Advertisement: Advertising and Media Literacy Education Essay

Children cannot escape them. They stare at them from every nook and corner. The highways, the roadways, streets all have hoardings, banners, posters screaming about the goodness of the product they are advertising. Newspapers have columns and columns, pages and pages devoted to advertisements. Greatest curse of modern times for children is advertisements. Advertisement reminds the children to buy new things and no wonder they are brainwashed and pester their parents to buy it for them. However, advertisement is a good way to tell about the products. They inform the children about new technology or trend. Similarly, advertising may also have a negative impact on today’s youth. Junk food ads encourage children to eat unhealthy food, which is often portrayed as fun. See more: Defining research problem and setting objectives Essay Another advantage of advertising is it gives media literacy education. Children need to know that they are being bombarded by messages (both good and bad) every day. They need to be taught how to discern these messages from an early age and to decide how to react to the messages. They also teach them other good things. In addition, advertising is making children feel that without their product, you’re a loser. Kids are very sensitive to that. They become most emotionally vulnerable. Advertisement also educates children and is very informative. How would children cope without news and catching up with what goes around in the society? For instance, sometimes kids do not understand what the commercial is about and they are not yet fully developed. If they see something that is not appropriate then they will start telling other kids of their age which is not okay for them. Kids are exposed to things that can be misunderstood and take things negatively. What is more is that the advertisements targeting children’s aim to promote the products and services, which cater for children’s needs and have no damaging intention at all. Overall, I believe that advertising has both advantages and disadvantages. However I believe that in most cases the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. I do believe that ads should be more strictly monitored, especially during children’s viewing hours. Harsher penalties should apply to people who infringe any laws and more people should be hired to patrol exactly what is played on ads. Children see, children do.

