Why Are Middle Age White People Dying at Greater Rates Than Others

In September 2015 The National Academy of Sciences published the results of a startling study that show that middle age white Americans are dying at rates far greater than any other group in the nation. Even more shocking are the predominant causes: drug and alcohol overdose, liver disease related to alcohol consumption, and suicide. The research, conducted by Princeton professors Anne Case and Angus Deaton, is based on mortality rates recorded from 1999 to 2013. Overall in the U.S., as in most Western nations, mortality rates have been on the decline in recent decades. However when analyzed by age and race, Drs. Case and Deaton found that, unlike the rest of the population, the mortality rate for middle age white people--those 45 to 54 years old--has skyrocketed over the last 15 years, though it too had previously been on the decline. The increasing death rate among this group is so large that, as the authors point out, it is on par with deaths attributed to the AIDS epidemic. If the death rate had continued to decline as it had been through 1998, half a million lives would have been spared. Most of these deaths are attributed to sharp increases in drug and alcohol-related deaths, and suicide, with the largest increase attributed to overdoses, which climbed from almost nothing in 1999 to a rate of 30 per 100,000 in 2013. For comparison, the rate of drug and alcohol overdose per 100,000 people is just 3.7 among Blacks, and 4.3 among Hispanics. The researchers also observed that those with less education experienced higher mortality rates than those with more. Meanwhile, deaths from lung cancer declined, and those related to diabetes increased only slightly, so it is clear what is driving this troubling trend. So, why is this happening? The authors point out that this group also reported worsening physical and mental health during the timeframe studied, and reported a decreased ability to work, increasing experience of pain, and deteriorating liver function. They suggest that the growing availability of opioid pain medication, like oxycodone, during this time period could have spurred addiction among this population, which would have subsequently been satisfied with heroin after stricter controls on prescription opioids were introduced. Drs. Case and Eaton also note that the Great Recession, which saw lots of jobs and homes lost, and which significantly lowered the wealth of many Americans, could be a contributing factor to worsened physical and mental health, as illnesses could go untreated for lack of income or health insurance. But the effects of the Great Recession were experienced by all Americans, not just those who are middle-aged, and in fact, economically speaking, were experienced the worse by Blacks and Latinos. Insights from sociological research and theory suggest that there may be other social factors at play in this crisis. Loneliness is likely one of them. In a 2013 article for  The Atlantic, University of Virginia sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox pointed to the rising disconnect between middle-aged American men and social institutions like family and religion, and increasing rates of un- and under-employment as reasons for a sharp increase in suicide among this population. Wilcox emphasized that when one becomes disconnected from what typically holds people together in a society and gives them a positive sense of self and purpose, one is more likely to commit suicide. And, its men without college degrees who are most disconnected from these institutions, and who have the highest rate of suicide. The theory behind Wilcoxs argument comes from Émile Durkheim, one of the founders of sociology. In  Suicide, one of his most widely read and taught works, Durkheim observed that suicide can be linked to periods of rapid or vast change in society -- when people might feel as if their values no longer match that of society, or that their identity is no longer respected or valued. Durkheim referred to this phenomenon -- the breakdown of connections between an individual and society -- as anomie. Taking this into consideration, another possible social cause of the increase in mortality among white middle age Americans could be the changing racial makeup and politics of the U.S. Today, the U.S. is far less white, demographically speaking, than it was when middle age Americans were born. And since that time, and over the last decade especially, public and political attention to the problems of systemic racism, and to the related problems of white supremacy and white privilege, have greatly changed the racial politics of the nation. While racism remains a serious problem, its hold on the social order is increasingly challenged.  So from a sociological standpoint, its possible these changes have presented identity crises, and a related experience of anomie, to middle age white Americans who came of age during the reign of white privilege. This is just a theory, and its likely a pretty uncomfortable one to consider, but it is based in sound sociology

Do the media ‘construct’ social reality, or does it...

It is often suggested by scholars that the world and in all its content is ambiguous, there is no universal meaning, nothing can be interpreted the same way. Opinions are constantly clashing and facts somehow constructed, or tempered during the processes of news production. News becomes the fictions of reality; it becomes a way of story telling, made to the taste of the viewer, depending on the society of course. The same stories carry different values depending where when and how the stories are broadcasted, I will be talking about this in this essay. There are two approaches to report a piece of news; the realist, purely factual no interpretations given and very clear in usage of language. This method differs to that of the†¦show more content†¦Our ability to choose what news is significant, is â€Å"culturally determined† (Galtung and Ruge in Cohen and Young, 1981: p.52), this meant that we are as a society will receive reports the same events. Although the proces s of this â€Å"choosing† is questioned, as majority of the time, audience do not get to choose what they read, hear or watch about the world. This procedure is done through the structuring and the selection of news before it reached to them. Galtung and Ruge suggested a number of hypothesises that interrelate the value of news to, metaphorically speaking, that of the radio wave signals. (in Cohen and Young, 1981: p.52) the factors that measures news value are as follows; ‘frequency’ the time it will take between the happening to reporting to interpretation of a specific event. For example the death of Baby Peter on August 2007 , several months after the death of Peter, the process of ‘interpreting’ who is to blame, is still showing on television and newspaper. ‘Clarity’, the report content is clear and unambiguous, it enlightens, and not confuse audience, provides a clear sometimes biased definition and argument of the situation or event. ‘Unexpectedness’ this is why TV listing and train times are not considered news worthy, viewers prefer sensationalised reports; itShow MoreRelatedMedia s Influence On Perceptions Of Self1563 Words   |  7 Pages The media plays a sig nificant role in influencing and shaping individuals’ perceptions of self in American society. Additionally, the media plays a key role in how it portrays people of color (POC) and, therefore, in how it affects their perceptions of self and others. 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Yet, the mass media has largelyRead MoreThe Media as a Social Problem Essay1748 Words   |  7 Pages The Media as a Social Problem The mass media plays a large role in modern society. Indeed, many have argued that people spend more time in mass-mediated interaction than in actual human interaction. The mass media, then, would seemingly be an excellent position to initiate social change, positively affect social problems, and help combat social ills that are considered normal patterns of behavior. Yet, the mass media has largely failed in addressing and helping to solve social problemsRead MoreAnalysis Of Marilyn Fryes Theory Of Oppression1689 Words   |  7 Pagescan be surfaced unknowingly between men and women. The first example touches on the simple actions that men do for women such as opening a door, â€Å"The arresting of vision at a microscopic level yields such common confusion as that about the male door-opening ritual. 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Introduction to Computing Actor Network Theory

