the people managing the healthcare services will be well trained to meet the high world-class standards. The services will be made accessible to everyone and, ther efore, no one will be left out in any case. The world-class healthcare provision will not only serve the existing generation, but also the generations to come. The political aspect of human development shall be based on the constitution to help in the resolving of the political leadership of the citizens of Qatar. The aspect of human development is a key pillar to the achieving the vision 2030 because, people make a very precious asset to the country (Qatar Tribune, 2011). If the investment are well established in the people, full participation to economic, social and political aspects will be guaranteed. As a result, the entire society will prosper. Human development also stresses on the improved education and full participation in the Qatar workforce. With human development the vision is achieved because, healthy living will dictates productivity, improved education improves on knowledge while improved participation results into sustainable economic growth. Social development is a lso a pillar onto which Qatar vision 2030 is built. Social development aims at projecting components such as the social welfare of the Qatar citizens and also protection to the citizens. Social development also aims at motivating the citizens of Qatar to actively participate in the development of national unity. Social development also entails equal opportunities to access education, career development and employment opportunities without basing on factors such as ethnic groups, age, social status or people’s background. Social development also aims at providing adequate social care and protection. In essence, it aims at developing families that are dedicated enough to offer protection and care to its members while taking into account the moral standards of the society at large (Ng and Khalaqi, 2011). Social development is a stepping stone to the achievement of the Qatar vision 2030 as with it, a well developed social structure will be formed and hence enhancing the internati onal cooperation. This hence means Qatar will stick to its international role, and hence sustainable growth. Economic development is also a pillar that plays a crucial role in the attaining of the vision 2030, of Qatar. Economic develop

The analysis of thymine and its derivatives by electron-ionisation and Essay

The analysis of thymine and its derivatives by electron-ionisation and chemical-ionisation mass spectrometry - Essay Example Aromaticity of Thymine is due to the alignment of conjugated double bond and empty orbital of Nitrogens in the ring. Resonance also plays part in stabilizing the molecule. Thymine exists in different tautomeric form but the lactam form is the most stable and the form present in DNA structure. Thymine has the structure of an aromatic heterocyclic ring with two carbonyl attached to 2nd and 4th Carbon. A methyl group is attached to 5th Carbon. The first and third position of the ring is a Nitrogen atom. Both Nitrogen has unoccupied orbital that participates in stabilizing aromatic property of the molecule. Coupling of Thymine and 2-Deoxyribose creates the nucleoside Deoxythymidine which is commonly called Thymidine. One common mutations found in DNA are two adjacent pyrimidine bases commonly Thymidine that upon irradiation with UV-light will cause mutagenesis and therefore inhibits the process of translation. Thymine Thymidine Mass Spectrometry A mass spectrometer produces a spectrum of masses based on the structure of a molecule. The mass spectrum is not a spectrum with respect to electromagnetic radiation, as in the case or IR and NMR. Instead, it is a spectrum of plot of distribution of ion masses corresponding to the formula weight of the molecule, fragments derive from the molecule, or both. For the past years, advances in technology leads to well developed and precise mass spectrometric technique primarily used for structure determination and quantitative work. Mass spectrometers for structure elucidation can be classified according to the method of separating the charged particles. Most common methods are Magnetic Field Deflection, Quadrupole mass Spectrometry, Time of Flight, Ion-Cyclotron resonance and MS/MS (Tandem Mass spectrometry). The general procedure for a mass spectral analysis comes in subsequent steps. Feedingof sample in the Mass Spectrometer and undergoes vaporization. Vaporization is required if the starting substance is in liquid form. In mo st cases, this comes from an HPLC unit. GC-MS has been widely renowned for its convenience and accuracy. Components are then ionized using variety of techniques. This step is the determining factor for which kind of substance the mass spectrometer can effectively analyze. Biological sample are often ionized using Electron impact, Chemical ionization and the most recent Electron Spray Ionization. Contact with ions creates charge to various species of the sample. They are then separated according to their mass to charge ratio in a mass analyzer. The ions are detected by a transducer and then reported as spectral lines in mass spectra. Mass Spectral Analysis of Thymine Mass Spectra using Electron Ionization technique for Thymine has Molecular Ion peak at 126 m/z at almost 100% abundance. The intensity of the molecular ion peak depends on the stability of the molecular ion. Thymine is an Aromatic molecule so has the greatest stability of the molecular ion. M+1 ion is also evident as con sequence of using Electron Ionization technique in ionization step. Lower m/z lines were due to fragments of Thymine. Mass Spectroscopic Analysis of Thymidine Derivatives Oxidation of Thymine in DNA Changes in DNA structure such as oxidations in DNA bases pose a major role in mutagenic initiation and degenerative diseases. Peroxyl radicals (ROO) has been found to cause must of the oxidations in the body. The