Question: Why it is appropriate to study Actor Network Theory. Discuss? Answer: Introduction Contemporary computing occupies a large space in the todays centuries. Contemporary computing can be said as the modern development of the base computing which is done by including several new and modern technologies in the past years. The assemblage of modern technologies can be said as the combination of the modern technologies and the new mechanism of software and hardware which includes secure database, high speed CPU and networking with the improved performance to overcome the past technologies (Baker, 2014). Contemporary computing in the recent decades provides several advancements to the new generation devices and computers. It takes the place of the new technologies by replacing the old technologies with advancements. It also increases the speed and time complexity of the machines. The impacts of the modern computing in new technologies change the style of living of new generations (Barazza, 2012). The assemblage of the contemporary computing provides several advantages to th e modern computers which are also implementing in higher forces in the business organization or in several IT brands. Actor Network Theory The theory of the Actor Network Theory (ANT) is started in 1980, which is created by Michel Callon and Bruno Latour, discussed about the advancement of the social theories on the basis of science and technologies. Both the human and non-human actors are present in the network of the Actor Network Theory (ANT). Interactions of the human and non-human actors create a great importance in developing the network of modern technologies and computing. The new electronic devices such as modern computers, tablets and other machines are continuously growing stronger day-by-day with the together involvement of the humans and machines (Chen and Ann, 2014). Actor Network Theory (ANT) is used in all the stories in case of describes it from the base. The social view along with the technical view of the system is also provided in the ANT theory. The social networking sites are the biggest attraction of the new generation peoples. Both the human and the machines take parts in the social networking sy stem which can also be said as the network in the ANT theory. The ANT theory describes the ways of handling the network by the human actors. Both the terms actants and token are used in the ANT theory where actants can be said as the human and non-human actors and token can be describe as the interaction between them (Cusumano, 2013). There are several solutions provided in the theories of the Actor Network Theory (ANT) regarding to the questions arises from the modern technologies, societies and networks. Why it is appropriate to study Actor Network Theory Regarding to analyzing social technologies in the modern aspects, the best way of describing is by using the Actor Network Theory (ANT). The contemporary computing is totally depends on the Actor Network Theory (ANT). The significant terms used the ANT theory is the network which is required to understand before describing any stories. Network is mainly used in the transaction between human and human or human and non-human actors (Dalessandro et al. 2014). In the Actor Network Theory (ANT), the term network is used in case of describing the transaction between the human and non-human actors. The Actor Network Theory (ANT) is also used in case of describing the relationship between the human and the non-human actors which are also called actants. Both the positive and the negative sides of the stories can be determined by using the ANT theories. The study of the ANT theory can be done on the basis of the technical aspects and cannot be done without any networking knowledge. This is be cause the ANT theory gives the description of the study and case studies which is related to the interaction of the actants with the networks. The basic knowledge of the social networking is required in case of studying the modern computing with the help of the Actor Network Theory (ANT) (Day, 2015). Story 1: Big Data, Bigger Marketing Big data can be described as the volume, velocity and variety of the enormous collections of data. Big data in the organization of marketing can be described as the basic significance of the new marketing scenery, arise from the digital world of living (El-Mahdy, 2013). Big data is not only just collection of data; it also refers to as the ability of store and analyzes the required data that are useful for decision making with the proper time-consuming manner. In the marketing business, the data regarding to the customers past year business are such as transaction data, coupon redemption, direct mails, etc. And the data regarding to the current business are online purchase, browsing, transactions of social media, etc. which are apparently very big. Big data cannot automatically make the marketing business better; it is required to use its technology in the efficient manner (Hajibaba and Gorgin, 2014). In the strategies of the marketing management, big data can provide great advantages in the aspects of customer engagement, loyalty and retention of customers and marketing performance. The dealing of the marketing in the business using the big data is in the aspects of the customers, operational and financial. The technology of big data provides the business great advantages in the field of transactional metrics in several sources such as social media, communities, websites etc. The past data which are not collected previously in the busines s are also can be collected by using the big data technologies (Baker, 2014). Also the future estimation of the results in the marketing business can be provided by the big data technologies from the ratio of the past and the present results of the business. Big data develop the marketing strategies bigger and bigger day-by-day. In most of the big marketing business, the demands of the big data are at the top among all the new technologies. Google, Facebook etc. employ the big data technologies in their marketing strategies and are now at the top 10 position in producing several products and running the social networking sites. Actants: According to the Actor Network Theory (ANT), in the network of the big data there are also several human and non human actors. The human actants are such as operation manager and organization rules. The non-human actants are such mechanism of managing data, networking measures, channels of data transactions and the database management (Halavais, 2015). In the big marketing business big data provides a network between the human and non-human actants of the organization. The role of actants in the big data technologies is to analyze the required data regarding to the transaction and the management of the marketing business. ANT theory is used in the technologies of big data in the big marketing business provides several information and strategies to the organization to make innovative business strategies (Taylor et al. 2014). The actants of the Actor Network Theory (ANT) of these particular stories interacts with each other and also with the social technologies to implement a suitable network in the business. Story 2: Samsung lead Smartphone market over Apple In 2014, in case of Smartphone delivery Apple makes a tie with Samsung. The same amount of units was moved by both the brands. But in the first quarter of 2015, the lead is again taken by the Samsung. Samsung overtake apple in the market of global Smartphone with the help of rising market sales in this year. According to IDC, number of Smartphone sold by Samsung in first three months is about 8.24 million, for the market share of 24.5 percent (Huberman, 2012). The sales of iPhone in this year are slightly reduced in compare to the previous year. Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge create a great market in the quarter of April which led the Samsung market in this year. As commented by IDC analyst, Apple made several challenges on behalf of its products such as iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus in the fourth quarter but Samsung, in the first quarter, also led the market. Also the demands of the low-price Smartphone are also rises in a large volume with this leading market. Also there are several oth er Smartphone brands such as Microsoft, Nokia, Lenovo, Motorola, etc. which are also struggling for getting the top position in the Smartphone market (Junqu de Fortuny et al. 2013). Actants: The actants i.e. human and non-human actors in the Actor Network theory (ANT) are engaged in a large network in the market of the Smartphone. Here the concept of the social technologies can be determined as the human actants of the network. The market of the Samsung Smartphone is much better than the market of the past years and the market also looking for the profits that can be generated from the new launched products of Samsung (Liebeskind, 2015). Here Samsung and apple can be said as the hardware actants. Also there is a role of the software actants. The technology of the contemporary computing provides a big profit to the market of the Smartphone. The time and labor can be reduced with increasing the communication in the social networking sites (Salehi and Dehyadegari, 2014). The hardware actants and the software actants of the Actor Network theory (ANT) create a huge interaction in the modern technologies and the social sites in case of engaging a suitable network to t he study. Conclusion The new technologies of the contemporary computing improve the living nature of the people. Also it modifies the social life using several assemblages of technologies in the network. The analysis done in this essay provides the role of the human and non-human actors in case of implementing several networks. The actants of the first story is the Big Data which can be said as the digital actants. Big data provides several ways to manage the marketing business in case of collecting, analyzing and storing several data from the social sites. In the second stories, Samsung and Apple can be described as the actants of the network which can be described as the hardware actants. Here the market of the Samsung Smartphone is increasing rapidly and became in the top position in this year. Whereas, Apple also providing several challenges to occupy the top positions. All this theories can be described on the basis of the Actor Network Theory (ANT) which can provide several human and non-human acto rs in their network. In these stories, all the actants plays a significant role to keep their positions in the network. Hence, it can be said that the Actor Network Theory (ANT) is appropriate in studying the following stories provided in the essay. Reference List Baker, L. (2014). Do our big data  in genetic analysis need to get bigger?. Psychophysiol, 51(12), 1321-1322. doi:10.1111/psyp.12351 Barazza, S. (2012). Apple v Samsung: a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Nexus smartphone. Journal Of Intellectual Property Law and Practice, 8(1), 6-8. doi:10.1093/jiplp/jps174 Chen, C., and Ann, B. (2014). Efficiencies vs. importance-performance analysis for the leading smartphone brands of Apple, Samsung and HTC. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence, 1-23. doi:10.1080/14783363.2014.976937 Cusumano, M. (2013). The Apple-Samsung lawsuits. Communications Of The ACM, 56(1), 28. doi:10.1145/2398356.2398366 Dalessandro, B., Perlich, C., and Raeder, T. (2014). Bigger is Better, but at What Cost?Estimating the Economic Value of Incremental Data Assets. Big Data, 2(2), 87-96. doi:10.1089/big.2014.0010 Day, C. (2015). Modern Computing--in 1949. Comput. Sci. Eng., 17(1), 72-72. doi:10.1109/mcse.2015.17 El-Mahdy, A. (2013). Recursive Detection of M-ary Signals over Fast Varying Mobile Communication Channel. TELKOMNIKA, 11(1). doi:10.12928/telkomnika.v11i1.672 Hajibaba, M., and Gorgin, S. (2014). A Review on Modern Distributed Computing Paradigms: Cloud Computing, Jungle Computing and Fog Computing. Journal Of Computing And Information Technology, 22(2), 69. doi:10.2498/cit.1002381 Halavais, A. (2015). Bigger sociological imaginations: framing big social data theory and methods. Information, Communication and Society, 18(5), 583-594. doi:10.1080/1369118x.2015.1008543 Huberman, B. (2012). Sociology of science: Big data deserve a bigger audience. Nature, 482(7385), 308-308. doi:10.1038/482308d Junqu de Fortuny, E., Martens, D., and Provost, F. (2013). Predictive Modeling With Big Data: Is Bigger Really Better ?. Big Data, 1(4), 215-226. doi:10.1089/big.2013.0037 Liebeskind, D. (2015). Big and bigger data in endovascular stroke therapy. Expert Review Of Neurotherapeutics, 15(4), 335-337. doi:10.1586/14737175.2015.1018893 Salehi, M., and Dehyadegari, L. (2014). Optical signal processing using photonic reservoir computing. Journal Of Modern Optics, 61(17), 1442-1451. doi:10.1080/09500340.2014.940017 Taylor, L., Schroeder, R., and Meyer, E. (2014). Emerging practices and perspectives on Big Data analysis in economics: Bigger and better or more of the same?. Big Data and Society, 1(2). doi:10.1177/2053951714536877

WHITE-COLLAR CRIME Essays - Property Crimes, Crimes, Fraud

WHITE-COLLAR CRIME White-collar crime is a term that is usually applied to crimes associated with business that do not involve violence or bodily injury to another person. Examples of so-called white-collar crime are those crimes generally associated with lending institutions that involve bank fraud, such as making false statements to obtain a loan, filing false reports or returns with government agencies, embezzlement, using the mail or wire communications to defraud, and paying or accepting bribes. The best and most successful frauds are multi-layered conspiracies where your employee is only one person in a loop and possibly does not know all of the links, interrelationships, and other people involved. Internal frauds are successful where the business area under attach has inadequate or minimal managerial control, or where the organization/business area is subject to radical organizational change. Fraud is one of the most common types of a white-collar crime. This will occur if a person's purse is stolen, and that purse contains personal information credit cards, checks, id's, etc. The person who stole it will be able to assume her identity, establish new credit, forge checks, and gain access to her bank account. The second type of white collar crime includes Price-Fixing: which is when two or more companies conspire to keep prices artificially high by agreeing to have non-competitive pricing, it is a violation of the Sherman Act. Companies' profits from such illegal actions are enormous. Another type of white collar crime is Insider Trading that is when a person has information that a merger, buy-out, or other knowledge that will affect the value of a company [or its stock] before the general public, it is considered inside information. It is illegal since it gives an unfair advantage to the insider that the public does not have. In some cases businesses tend to repeat there offenses of white collar crime which makes it easier for law enforcement officials to detect it. There have not been as many studies of recidivism (repeat offenses) of white-collar crime as there have been of common crime. The best studies show that about 33% of offenders who are convicted of a felony (for a common crime) and go to prison ever go back again. However, in Edwin Sutherland's classic work on white-collar crime, he found that 97.1% of the corporations had two or more adverse convictions or administrative decisions. The average was 14 such convictions. Consider a judge thinking about a convicted defendant before her. In order to help prevent and stop white-collar crime the Sherman Anti-Trust Act was passed. It was passed to promote free enterprise and competition. If a single company has a monopoly on a product or service, there is no competition or motive for improvement. In addition, a monopoly can stifle competition by lowering their prices to the point where they are actually losing money. The competition will go out of business, and then the monopoly can increase their prices to recoup what they lost while they were under-pricing their product or service to put the competition out of business. White-collar crimes may be prosecuted in state or federal courts, depending upon whether state or federal laws have been violated. The penalties for committing white-collar crimes vary, but in some cases, they may be as severe as those prescribed for violent crimes. White-collar crimes are the same as any other crimes. They do not constitute an especially unusual set of laws, and those who are in a given business are expected to know the laws regulating those businesses.

Bad

Bad After reading "Sonny's Blues"  for the first time the reader may be tempted to categorize the story as nothing more than a sibling rivalry with a near-positive ending. After the second and third readings many underlying themes start to emerge, and the reader starts to understand many of the ideas that James Baldwin had when he wrote this story. The main conflict in the story is that the narrator's brother, Sony, can't seem to keep himself out of trouble. It begins with Sonny getting thrown in jail for drug charges. Sonny's brother, the narrator of the story, had lost touch with Sonny for a few years but the death of his daughter brings him to contact Sonny. The reader, through a series of flashbacks and arguments, is taken through what appears as a sibling rivalry between the narrator and Sonny. The narrator doesn't agree or support the actions of his younger brother Sonny.Sonny's death.

Why You Must Read the Book Hidden Figures

Why You Must Read the Book 'Hidden Figures' Books and movies have a long-standing and complex relationship. When a book becomes a best-seller, there’s an almost inevitable film adaptation in the works almost immediately. Then again, sometimes books that remain under the radar are made into movies, and then become best-sellers. And sometimes a film version of a book sparks a national conversation that the book alone couldn’t quite manage. Such is the case with Margot Lee Shetterly’s book Hidden Figures. The film rights to the book were sold before it even published, and the film was released just three months after the book’s publication last year. And the film has become a sensation, grossing more than $66 million so far and becoming the center of the new conversation on race, sexism, and even the doleful state of the American space program. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, and Kevin Costner, the film takes a fairly well-worn format- the historical, inspirational true but previously-unknown story- and transcends it by leaving that story fairly unvarnished. It’s also a nearly perfect film for this moment in time, a moment when America is questioning its own identity, its history (and future) in terms of race and gender, and its place as a world leader. In short, Hidden Figures is definitely a movie you want to see. But it’s also a book you must read, even if you’ve seen the movie already and think you know the full story. A Deeper Dive Even though Hidden Figures is more than two hours long, it’s still a movie. That means it inescapably condenses events, elides moments, and deletes or combines characters and moments in order to create a narrative structure and a sense of drama. That’s fine; we all understand that a movie isn’t history. But you’ll never get the full story from a film adaptation. Films can be like the Cliff’s Notes versions of books, giving you a high-altitude overview of a story, but with manipulation and omission of timelines, people, and events. While Hidden Figures the movie might be compelling, enjoyable, and even somewhat educational, you’re missing half the story if you don’t read the book. The White Guy in the Room Speaking of manipulations, let’s talk about Kevin Costner’s character, Al Harrison. The Director of the Space Task Group didn’t actually exist, though of course there was a Director of the Space Task Group. There were several, in fact, during that period of time, and Costner’s character is a composite of three of them, based on the recollections of Katherine G. Johnson herself. Costner’s getting deserved praise for his performance as the white, middle-aged man who isn’t exactly a bad person- he’s just so enmeshed in his white, male privilege and the lack of awareness on racial issues at the time that he doesn’t even notice how oppressed and marginalized the black women in his department are. So there’s no question that the character’s writing and performance are great, and serve the story. The issue is the simple fact that someone in Hollywood knew they needed to have a male star of Costner’s caliber to get the film made and marketed, and that’s why his role is as large as it is, and why he gets a few set-piece speeches (especially the apocryphal destruction of the â€Å"Whites Only† bathroom sign) that make him as much the center of the story as Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. If all you do is watch the movie, you might think that Al Harrison existed, and was as much a hero as the brilliant female computers that are the true focus of the story. The Reality of Racism Hidden Figures the film is entertainment and as such, it needs villains. There is no doubt that racism was prevalent in the 1960s (as it is today) and that Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson had to overcome challenges that their white and male colleagues didn’t even know existed. But according to Johnson herself, the film overstates the level of racism she actually experienced. The fact is, while prejudice and segregation were facts, Katherine Johnson says she â€Å"didn’t feel† the segregation at NASA. â€Å"Everybody there was doing research,† she said, â€Å"You had a mission and you worked on it, and it was important to you to do your job...and play bridge at lunch. I didnt feel any segregation. I knew it was there, but I didnt feel it.† Even the infamous bathroom-sprint across the campus was exaggerated; there were, in fact, bathrooms for blacks not nearly as far away- although there were indeed â€Å"white only† and â€Å"black only† facilities, and the black-only bathrooms were harder to find. Jim Parsons’ character, Paul Stafford, is a complete fabrication who serves to embody many of the typical sexist and racist attitudes of the time- but again, doesn’t actually represent anything that Johnson, Jackson, or Vaughan actually experienced. Hollywood needs villains, and so Stafford (as well as Kirsten Dunst’s character Vivian Mitchell) was created to be the oppressive, racist white male of the story, even though Johnson’s recollections of her experience at NASA were largely unremarkable. A Great Book None of this means the story of these women and their work on our space program isn’t well worth your time- it is. Racism and sexism are still problems today, even if we’ve gotten rid of much of the official machinery of it in everyday life. And their story is an inspiring one that languished in obscurity for far too long- even star Octavia Spencer thought the story was made-up when she was first contacted about playing Dorothy Vaughan. Even better, Shetterly has written a great book. Shetterly weaves her own story into the history, making clear the connections between the three women who are the focus of the book and the millions of black women who came after them- women who had a slightly better chance at realizing their dreams in part due to the fight that Vaughan, Johnson, and Jackson took on. And Shetterly writes with a gentle, inspiring tone that celebrates the achievements instead of wallowing in the obstructions. It’s a wonderful reading experience filled with information and incredible background you won’t get from the movie. Further Reading If you want to know a bit more about the role women of all colors played throughout the history of technology in America, try Rise of the Rocket Girls by Nathalia Holt. It tells the fascinating story of the women who worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the 1940s and 1950s and offers another glimpse at how deeply buried the contributions of the marginalized have been in this country. Source Holt, Nathalia. Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars. Paperback, Reprint edition, Back Bay Books, January 17, 2017. Shetterly, Margot Lee. Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race. Paperback, Media Tie In edition, William Morrow Paperbacks, December 6, 2016.

Policing and the media (literature reveiw) Research Paper

Policing and the media (literature reveiw) - Research Paper Example mating the psychological and sociological effects of TV on a person’s make-up in spite of the countless studies that have already been conducted (Oskamp 1984). Along with the continuous growth of viewership is the continuous effort of studios to come up with new concepts and new format that would keep the interest of the viewing public. The range has naturally expanded to deal with issues and subjects considered to be critical such as science and law enforcement. With the level of the public’s exposure to TV, it is inevitable for these shows to influence the image formation of law enforcement. Although never intended for education, television has influenced how viewers perceive reality in relation to the subject of the shows they watch (Altheide 1985; Gerbner and Gross 1976; Gerbner 1993). Considering that majority of the viewers have had very limited direct interaction with law enforcement, many have relied, however unconsciously, on television to learn about laws, their rights, obligations of the police, and the dynamics between the uniformed and the civilians (Surette 1992). This kind of causation is indirectly contributing to the regression of the roles of family and school as the authority on the lives of young people (Giddens 1981; Laywood 1985). Even when shows like Dexter, a serial killer/law enforcement employee, show crime being freely committed, there is an effort to portray the evil of a crime by making Dexter kill only those that are considered menace to the society. Other shows are more explicit in their effort to portray how law enforcement always prevails over crimes (Carlson 1985). Much as it may help boost the image of law enforcement, there is also the possibility of making the public believe that law enforcement is capable of more than it can actually accomplish. A study was conducted in 2008 by Monica Robbers that attested to how TV shows is causing people to expect from law enforcement the same proficiency that is being portrayed by

U.S. Supreme Court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U.S. Supreme Court - Essay Example Kagan became Pres. Obamas official nominee to replace retiring Associate Justice John Paul Stevens in 2010. It was easy to see why he would nominate her to the position. In his own words, Pres. Obama described her admirable character traits (Scherer, M., 2010) that led to her nomination as : â€Å"Elena is respected and admired not just for her intellect and record of achievement, but also for her temperament, her openness to a broad array of viewpoints, her habit — to borrow a phrase from Justice [John Paul] Stevens — of understanding before disagreeing, her fair-mindedness and skill as a consensus builder.† Ms. Kagan was nominated during a time of trial for our nation. America was in the grips of the worst recession to ever hit its people, the economy was in shambles and the previous Bush administration had often circumvented the law in order to fulfill its own political agenda. She was in effect, coming into a wounded supreme court that needed to be rehabilitated for hits own good. With her nomination, the president was merely trying to put the best person he could find in to fill the job. By his standards, she fit the bill to a T. There was no political agenda behind it and no lobby group behind her nomination. If there were, she would not have eventually been confirmed. That is not to say though that her nomination was without controversy. there were accusations coming from the GOP, who were actively campaigning against her nomination, that Kagan often defied the constitution by disallowing the military access to students on the Harvard campus during her tenure as Dean at the prestigious university. Columnist Phyllis Schlafly claimed that Kagan had â€Å"defied the Solomon Amendment" -- a statute requiring schools to provide the same access to military recruiters that they provide to other potential employers or lose federal funding†. While Foxs Sean Hannity also reported that she had â€Å"led an effort to "kick