Honda Marketing Communications Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Honda Marketing Communications - Case Study Example Honda focuses on every aspect of marketing, not only on promotion and sales techniques, to persuade customers to buy but also on target market, marketing mix and the effective marketing strategy (Kotler & Armstrong, 2001) because successful marketing results in stronger products, happier customers, and bigger profits. Moreover, customers recognize the importance of knowledge in relation to the product being purchased. Several consumer behavior researches testified to this fact. Wong (2000) argued that a customer evaluates a product or a service. Such action is based on the customer's reaction from the using the product or service, which means that the product or service should leave a good perception to the customer's contentment. Frederick and Salter (1995) explained that it can be ensured that a customer is satisfied by taking into importance the value package, which includes: price, product quality, service quality, innovation, and corporate image. Others also stated the importance of maintaining or establishing a uniqueness of the product, while also understanding customers and what pleases them (Denton 1993). Customers should also understand the product and be allowed to set their own standards in order to be satisfied (Frederick & Salter 1995). Of all the components of a marketing plan, perhaps the most overlooked but most critical element is the definition of the target market. According to Claravall (2000), it is a homogenous group of people or organizations that a company wishes to appeal to. There are two basic targets for a product or service: the user and the non-user segments. Thus, there are also two business and marketing decisions that the company must decide upon in light of the basic targets. The first is to cultivate the present market alone while the second is to go after non-users. The former can inspire consumer loyalty which is an important factor in the survival of any business. In introducing new car models of Honda will categorize its target market into two market segments: (1) the Honda cars users or those who have already tried the product, and (2) the Honda cars non-users. Honda cars users are further classified into (a) males and (b) females in order to differentiate the market appeal and competitiveness of the offered products in terms of sex as well as the specific users of the four specified models in order to determine the competitiveness of each product per se. the Honda car non-users, on the other hand, are further grouped into (a) those who do not use cars in general, and (b) those who use other car brands. These market segmentation schemes according to product use will provide important information regarding the overall competitiveness of the Honda Cars as well as viability and opportunities for encouraging car non-users to not just try any other average cars but to choose Honda Cars among others. Moreover, companies now face the challenge of making its target consumers respond accordingly to their marketing efforts and those who understand its consumers' responses will have a great competitive advantage (Kotler & Armstrong, 2001). In this light, the Honda management as well as the advertisers will keep in mind the differences that are distinct between and among the Honda Cars target market based on

Climate Change and Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Climate Change and Global Warming Essay Cause Climatologists, who predict short and long-term climate trends, believe carbon dioxide and other emissions, mainly from industrial and commercial activity over the last two centuries, have altered the Earths atmosphere. This change has caused a greenhouse effect which is rapidly warming the planet. Effects The predicted effects of global warming include the melting of polar ice caps; a significant rise in sea levels; more extreme weather events; a reduction in agricultural land; water shortages; food shortages; loss of rain forests; and more species becoming extinct. Solutions Scientists believe all nations must take immediate and urgent action to dramatically reduce carbon emissions. Technological solutions have been proposed, ranging from carbon scrubbers that remove carbon from the atmosphere and reduce greenhouse gases to placing giant mirrors in space to reflect enough sunlight to cool down the planet. Controversy Although an overwhelming majority of scientists accept the man-made global warming theory, a minority have questioned this consensus. They suggest that mans impact on the climate is negligible and that global warming is wholly the result of natural cycles. David Kennedy, nd. Basic Causes of Global Warming Retrieved February 27, 2013 from http://www.ehow.com/about_5057613_basic-causes-global-warming.html