Lactase Enzyme Essay Example for Free

Lactase Enzyme Essay This lab will examine the specificity of an enzyme (lactase) to a specific substrate (lactose). Students will observe the actions of the enzyme and how shape is important to enzyme reactions. Background information: Lactose, the sugar found in milk, is a disaccharide composed of glucose and galactose (both six-sided sugars). Sucrose, ordinary table sugar, is also a disaccharide composed of fructose and glucose. Glucose is a six-sided sugar and fructose is a five-sided sugar. Lactase is an enzyme that breaks lactose down into galactose and glucose. Lactase can be purchased in pill form by people who are lactose intolerant. These people lack the enzyme, lactase, and cannot break down the sugar lactose into its component parts. Although lactose is similar to sucrose, lactase will break down only lactose because of the shape of the sugar. In this lab, you will see lactase break lactose down into galactose and glucose. You will also observe what happens if the shape of lactase is changed due to heating. Materials/ resources: * Lactase tablets: these can be bought in any drug store or grocery store. Fifteen milliliters of milk: any milk will work. Water: used for dissolving the lactase tablet, dissolving the sucrose and boiling the lactase. * Sucrose: five grams per group. * One hundred milliliter graduated cylinder/ten milliliter graduated cylinder: measuring water and enzyme amounts. * Three four hundred milliliter beakers: used for dissolving the lactase tablet, dissolving the sucrose and boiling the lactase. * Five test tubes: these tubes hold the different solution mixtures. * Test tube rack: hold the test tubes. * Marking pencil: mark the test tubes so that confusion does not occur. * Clock * Hot plate with a Pyrex test tube for denaturing the enzyme. Glucose test strips: these strips can be found in any drugstore. Stirring rod: helps to mix up the lactase tablet in the water. Lab procedures: 1. Gather the materials. 2. Label the test tubes with the following labels: 0 A. Test tube with skim milk and enzyme solution. B. Test tube with skim milk and water. C. Test tube with skim milk and denatured enzyme solution. D. Test tube with sucrose solution and enzyme solution. E. Test tube with sucrose solution and water. 3. In test tube A add two milliliters of skim milk and one milliliter of enzyme solution. 4. Time for two minutes and test for glucose with the glucose test tape. Record this data in table 1. If there was glucose present mark a ‘+’ in the table. If glucose was absent, mark a ‘-’ in the table. 5. In test tube B add two milliliters of skim milk and one milliliter of water. 6. Repeat step 4. 7. In test tube C add two milliliters of skim milk and one milliliter of denatured enzyme solution. 8. Repeat step 4. 9. In test tube D add two milliliters of the sucrose solution and one milliliter of enzyme solution. 10. Repeat step 4. 11. In test tube E add two milliliters of the sucrose solution and one milliliter of water. 12. Repeat steps 4. Results: Glucose Presence in the Following Solutions| Type of Solution| Positive or Negative Glucose Result| Test tube A: milk and enzyme solution| Â  | Test tube B: milk and water| Â  | Test tube C: milk and denatured enzyme solution| Â  | Test Tube D: sucrose solution and enzyme solution| Â  | Test Tube E: sucrose solution and water| Â  | | Conclusion and Questions: 1. Diagram and describe the lactose and lactase reaction (may need to research this). 2. Why did the enzyme react to lactose but not to sucrose? 3. What happened when the enzyme was boiled? 4. Another way to affect the enzyme is by lowering the pH of the solution. However, lactase is supposed to be able to work in the stomach. Would lowering the pH of the enzyme solution affect the enzyme? Why or why not? 5. What type of reaction is this? Dehydration or hydrolysis? Content to be covered in conclusion paragraphs: It should explain the general conclusions of the lab. May refer back to background information to help explain the conclusion of the lab. Should refer back to the GENERAL data in the results. Restate the purpose and state whether the hypothesis was correct or not and why. Clearly state and explains how at least THREE errors may have occurred in the lab. Also explains common pitfalls a person SHOULD avoid.

Apple Marketing Director :: Product Development

Apple A-Life My role as a marketing director for apple is to research the market, and find out a niche to produce a new product, that will hopefully sell, and create profit. My theory of a product is that; it is an object that can be sold or bought, that might satisfy a want or a need. The product that I have in mind is an mp3 player. Apple already have a wide range of mp3s. From a 60gb colour screen Ipod, to a 2gb Ipod shuffle with no screen. I have come up with another product to stop the sales going in to decline. I have taken ideas from the previous mp3 players, and added a bit of creation of my own and have come up with, ‘A-Life'. It is small like the Ipod Shuffle, and has a small screen like the Ipod Nano. The actual mp3 would be attached to a neckband. So you are wearing your mp3, and its not hanging loose in your pocket. I have chosen this product, because it is something I know about, and well like. With this, I hope it will give me a better view on how to market the product, based on what my peers and I like. It also is different from any other mp3 on the market, so in that way, I have found a niche. My theory of marketing objectives is that; your marketing objectives should be the means to achieve your sales objectives. My marketing objectives are to promote my product cleverly so that it gets out to my target market. To find out a reasonable price where the customers would be satisfied with, and where I would also make a profit. To find out where to sell my product, so the customers don't have any trouble getting hold of one. And also, to find out what other accessories the customers would like with the product, which would hopefully increase their satisfaction. I am including all of these marketing objectives to know what my product should be like, where to sell it, what price to set it at, and how to promote it. I need to have the best knowledge of these criteria's otherwise my product is not going to sell. Also I am doing it to ensure customer satisfaction. A good way to market your product is through the power of speech. This is Apple Marketing Director :: Product Development Apple A-Life My role as a marketing director for apple is to research the market, and find out a niche to produce a new product, that will hopefully sell, and create profit. My theory of a product is that; it is an object that can be sold or bought, that might satisfy a want or a need. The product that I have in mind is an mp3 player. Apple already have a wide range of mp3s. From a 60gb colour screen Ipod, to a 2gb Ipod shuffle with no screen. I have come up with another product to stop the sales going in to decline. I have taken ideas from the previous mp3 players, and added a bit of creation of my own and have come up with, ‘A-Life'. It is small like the Ipod Shuffle, and has a small screen like the Ipod Nano. The actual mp3 would be attached to a neckband. So you are wearing your mp3, and its not hanging loose in your pocket. I have chosen this product, because it is something I know about, and well like. With this, I hope it will give me a better view on how to market the product, based on what my peers and I like. It also is different from any other mp3 on the market, so in that way, I have found a niche. My theory of marketing objectives is that; your marketing objectives should be the means to achieve your sales objectives. My marketing objectives are to promote my product cleverly so that it gets out to my target market. To find out a reasonable price where the customers would be satisfied with, and where I would also make a profit. To find out where to sell my product, so the customers don't have any trouble getting hold of one. And also, to find out what other accessories the customers would like with the product, which would hopefully increase their satisfaction. I am including all of these marketing objectives to know what my product should be like, where to sell it, what price to set it at, and how to promote it. I need to have the best knowledge of these criteria's otherwise my product is not going to sell. Also I am doing it to ensure customer satisfaction. A good way to market your product is through the power of speech. This is

Elegy for Drowned Children by Bruce Dawe Essay

â€Å"Elegy for Drowned Children† is a poem written by Australian poet Bruce Dawe in the 1960’s. An elegy is a sad poem or song that laments the death of a person. This poem implies that the persona had a close relationship with someone who had drowned or loss their child to drowning. This poem has five four-lined stanzas. The first and last lines rhyme with each other while the middle two lines rhyme with each other. This creates a song like quality to the poem. The first three stanzas of the poem end with questions. This structures the idea of parents mourning with unanswered questions. The last two stanzas are enjambed. This gives the effect of the parents realizing there’s no point in questioning their deaths but to be at peace with it. This poem is giving some consolation to the people who have lost loved ones, mainly children, to drowning. The poem frequently refers to Greek mythology. There is an ‘old king’ whom is assumed to be the Greek god of the ocean Poseidon, who resides in the sea and takes care of drowned children. In this poem, the old king takes a ‘shining haul’ of children with his ‘sure’ net. This suggests that many children have been taken by him. The use of the word ‘sure’ implies that no one is really safe from him and that it is fated to happen. It could also mean humans cannot prevent nor control the ocean. However, the persona describes his care as ‘solicitous’ and ‘tender’. This expresses that the king is kind and caring to the children. In an effort to ease the parents’ distress, the use of mythology conveys the notion that the children are not just gone but instead they are being taken care of in a safe ‘kingdom’. Dawe uses a simile when describing the parents who are, ‘calling like birds by the water’s edge†. This use of simile creates the image of frantic and alarmed parents repeatedly calling out the names of the children who have drowned. The significance of using birds instead of any other animal is to create an image that there are many parents who have experienced their children drowning and they collectively call out to the water for the king to return them. The persona also uses simile when describing the boys who visit their parents’ dreams who are ‘fluid as porpoises’. This comparison to the boys to porpoises suggest the bittersweet idea that the boys have been down in the ocean for so long that they have become accustomed to swimming  in the oceans and into their parents’ dreams. The persona also uses imagery when describing the boys’ skin as ‘moonlit’. This could be literal or symbolic. Literally, it could mean the boys’ skin is as pale as the moon. However, symbolically, it could be skin that has not been in the ‘sweet sun’, which is life. The use of alliteration in the line â€Å"From leaden-lidded sleep, softly to steal† slows the tone of the poem down. This creates a dream like quality to the rhythm of the poem which mirrors the actual words of the poem. The repetition of the word ‘upward’ in the last stanza helps create the dream like quality. It quickens the rhythm of the poem and emanates excitement. This could be a reflection of the emotions of the parents when having a dream about their children. This poem uses many techniques to convey it’s main ideas. It is a comforting poem for people who have lost their children to the water. The poem is relevant to us as Australians because we are community that spends a significant amount of time by the beach and in the water. We are also a community that has many deaths caused by drowning.

Text Analysis of the Epic of Gilgamesh

Jill Seymour HST 197 Dr. Smith September 17, 2012 Text Analysis of The Epic of Gilgamesh The question I thought about while reading this text was what the role is for women, and how their actions and descriptions reveal Mesopotamian attitudes concerning gender. The female gender was not highly looked upon during these times. The only time you see a respected female figure is when the mother of a son is being talked about. Any other time females are being talked about, they are portrayed with vulgar characteristics and seen as simply being there to serve the man.I will go through both ways the women are being portrayed, and relate them back to how they reveal Mesopotamian culture. The main woman character in this story is Ishtar. Ishtar is the goddess of love, fertility, and war; the Queen of Heaven. Normally when you think of the word goddess, a majestic and noble type of being comes to mind. Ishtar is portrayed as the complete opposite in The Epic of Gilgamesh. The first time she co mes into play she uses the characteristics of a prostitute to lure in the man that she wants, which at the time is Enkidu. Ishtar is told â€Å"make your breasts bare, have no shame.Let him see you naked, let him possess your body† (Sandars, 3). It then goes on to say that â€Å"she was not ashamed to take him, she made herself naked and welcomed his eagerness† (Sandars, 4). Before she is told to lay with Enkidu, the story explains that this is not the first man she has done this to. Ishtar is being used for this, because she is known to have her way with the men and they don’t know how to tell her no because of her beauty. The way Ishtar is seen relates back to Mesopotamian culture in showing that women were not very important in society.They were mainly there to serve the man and to reproduce. They were looked at in two ways; the daughter of her father, or the wife of her husband. At an early age girls were trained to do the roles of a good wife and mother. It was not frowned upon in their culture for women to be at the mercy of the men. Women were able to own property and have jobs outside of the home, but that decreased when more distinct social classes arose in the second millennium. â€Å"Husbands gained authority in the household and benefited from the marriage and divorce laws† (Bulliet, 18).Even the law was against women and helped out the male gender in almost every situation. The next time she comes into play, we are seeing similar characteristics of her trying to lure in the man she wants when she is trying to get Gilgamesh to marry her. â€Å"Come to me Gilgamesh,† she says, â€Å"make me your bridegroom; grant me seed of your body† (Sandars, 25). She tells him she will give him anything he can possibly imagine if he would only marry her. When Gilgamesh refuses the offer we see a different side of Ishtar.She starts being portrayed as evil and self-centered. Ishtar goes to her father in tears saying to kill Gilgamesh for refusing her proposal or she will let all of hell break free, literally. Even marriage in the Mesopotamian culture benefitted the man more than the woman. â€Å"A man normally took just one wife, but he could obtain a second if the first gave him no children† (Bulliet, 18). The woman was to be a servant, of sorts, to the husband, and was expected to give him children. Later they became a way to keep wealth in the family by arranged marriages. Kings and rich men had several wives. Marriage alliances arranged between families made women instruments for preserving and enhancing family wealth† (Bulliet, 18). Even here they are referred to as â€Å"instruments†, and not given the respect of a human being. If the woman didn’t bare children, she was easily replaceable. If the woman came from a wealthy family, or her family wanted to become wealthy, they would arrange a marriage for her to gain or keep wealth in the family. On the other hand, women weren’t always looked at in this manner.Gilgamesh respected his mother very much so, and would go to her for advice. His mother, Ninsun, is said to be a minor goddess, but she is noted in a couple different places for her wisdom. â€Å"Now Gilgamesh got up to tell his dream to his mother, Ninsun, one of the wise gods† (Sandars, 5). In Mesopotamian culture, even the women gods were respected by the people. They thought them all to be wise and would seek their guidance in certain situations. Their religious beliefs brought this respect, and in some ways fear, to honor the gods so they would be gracious in return. Religious beliefs instilled fear of the gods, who could alter the landscape, and desire to appease them† (Belliet, 19). The Mesopotamians believed that the gods were human like in form, but that if they were to be unhappy by something the people did, they could alter anything in their lives, and in some cases even kill them. Overall, women were not looked at then the same ways they are looked at today. The cultural norm for women was to serve the men with their bodies and in their actions. If they did not give the man the children he wanted, she could be replaced.At an early age they were being trained to have the skills of a good wife and mother. It was not frowned upon for a man to have more than one wife. This did not happen often until around the second mullinium, but was quite oftenly seen with the kings and rich men. The another way the women were used in this society was to keep or gain wealth for her family. The families would arrange the marriages for her daughter, and she would have to make sure to keep her husband happy so she was not replaced. The gods and goddesses were feared and respected on the other hand.They were able to manipulate what would happen in the people’s lives, so they made sure to keep them happy; even the women were kept happy in this sense. Mesopotamian culture wasn’t too far off from how some things are looked at in today’s society, but women were not very important in their society. They were only there for few reasons, and if they didn’t meet those expectations they were replaceable. Today we would say that is unjust and against our rights, but that is a privilege we now have in our country that those women were not able to achieve. Aren’t we glad to live in today’s society where men and women have equal rights?

What are the regulatory, developmental and manufacturing barriers associated with the future availability of biogeneric products in oncology The WritePass Journal