Basic Causes of Global Warming Greenhouse Effect When sunlight hits the Earth some is absorbed but most is reflected. The greenhouse effect is when sunlight escaping back into space is absorbed by gases in the atmosphere and then reflected back onto the Earths surface. Most greenhouse gas is water vapor, but other gases that contribute to it include carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and other gases that have a less significant impact. Carbon Dioxide According to the U.S. Emissions Inventory 2004 Executive Summary, in 2002 around 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions were the result of burning coal for electricity. Around 93 percent of the electric utility industry burns coal. Carbon dioxide emissions also come from cars and other vehicles, airplanes and buildings. New technologies, like the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle and hybrid electric vehicles, are some solutions for minimizing vehicle carbon dioxide emissions. Methane Methane is the second largest contributor to the greenhouse effect. Methane is a natural byproduct of living organisms and is produced by plants and bovine flatulence. Bacteria decomposing organic material also produce methane. According to the U.S. Emissions Inventory 2004 Executive Summary, methane levels have increased by 145 percent in the last 100 years. In the United States, all rice fields are grown in flooded areas which produce methane gases. Deforestation Deforestation is the process of clearing forests, either rainforest or temperate forests. The burning of forests is responsible for up to 25 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. This is the result of clearing and cutting nearly 34 million acres a year. Forests are also important because they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. So while carbon dioxide emissions increase, the lack of forests is making the number increase faster. Permafrost Permafrost is a layer of land and soil that has been frozen and kept at freezing temperatures or below. In many northern climates like Alaska, Canada and Siberia, the permafrost layer of soil holds vast amounts of carbon. What researchers and scientists fear is that the permafrost will warm up and microbes will decompose the soil and release carbon dioxide. Permafrost has absorbed carbon dioxide for thousands of years, but may release it back if thawed. Timothy Sexton,.nd. Global Warming Cause Effects retrieved February 27, 2013 from http://www.ehow.com/about_4744736_global-warming-cause-effects.html Global Warming Cause Effects Greenhouse Effect The overriding cause of global warming is an umbrella term known as the greenhouse effect. As the rays of the sun reach Earth, some of the heat is absorbed and some is radiated back into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere act similarly to a gigantic mirror and reflect warmth back to Earth that in the past would have continued being radiated into space. It is this reflection of heat back to Earth that is at the heart of the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse Gases These greenhouse gases that are responsible for reflecting back heat that would otherwise be lost include simple water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and the infamous ozone. Unfortunately, there is no way to know exactly which greenhouse gas is most responsible for the greenhouse effect. Cause of Increased Gases The problem of global warming has been caused by the addition of more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. The gases responsible will rise into the air whether humans are here or not; the problem is that much of basic human activity in the 20th and 21st century produced greenhouse gas at a level never experienced before. Basically, any activity that produces one of the gases listed above is a cause of global warming; everything from driving a car to using electricity. Because trees act as a natural conversion plant to transform carbon dioxide into oxygen, deforestation contributes to global warming because the fewer trees there are, the more carbon dioxide gets into the atmosphere. Effects The effects of global warming are potentially far-ranging. Increased temperatures means melting of glaciers, ice and snow around the poles, which means an increase in sea levels. Warming water will also increase the potential for hurricanes and typhoons so devastating that they will make Hurricane Katrina pale in comparison. That rise in sea levels could also mean that beachfront property will soon be found 10 to 50 miles inland from where beaches are now. Temperatures The average temperature on Earth has been steadily rising since the mid-1980s, and global warming is expected to continue this trend. In addition to longer and hotter summers, rising temperatures will affect agriculture. Indeed, the effect of a hotter Earth is already increasing the transmission of infectious bacteria that thrive under warm conditions. Hoax? There are still a great many people who believe that global warming is simply some kind of politically-created hoax. Those leading the charge against global warming tend to be industry with a vested interest. On the other hand, the list of scientific entities that have agreed on the reality of global warming include, among many others, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Royal Society of the UK.