What are the regulatory, developmental and manufacturing barriers associated with the future availability of biogeneric products in oncology Introduction What are the regulatory, developmental and manufacturing barriers associated with the future availability of biogeneric products in oncology IntroductionReferencesRelated Introduction Biopharmaceutical products began to expire since 2004. This has resulted in the development of biogenerics as second generation products. The term biogenerics is used to define a product that is equivalent to a currently marketed biopharmaceutical product that is a recombinant DNA-derived product (Enrico and Little, 2001 and Chamberlain, 2004). Biogenerics are follow-on products of a brand (reference) drug. They may have different physicochemical and/or biological properties to the reference drug, however, they are expected to have similar clinical effects and safety profile when compared to the reference drug. This may be because they may contain the same active ingredient used in the original brand product (Chamberlain, 2004 and Kirmani and Bonacossa, 2003). However, they may have different excipients of non-active ingredients to the original brand drug (Kermani and Bonacossa, 2003). Biogenerics are found to be beneficial in aiding large companies in saving the large amount of money being spent on health care when prescribing a brand product. For example, in 2005, around 5.3 billion dollars has been spent on health care in which almost of 2 billion dollars of this was spent on prescription drugs (Fredrick, 2007). The similar quality, safety, efficacy and the reduced cost of biogenerics compared to the reference brand product have arisen the interest of developing biogeneric products in oncology. However, there are a number of regulatory, developmental, and manufacturing barriers associated with the generation of biogenerics. Such issues are the lack of specific regulatory guidelines for biogenerics. Having regulatory standards may avoid the large sum of money from being spent to develop a biogeneric file (Enrico and Little, 2001). However, having eligible abbreviated procedures for biogenerics is not solving the issue as the Committee on Similar Biological Medici nal Products (CHMP), 2005, has recommended the need of carrying out comparability studies in order to generate evidence of the similarity in quality, safety and efficacy of biogeneric products to the original branded products (Rathore, 2009). Unfortunately, studies have failed in proving biogenerics essential similarity to the original brand products already being marketed (Kermani and Bonacossa, 2003). Furthermore, biogenerics are protein products in which their complexity is the central to challenges associated with safety and efficacy (Enrico and Little, 2001). Biogenerics are heterogeneous products and may exhibit sensitivity towards a specific manufacturing process and may degrade during freezing, melting, formulation, sterile filtration, filling, freeze-drying, and assessment. Moreover, the presence of impurities during manufacturing processes may reduce the efficacy and increase immunogenicity of the product. Immunogenicity may also be affected when handling the product. This may occurs during purification, exposure to light, distribution, or adding excipients, or may be due to the route and frequency of administration (Rathore, 2009). Since such changes may result in alteration in the product quality, safety, and efficacy profile, the need of carrying out extensive clinical trials are important in order to achieve regulatory approval (Enrico and Little, 2001). Also, other factors such as the therapeutic target, and patient’s immune status and clinical condition may be used in determining the immunogenicity of the product (Rathore, 2009). The quality of a biogeneric product is not only affected by the variability between the different steps of manufacturing, but may also be affected by the inconsistency of the starting materials (Kirdar et al, 2008). For example, minor changes in manufacturing biogenerics, such as the use of different DNA vectors, cell culture and purification processes compared to what is being used in the original brand product may result in undesirable effects in the quality of the product (Sharma, 2007). Also, leachable of vulcanising agents from syringes may affect safety and efficacy of the product. The use of phthalate plastic and latex rubber surfaces may result in leaches which may contaminate the product resulting in allergic reactions and enhanced immunogenicity. Therefore, it may be safer if glass surfaces, air-liquid interfaces, and lubricants are used instead (Sharma, 2007). The high complexity of the products, processes and untreated materials are the key challenges in manufacturing. However, having a designed experiment process to carry out experiments and perform data may result in better quality products (Rathore, 2009). Moreover, the interest of customers including patients and healthcare professionals to biogeneric products may also act as a potential barrier. The majority of biopharmaceuticals available in the marker are indicated for chronic diseases, for example cancer, in which switching the patient into a biogeneric product may be unacceptable by healthcare professionals. This may be due to the insufficient evidence of biogenerics quality and the lack of policies relating to such products (Enrico and Little, 2001). The majority of generic medicines depend on the clinical trial data obtained from the original brand drug studies. Only simple tests are required though for these generic medicines to prove bioequivalence of the product quality, safety, and efficacy to the reference drug. However, biogenerics failed in proving bioequivalence to the original brand drug using simple tests, hence, more studies may be required for biogenerics approval (Miller, 2009). Miller, 2009, has stated that the nature and the percentage contamination of biogeneric product is mainly relates to the host systems used to generate the drug and the purification methods used. A 100% purity is unachievable, however, avoiding any source of purity limitation may result in a high quality product. But this does not solve the problem, as protein folding and enzymatic modifications may lead to unacceptable results. Also, biogeneric mechanism, toxicity and contamination human cells are unknown. Therefore, the need to carry out standard sophisticated screening tests or the use of animal studies to ensure drug purity and quality may be necessary (Miller, 2009). Moreover, the FDA stated for a biogeneric to be approved, once bioequivalence tests are successful, safety and efficacy tests are required. This may involve sophisticated analytical chemistry, preclinical (animal) studies, as well as clinical studies (Miller, 2009). However, it is unacceptable to expose patient to unnecessary clinical trials in order to get the approval, and that bioequivalence tests must be decided on a case-by-case basis (Fredrick, 2007). The Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biochemistry, FDA, 1986, stated that new marketing applications are required for biogeneric products. This may be due to that biogenerics are characterised by having different structures, heterogeneity, and the possibility of contamination avai lability, which may affect the safety and efficacy profile of the drug. Biogeneric products may be better if developed in big pharmacy companies rather than a start-up company. This is may be because big companies may already have the experience and resources to carry out the necessary testing. Hence, less money will be spent to develop biogenerics in big pharmacy companies compared to a start-up company (Miller, 2009). Since cancer treatments are very expensive, focus has been shifted on producing biogenerics that would control the large sums of money being spent in biologic cancer treatments. However, it is important to ensure that patients get high quality of care and evidence-based medications. Therefore, principles of approval of biogeneric use in oncology have been published. The principles state the need of clinical trials being carried out to order to test similar efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of biogeneric to the reference biologic drug. This would clear the essential processes to patients and healthcare professionals. Guidance documents may be necessary in order to ensure standards consistency. However, FDA would never accept a system that would limit clinicians’ choices amongst biogeneric products. Biogenerics must be of high quality and fully tested for efficacy. Interchangeability of biogenerics that allows substitutions without affecting the product safety and efficacy mus t be determined through clinical trials (American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2007). The key issue of scientific and regulatory approval of biogeneric products is the lack of understanding of how different quality aspects of a product may result in changing the product safety and efficacy. Also, the lack of being successful in collecting data, analyze and report, and the insufficient non-clinical tools which may help in predicting clinical safety and efficacy of the product. Moreover, the complexity of biogeneric products and the biotechnology processes are extra challenges added to the development of biogenerics (Rathore, 2009). Finally, biogeneric guidelines are still unclear. However, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has decided the future of biogenerics will still require a comparability studies between the biogeneric and the reference brand drug. It may be possible that clinical studies will be carried out instead of bioequivalence studies for the purpose of proving the safety and efficacy of the biogeneric drug, and in particular immunogenicity of the product. Moreover, less non-clinical studies might be carried out and post-market pharmacovigilance plans may possibly be needed as a measurement of authorization promises (Zuniga and Calvo, 2009). In conclusion, the decision on approving biogenerics will remain to be dealt on a case-by-case basis, and will rely on a number of different factors including manufacturing processes, structural similarity to the original product, mechanism of action, pharmacodynamic assays, pharmacokinetics and immunogenicity, and quantity and quality of clinical data. Even though, the major improvements in our knowledge on biogenerics production processes and analytical technology have been achieved, key barriers remain to hinder the development of biogenerics. However, the overall of science and biotechnology fields is rapidly developing (Enrico and Little, 2001). References American Society of Clinical Oncology. (2007). Principles for Legislation to Establish Approval Process for Generic Versions of Biologic Agents. Available: asco.org/ASCO/Downloads/Cancer%20Policy%20and%20Clinical%20Affairs/Biogenerics/Biogenerics%20Principles%20FINAL%205%205%2008.pdf. Last accessed 29th March 2011. Chamberlain, P. (2004). Biogenerics: Europe takes another step forward while the FDA dives for cover. ELSEVIER. 9 (19), p817-820. CHMP. (2005). Guideline on similar biological medicinal products. Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. 437 (4), p555-561. Enrico, T. P. and Little, A. D.. (2001). The future of biogenerics. Available: contractpharma.com/articles/2001/10/the-future-of-biogenerics. Last accessed 29th March 2011. FDA. (1986). Coordination Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology. Available: http://usbiotechreg.nbii.gov/Coordinated_Framework_1986_Federal_Register.html. Last accessed 27th March 2011. Fredrick, J. (2007). Leaders speak out on benefits of biogenerics. Available: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3374/is_6_29/ai_n27227920/?tag=content;col1. Last accessed 27th March 2011. Kermani, F. and Bonacossa, P. (2003). What next for biogenerics. Pharmagenerics. 1 (1), p1-4. Kirdar, A. O. et al. (2008). Application of multivariant data analysis for identification and successful resoution of a route cause for a bioprocessing application. Biotechnology. 24 (4), p720-726. Miller, H. I. (2009). Biogenerics: the hope and hype. ELSEVIER. 27 (8), p443-445. Rathore, A. S. (2009). Follow-on protein products: scientific issues, developments and challenges. ELSEVIER. 27 (12), p698-705. Sharma, B. (2007). Immunogenicity of therapeutic proteins. Biotechnology. 25 (15), p318-324. Zuniga, L. and Calvo B. (2009). Regulatory aspects of biosimilars in Europe. ELSEVIER. 27 (7), p385-387.

Radishes and Radicals

Radishes and Radicals Radishes and Radicals Radishes and Radicals By Maeve Maddox Both words, radish and radical, derive from the Latin word for root (radix). The vegetable we call a radish is an edible root. Radical, functioning as both noun and adjective, is used with multiple meanings, depending upon context. Its earliest use in the context of politics and political thought and action dates from the late eighteenth century: That the omnipotence of the state is not lodged, by the constitution, with the people, but with the whole legislative body in parliament assembled, was a radical doctrine of this obnoxious ministry.- OED citation dated 1783 â€Å"A radical doctrine† is one that would strike at the root of an established political or social norm. A radical is â€Å"a person who advocates radical or far-reaching political or social reform.† The earliest OED citations for the noun radical are dated 1822: Love is a great leveller; a perfect Radical. General Scott said Archer was a Radical and inclined to be Jacobinical. Note: As a political term, Jacobin derives from a French political club established in 1789 with the purpose of propagating the principles of extreme democracy and absolute equality. By 1800, the word Jacobin was used to refer to any political reformer. Every society is rooted in specific institutions and conventions. At the time that radical acquired its political meanings, European society was rooted in the model of a landed elite supported by a disenfranchised working class. In the early nineteenth century, efforts to accomplish the following were seen as radical ideas in Britain and the United States: end the employment of children in factories and mines extend the vote to all men extend the vote to women end imprisonment for debt end the slave trade grant full civil rights to Catholics and Jews provide elementary schools for the children of the working classes provide humane treatment for the mentally ill The verb radicalize in the sense of â€Å"to make radical, especially politically; to imbue with radical principles† appears early in the nineteenth century (1825). The earliest citation for the noun radicalization- â€Å"the action or process of making or becoming radical, especially in political outlook†- is 1867. Among the OED citations for radicalize and the noun radicalization are references to soldiers who were radicalized by witnessing the horrors of war and to â€Å"radicalized students of the late 1960s.† These political terms have been used to describe different degrees of radicalism, as indicated in this definition of the adjective radical in the OED: radical adjective: Advocating thorough or far-reaching political or social reform; representing or supporting an extreme section of a party; specifically (also with capital initial)   (a) British belonging to, supporting, or associated with the extreme wing of the Liberal Party which called for a reform of the social and parliamentary system in the late 18th and early 19th century.  (b) U.S. belonging to a faction of the Republican Party seeking extreme action against the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction. Now more generally: revolutionary, especially, left-wing. Although in the past, radical belief was sometimes accompanied with violent behavior- e.g., John Brown, Carrie Nation, the French Revolution- it was more often contained and acted on within a framework of constitutional or parliamentary changes. A â€Å"radical† could be any person who regarded some aspect of society as unfair or undesirable and believed that the way to change it was to overturn or uproot existing norms. In that sense, suffragettes and abolitionists were radicals. Nowadays, radical, radicalize, and radicalization have come to carry connotations of a type of extremism closely association with violence. This is how The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines radicalization and radical: radicalization At its root, radicalization takes the basic tenets of a faith or a political movement and carries them to extremes, extremes that often are drastic enough to adopt violence to intimidate others into accepting those extremes or to punish those who will not accept the extremes, and that process carries across lines of nationality or religion, from Mohammad Atta to Timothy McVeigh. radical The FBIdefines radical individuals as persons who encourage, endorse, condone, justify, or support the commission of a violent act or other crimes against the U.S. government, its citizens, or its allies for political, social, or economic ends. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsSocial vs. SocietalWhen to Spell Out Numbers

Death of a Salesman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Death of a Salesman - Essay Example Relatively associated to the life and dream of every American family, Death of a Salesman tells about the anxiety and insecurity of the Lomans–with Willy as the father, Linda as the wife and the mother to two sons: Biff and Happy. Already suffering from senility, Willy is still made to suffer more from his unappreciative boss, Howard Wagner. Willy has managed to survive, eventhough he erred at times while driving or even doing simple tasks. This is due to his concern for his financial security that remained him a salesman travelling long distances just to make a sale, and earn only a commission from it. Lomans are not mired in abject poverty–they were able to mortgage the house in a decent and highly densed neighborhood and were able to drive their own car–Willy Loman found it difficult to meet both ends. Linda is a plain housewife; Happy is living his own life; and Biff was not able to finish high school on reasons Willy has to be partly blamed. The struggle is nerve-racking to the extent that he is often disgusted and complaining at his own self and the people around him. Slowly, the plot brings us to reality, and it reveals the more elaborate struggle Willy has stepped onto. First, Willy’s late brother Ben has intevened exclusively only to Willy’s mind. This is either a flashback or some literary device which Miller had utilized to induce an intrinsic conflict in the main character. In the initial dialogue between Willy and Ben, they exchanged pleasantries and they shared memories about their parents and even their whereabouts. Willy is interested to the latter’s prevarications, â€Å"to walk into the jungle† (Miller 36). To Willy, the philosophy–apparently the same philosophy of the Loman’s stock–should be imbued to his two young sons. Further in the play, one notices the intricacies in the past. Ben, in the past, has

Night Mist By Jackson Pollack 1945 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Night Mist By Jackson Pollack 1945 - Essay Example icious and what drove things up a notch was that he was an alcoholic and is said to have had bipolar disorder as well, both of which he combated through his art and artistic expression. Pollock died at the age of 44 in a car accident. Abstract expressionism was categorical of a passing era in the 20th century. This was a time when Europe was aging and America was young and getting on its feet. The Second World War had just ended and Europe had been so badly affected by it that it was going to declare itself bankrupt. America was a fledgling and attached itself to Europe’s values because it didn’t know any better and thus was also affected indirectly by the changes that affected Europe directly. (Rodgers). Art historians have determined that there is a strong link between abstract expressionism in this era and the consequent emergence of modern art, most specifically the work of impressionists, cubists and surrealists. (Rodgers). Further, Jackson Pollock himself drew inspiration of his work from the works of Pablo Picasso and was deeply influenced by him as an artist. If abstract expressionism is to be properly analyzed and understood, the viewer needs to look at the subject matter or content of the painting. The subject is exhibited in the painting through a process and can be analyzed by looking at the different gestures in the painting and the range and depth of the colors used. (Rodgers). Pollock’s painting has a lot of anger in it. He incorporates his anger in the process of his painting, and as is the specialty of abstract expressionism, it shows clearly in the final product. He is one of the most controversial and influential artists of this century. His works were very original, each piece completely different from the next and in addition to that, his works are studied for their use of scale, texture and color. (Molyneux). People study art with preconceptions in their minds. According to Jackson Pollock, there are at least 5 things that effect

Tort Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Tort Law - Essay Example Because of the combined efforts of the county hospital staff, and Dr. Andrews the disability that will make Bobby’s life more difficult now will be doubly worse. Ace Sports might argue that Bobby shares comparative negligence because he should not have dunked the ball. However, had it not been Bobby who cut up his wrists dunking a ball, it would have eventually happened to some kid with the metal dangerously positioned as it was. Ace Sports had a contractual agreement with the school and a social duty to install a safe product. Gary Owen defines the five components of negligence as duty, breach, cause in fact, proximate cause and harm. Duty involves choices. â€Å"Negligence law assesses human choices to engage in harmful conduct as proper or improper. . . .Serving in this manner as the foundational element of a negligence claim, duty provides the front door to recovery for the principal cause of action in the law of torts† (Owen, 2010, p. 1674). Ace Sports had a duty to install a safe basketball hoop and breached that duty by leaving harmful metal sticking out around the rim. Bobby just happened to be the first to encounter the piece s of jagged metal. The school, of course, shares no liability because they relied on the competency of the people they hired to install the rims and presumably had no knowledge of the sharp rims. The first hospital, City General, where Rachel took Bobby, has some responsibility in Bobby’s hands being amputated. Their staff had a duty to treat Bobby at least to a point where no further damage would have been caused by a delay. Obviously, from City General’s point of view, they could have treated Bobby and then not been paid because he had no insurance. Their policy implies they had the right to refuse service based on a patient’s uninsured status and therefore his ability to pay for treatment. Paul H. Rubin calls medical care a commodity, specifically an â€Å"ambiguous product.† Rubin

Differences Between Manufacturing Operations And Service Operations Commerce Essay

Differences Between Manufacturing Operations And Service Operations Commerce Essay Generally speaking, process efficiency is the most important to manufacturing operations while production and marketing are inseparable to service operations. (Yavas Yasin, 1994) Manufacturings tangible output can be consumed overtime (Kumar, 2008), less labour and more equipment are used in production, since automation has increased capital intensity while as a result reduced customer contact (Collier, 1983). Consumers rarely take part in the manufacturing process, many manufacturing operations have emphasized efficiency while compromising flexibility (Jelinek Goldhar, 1983), the methods for monitoring and using resources are sophisticated while producing. On the other hand, service operations are different from those of manufacturing operations. Consumption and production of services takes place simultaneously or closely (Arja and Seliina 2008), and there are more labour and more customer participation, which means service businesses, usually are more customer-oriented (Chase Erickson, 1988; Heskett, 1987). while elementary methods are frequently used for monitoring and using resources. To be specific, there are mainly 6 differences between manufacturing operations and service operations. 1.1, Basic organize style in operation. Basically, manufacturing companies usually make production and purchase plans based on the demand of the market and their customers. Then human resources and equipment are settled to produce. So the manufacturing companies operation management is mainly product-cantered the aim is to control the process of production, keep the quality of outcomes and reduce cost. Yet the service organizations seem organized differently as they have greater amount of interaction with their customers (Voss et al., 1985). There are more uncertainties in the process, so specific plans cannot be made in advance, and the results are diverse if the service personals or the customers change. For that reason, the service operations are human-centred. 1.2, Design of products and operation systems. In manufacturing factories, the products and production systems can be designed separately because one same product can be produced by different manufacturing systems (i.e. two equipments with different automation degree). However in the service operations, the service provides system is part of the whole service itself. Different service provides system have different characteristics which make the service not the same, so those two systems must be designed together within the service operations. 1.3, The use of inventory in adjusts supply and demand. Since the companies cannot decide the demand of the market while their productivities are controllable, the manufacturing companies can use their inventory to deal with unexpected demand increases. So those companies should pay more attention to plan reasonable inventory strategy. To most of those service companies, their products cannot be inventoried as readily as goods (Thomas, 1978). They cannot produce service in advance and store them for later customers, so what they can do is to make better use their service abilities while the demand happens. 1.4, Customers effect. The production systems in the manufacturing companies are usually enclosed to customers, manufacturing firms generally evaluate their products quality from internal perspective rather than external (customers) perspective (Buzzell Gale, 1987).thus they can have few influences on the manufacturing operations. However, customers take part in the service operations; they may have positive and negative effects to the process. So the service companies need to make full use of those good effects and try to minimize the undesirable ones. 1.5, Boundaries of function division and human resource characteristic In the manufacturing companies, there are clear boundaries within the operation, marketing and human resource management. The time and places are different between producing and selling the goods. Besides most products need to transport through a complex channel before the customers get them. As a result, there must have different people take response of different departments. Moreover, since the manufacturing operations are product-centred, the working process and quality are strictly controlled, which means humans behaviour will have few influences to the results. Nevertheless, to the service companies, the human factor is critical while operating. Managing people must become a critical part of line managers job in service operations. (Boudreauet al., 2003) So the three parts which had been mentioned at the beginning have to be integrated while managing. 1.6, Measure the output Clearly, the output of the manufacturing operations can be easily measured through count the yield and test the product quality. However, in the service operations, the quantitative indicators are unsuitable for measuring the output service. Gupta (1995) indicated that productivity measurement it is more complex in service industries owing to the inherent characteristics of services. Besides, the qualitative indicators of service are more difficult to define than those of manufacturing operations. Furthermore, as a lot of service organizations have multiplex goal such as long-term benefits and social benefits, evaluating these organizations could be even harder. In a word, although there are some basic features in common, different type of output of manufacturing and service operations lead to dissimilar emphasis of the two operations. As a result, while dealing with these two kinds of operations, the management methods would not be the same. 2. Top-down perspective of operations strategy and Hangzhou Chengcheng Handicraft Limiteds performance objectives As discussed in many literatures, there is a vertical relationship between operations strategy and business/ corporate strategies in the companys hierarchy. Meanwhile, other functional strategies such as the marketing strategy are horizontally connected with operations strategy. When talk about business and corporate strategies, operations strategy may turn up in a bottom-up or a top-down procedure. Likewise, either market requirements or the capabilities of the operations resources can lead to operations strategy. Appendix 1 (Slack and Lewis, 2002) illustrates 4 perspectives on operation strategy. Each aspect differently stresses on the character of operations strategy process. The top-down perspective is one of those perspectives that operations strategy comes from. It supports the organizations business strategy and the corporation can use this to make its business strategy come true. From this point of view, to develop an operations strategy is in line with Skinners methods of identifying an operations task (Skinner, 1969). Thus the business strategy will logically determine the operations task. The operations task can be expressed by five operations performance objectives (Slack et al. 2004). As a result, while the business strategy is one of the providing high quality products, the operations task has to be one of carefully design the process. If the business strategy is based on offering low prices, the operations task, in this context, need to consider achieve lower costs. In diversified companies, the top-down perspective suggests a link between operations strategy and the corporate strategy through each business units business strategy. While using the top-down hierarchical approach, there would be three main strategy levels: corporate, business and functional (Hollins Shinkins, 2006). Under this model, corporate goals are passed down to the functional areas via business areas (see Appendix 1). The direction of the whole company is set by the corporate level strategy which acknowledges the key internal and external stakeholders who the company is seeking to satisfy. Such a strategy illustrates what the corporation wants to achieve in details. The business level, in some large multi-business organizations, is at the Strategic Business Unit level. The business level strategy decides the way of business units contributing to the whole company by dealing with its customers, markets and competitors properly. In the business functions, the operations, tog ether with finance or marketing, will help to support the goal of business strategy. Operations strategies may have diverse priorities due to the distinct business aims. Hayes and Wheelwright (1984) developed a four-stage model (see Appendix 2) to help explain the role of the operations function. This model supports the idea that overall operations capability will lead to the success of the company. Hangzhou Chengcheng Handicraft Limited (HCHL) is a Hangzhou based manufacturing company whose main products are handcrafted slippers. The main customers of the company are from Japan. The company owns a factory in Xiaoshan, Hangzhou, and has a workforce of about 200. For the corporate strategy decisions, the company business in clearly manufacturing slippers and the accessories of slippers, and export them to the foreign customers. Since the payment will be transferred once the delivery has completed, there will not be any cash flow problems for the company if nothing too terrible happens. Besides, as the company has only one business, they just need to focus on how to improve the performance, and they will not worry about deal with relationships between different businesses. For the business strategy decisions, the company aim at provide the slippers with best quality and lower price, in this way the company will keep the customers and keep growing at business and profit. The growth targets of the company are 10% per year while the profitability targets are 28%. The competencies of the company are good relationship with suppliers and customers, on-time delivery and guaranteed quality, but they just do better than other competitors, improvements are still needed in these aspects. For the functional strategy decisions of the company, the performance improvement priorities for the firm is to make all the employee anticipate in to the whole operation as much as possible. The company devotes to provide high quality products to its customers. Since most of its slippers are sold at several main supermarkets in Japan, the company is aim at achieve zero faulty goods. Reduce the time between the order and the availability of the product as much as possible is the speed dependability objectives of the company, while it is going to minimize the cost of raw material by purchasing globally. 3. Capacity strategy and capacity control of HCHL There are about 160 contracted workers making slippers in the workshop of the factory. 10 of these workers are quality inspectors whose job is to get rid of the spots of glue on the surface of the slippers, check the quality of the slippers and pair them in a proper way. Apparently, the capacity of the whole factory depends on the other 150 skilled workers productivity. 3.1 Classify the orders The company has divided its products into two parts. One is called Normal orders which means those slippers are ordered and manufactured regularly every year. Other slippers are belonging to the Special orders. These slippers usually have either or both of the following features: 1, the slippers use new models which are provided by foreign importers; 2, the time for delivery is often not long. So it can be concluded that these Normal orders can be forecasted and prepared in advance, while Special orders are usually unpredictable. The good news about those Special orders is that most of them are usually ordered follow the season changing. For example, the importer will provide a new slipper model which has a bamboo-made sole at the summer and the leather style slipper are often ordered during the cold days. Nevertheless, some slippers will be ordered as soon as the models are developed. These including the one that can help female customers shape their bodies, especially their legs, the one have the function of feet massage or those have cartoon characters pattern or shaped slippers for children. 3.2 Capacity of the factory. As an order-driven production company, the yield of the company is often depending on the amount of orders it gets. According to the historical statistics, these skilled workers can make about 300 pairs once they are familiar with the operational processes for a particular sort of slippers. While the qualification rate  for the Normal orders is about 93%, the result is that the factory has the capacity of about 280 pairs per day. Normally, each order from the international buyers is for 1000 pairs of slippers, since there are usually about 5 Normal orders for each month, the capacity of the company will not fully used for the period without any Special orders. The workers will get two day weekend for rest, and they can go home as early as they have finished their jobs in the weekdays. While there are several Special orders, consider that the study of the new model and the time for workers get used to the new products, it will take several days for the factory to get to the normal o utput. In the case of a month with two Special orders, the factorys capacity will be fully used, and sometimes the company need to hire temporary workers to help. While the capacity of the factory is improved temporary, the total cost and the fault rate  are also higher than it was due to the temporary workers who are not familiar with the working process. In order to improve the capacity of the factory, the company has made some changes. Several workers have been trained to learn how to cut the raw material including upper and soles of the slippers. In this way, workers on the pipeline will not have to wait for long. With more workers have different skills each, they can help with the particular work stage of one special model which might cost more time than other models. Push money is provided if workers can finish their jobs on time. Moreover, records and statistics are made in order to monitor the performance of the workers, managers will check the records regularly and discuss with workers who have problems with their works. 4. The impact of product life cycle to HCHL Clearly, the slippers are in the maturity stage of the product life cycle. For the HCHL itself, the cost is lowered due to the great amount and steady production volumes and the experience curve effects. Competitors are increasing, although the customers may not the same, at the upper side of the supply chain, competition happens when purchasing raw materials, besides, there is a threat of the loss of skilled workers. Generally, the price and profit of the products tend to drop, especially in the Normal orders; the importers keep using different reasons to cut the price. However since there are always Special orders which have new features, the company can get a chance to recover the loss on the Normal orders. Because the slippers are in the maturity stage of the product life cycle, HCHL is now trying to give new concept for its products. The company is seeking the chance to get into the markets of unconventional slippers such as pocket slippers for travelling use, cleaning slippers and so on. Besides, slippers aim at new target customers (i.e. BabaPapa family slippers set for children and their parents) are developed for improve the companys revenue. 5, Quality management Slippers quality is important for HCHL. There are mainly four aspects of judging the quality of the slippers. Firstly, the outlook and the shape of the slippers need to fit the standards which are agreed by both the HCHL and its customers. Secondly, small blemish such as spots of glue on the surface are not allowed. Then, if there are patterns especially stripes on the upper, two slippers in one pair need to be matched. Finally for the pack process, no sundries such as needle or even scissors are allowed left in the boxes. Usually, it is the 10 quality inspectors who need to take care of those quality problems. The HCHL did apply some rules and standards for their jobs. Since there are many factories whose business are almost the same as HCHL, the customers have more choices in choosing partners, so they are really strict about the quality of the product. In the summer of 2007 when there are news about bad quality food made in China, the Japanese customers even required a zero faulty rate of product to their Chinese suppliers. In order to get rid of the gap between customer expectations and perceptions, HCHL had made a lot of improvement. First of all, the company released the its own QEMS with dozens of documents including the standards of finished and semi-finished shoes, QC flow chart, waste disposal management rules and so on. Forms are sent to each employee and need to be filled regularly. Besides, witness points and break points are set up to assist the quality control. There are people who are responsible for monitor the working process and deal with the important process. Thirdly, since the producing of handicraft slippers has higher requirement about the physical fitness of the workers, regular medical examination are took before go on duty. In addition, the 6s rule has been introduced to the workshop; however it seems that the workers are not quite understand the meaning of doing this. Finally, when it is necessary, the company will hire professional inspection companies to do the inspection job, although it may cost a lot. 6, Recommendations on operations management to HCHL There are a lot of ways of improving one companys operations management. However consider that the HCHL is a kind of companies that is not a large business, those methods such as ERP or invest heavily on the equipment which cost too much are not suitable for the company. Take the real condition of the firm into account; there are several aspects that can be improved. For the capacity management, except for what the company is doing, other efforts can be made for making it works better. Firstly, the company need to realize that although it has several fixed main customers, it does not mean that the company is the subsidiary of those customers. When there are not many orders from the customers, which does not equal to the capacity of the firm, the company should not leave part of its capacity unused. One way to solve this problem is to keep working in full capacity and set up other flexible channel of selling its products. An example of such channel is online shop. There are many benefits of keeping the full capacity: the average cost of every slipper will be lower since the fix costs are fully allocated; and the employees can make more money. To re-consider the relationship with the customers has another meaning. To avoid some pressing Special orders, the HCHL need to be more active than it is. They need to contact the customers frequently enough to follow the trend of the market and make forecast based on the information and historical data. The more important thing is independently development. To accept the models provided by the customers are always too passive, if the company can develop its own model series, it will improve the companys power while bargaining with customers, and the period of getting used to the new model will be reduced since then. Besides, creation is always good for the life cycle of the products. What is more, since the word co-petition has been put forward as a new relationship between competitors, the company can make agreements with other factories that do the same work as the company does. While one of the factories has a need for extra workers, other factories will send workers to the factory. The yield and quality of those skilled workers are much better than the former temporary workers; besides, they are much easier to manage. The main advantage of a well managed capacity system is that more time can be spent on the business analysis and forecasting, (Dithmar, 1985) by which the needs of the firm will be supported. Because the cost of the production is at a low level, the proper way for the HCHL is to implement product differentiation. For the quality management, introduce the total quality management is necessary. According to Prajogo, and Sohal (2006), TQM is shown to have a significant and positive relationship with a differentiation strategy. Research also supports the positive relationship between three organizational performance measures (including product quality, process innovation and product innovation) and both differentiation and TQM. The HCHL can follow the PDCA cycle to implement the TQM. On the plan stage, the company need to negotiate with it customers about the details of the orders, quality aims and quality plan have to be made. Then on the do stage, training might be the most important part, workers need to be taught and communicate about the skill of producing the slippers. On the check stage which is after the exercise of the plan, adjusts will be made to let the process more efficient. Last on the action stage, the result will be examined and it is the start of the next cycle as well. The benefits of TQM for HCHL will show in different ways. Since all the stuffs are required to enter the progress, the problems and faults can be spotted quicker, and workers will be motivated by extra responsibility. Improvement made by TQM is not only with output, but also with improving processes and capabilities to produce better results in the future. 7, Conclusion The essay first gives the critical review of the differences between manufacturing operations and service operations, and the top-down perspective of operations strategy is explained. Then the HCHLs case is introduced to evaluate the operations function in a product-based organisation. As a small business, the company has its own features, and the Performance objectives are given in the essay. After analysis the capacity, product life cycle and quality management of the company, the essay gives some recommendations to the HCHL to help it improve its operational performance. These recommendations including improve the capacity and make full use of it through several methods and introduce the TQM for improving the product quality.