Toys and Games industry

Toys R Us is one of UK’s leading toy and game retailer. This report conducts an academic research focus on Toys R Us (UK) in toys and games retailing sector. In the first part of this report, we will discuss the toys and games industry background and the overview of Toys R Us. Then, the research will focus on Poster’s Five Force Model and Porter’s Generic Strategies. In the next parts, this report will concentrated on the potential strategies which Toys R Us might pursue in the future. Conclusion and recommendation will be mention in the final part of this report and the recommendation will be covered the best strategy for Toys R Us which can be used for the future competitiveness.1.1 Industry Background After the decline in 2008 and 2009, the toys and games market has grown about 5% just under  £2.2 billion. The market has opportunities to increase the sale revenue from 2010 to 2015 (MINTEL 2010). The Figure 1 shows UK retail value sales of toys and games betw een 2005 and 2015. (Figure 1, Source from: MINTEL Report 2010)According to MINTEL 2010, the main players in the toys and games industry in UK is Argos, Toys R Us, Disney and some internet specialists such as Amazon and Ebay. The Figure 2 shows the retail market share for those main players. (Figure 2, Source from: MINTEL Report 2010)1.2 Company overview Toys R Us is UK’s leading traditional toys and games retailer with over 1500 stores and 71,000 employees (including part-time employees) in 33 countries and the company’s headquartered in Wayne (DATAMONITOR 2011). Toys R Us offer Toys, Baby care, Video games, Multimedia PCs, Bikes and outdoor fun products (Toys R Us 2013).2.0 Poster’s Five Force Model2.1 The threat of new entrants According to Dess, Lumpkin and Eisner 2010, the threat of new entrants is depends on the level of entry barriers. In the UK toys and games industry, there are strong competitions for the pricing. According to MINTEL 2010, since 2008, co nsumer prices for the games and toys have fallen, so most retail cut down the price therefore strong competition in the toys and games industry. Moreover, Economies of Scale can be also related to the entry barriers. Finally, the government policy is major source of entry barriers. For example, national land policy can be effect the manufactory and location of stores, the entry barrier is also influence by high VAT rates for the company which standard rate is 20% and reduced rate is 5% in 2013 (GOV.UK 2013).2.2 The bargaining power of suppliers Toys R Us has increase the number of suppliers over 3000 manufacturers. Mattel, Hasbro and Namco Bandai are the main suppliers for Toys R Us. Those 3 manufacturers are top 20 suppliers in toys industry and Best-selling Toys of the year are always given to those 3 suppliers (GIMD 2011). Nintendo and Sony are also the main suppliers for Toys R Us. Those 2 companies are famous video games suppliers. Nintendo has produce NINTENDO 3 DS and Sony ha s produce PlayStation 3 and PSP, those 3 product all have good sale revenue in the games market (Toys R Us 2013).2.3 The bargaining power of buyers As this report has mention before, Toys R Us is one of UK’s leading toys and game retailer, therefore the company has strong brand image, when consumer planning to purchase toys or games, Toys R Us is always become a first choice for purchase toys and games because the strong brand image. Moreover, there are limited numbers of global retailer in the traditional toys and games industry therefore Toys R Us has strong buying power (GMID 2011). The Figure 3 shows the child/youth population by age and gender between 2005 and 2015 in UK. From this table, we can see the populations between ages 0-14 are increase from 2005. The target market for Toys R Us are children, if the populations of child is increase, the buying power will also increase. (Figure 3, Source from: MINTEL Report 2010)2.4 The threat of substitute products Toys R Us is mainly focus on traditional toys and games sector. However, since the new technology is coming to the market, such as Ipad, X-box 2 and some new online games, the consumers’ needs are changing. More young children prefer the game in Ipad video game and online game rather than traditional toys; therefore Toys R Us is facing on high threat of substitution.2.5 The intensity of rivalry among competitors in an industry Woolworths was the biggest toys and games retail in UK, after the collapse of Woolworths in 2008, Toys R Us, Argos, Disney and other online retail such as Ebay and Amazon became the major players in toys and games industry. In 2009, Argos has 24% market share which are top one in UK toys and games market. Toys R Us has 17% market share and Disney only has 3% market share (MINTEL 2010). Figure 4 shows the outlet, sales, positioning and evaluation of those major players in toys and games industry in 2010. (Figure 4, Source from: MINTEL Report 2010)3.0 Porter’s Generic StrategiesIn this part, this report focuses on Porter’s Generic Strategies to analysis the strategic positioning of the major play in toys and games industry. According to Dess, Lumpkin and Eisner 2010, Porter’s Generic Strategies include three strategies which are Differentiation, Focus and Cost leadership which a company can use for achieve competitive advantage and overcome five force. Figure 5 is made by the Porter’s Generic Strategies; this graph shows the main competitors for Toys R Us in toys and games industry. From this graph, we can find out Toys R Us is using differentiation strategy, the strategy for Disney Company is Focus strategy, Argos and amazon concentrated on Cost Leadership strategy. (Figure 5)Differentiation can be defined as a strategy based on creating differences in the company’s product and service (Dess, Lumpkin and Eisner 2010). As this report has mentioned, Toys R Us is using Differentiation strategy. The Company is pro viding different customer service as other competitors in the toys and games industry. According to Toys R Us 2013, every store of Toys R Us has an extensive Babies R Us department, inside of the Babies R Us included furniture, car seats, bedding, strollers, safety products, nappies and baby food for all parents and babies.Moreover, the company can be achieved the Differentiation strategy by strong brand image and wide range of products. As this report mention at the induction, Toys R Us is one of UK’s leading toy and game retailer therefore the company has strong brand image to achieve the differentiation strategy. According to MINTEL 2010, Toys R Us provides large range of toys and other children-related products. There are some advantages of Toys R Us using the Differentiation strategy. Firstly, this strategy can improve consumers’ loyalty. Differentiation strategy can also help company to decrease the threat of substitute products. On other hand, there are few disa dvantages for differentiation, consumer may prefer to purchase product from the company who using the cost leadership strategy.Disney Company is using focus strategy. The products from Disney shop are related to the Disney film (Disney store 2013). The company is focus on the customers who like the Disney brand images, most consumers will decide to purchase from Disney store if they like watch the Disney films especially young children. Argos and Amazon are focus on cost leadership strategy. Both companies are offering wide range of toys and games with low prices.4.0 Potential strategies might pursue in the futureIn this part, this report will mainly focus on the strategies which the Toys R Us may pursue in the future.4.1 Vertical Integration Vertical Integration is an expansion or extension of the company by becomes its own supplier or distributor (Dess, Lumpkin and Eisner 2010). According to GIMD 2011, the key strategic objective and challenges for Toys R Us is extending private l abel ranges. Vertical integration is one of best strategy to achieve this objective. If Toys R Us becomes its own supplier, the company will much easier to extending private label ranges. Moreover, the  company’s transaction costs are much higher than administrative costs, so vertical Integration becomes an attractive strategy for Toys R Us.There are few benefits for Vertical Integration. Firstly, the strategy has benefits on access to new business opportunities, this will be helpful for Toys R Us achieve the objective of extend private label ranges. Secondary, this strategy can help Toys R Us to make sure the quality of the product, therefore this will help to increase the consumers’ satisfaction. Finally, Vertical Integration can help company to reduce the transaction costs.4.2 Strategic Alliances Strategic Alliances can be defined as two or more companies have a cooperative relationship (Dess, Lumpkin and Eisner 2010). As this report mention in the second part, mo st young children are prefer video games rather than traditional toys, so Toys R Us might concentrate on video games sector in the future, to development a new video game, the company will need a strong technology, the company might think about the Strategic Alliances. As this report mention before, Nintendo is a famous video game manufactures, the company has sold about 2.4 billion video game since 1983 (Nintendo 2013).If Nintendo become an alliance partner with Toys R Us and development a new product with strong brand image from technology and high level of technology skill Nintendo, both companies will easy to increase the market share in the toys and games industry. The advantages for Strategic Alliances will be reducing manufacturing costs in the value chain. Moreover, this strategy will also help on developing and diffusing new technologies.4.3 Internal DevelopmentInternal development is focus on new products and new technology. According to GMID 2011, a key objective and chal lenge for Toys R Us is development of exclusive products, this strategy may help Toys R Us to achieve this objective. Moreover, the company is not having to using the Strategic Alliances to development a new video games, this strategy can help company to development own innovative product without having to share the wealth with alliance partners.5.0 Conclusion and RecommendationIn conclusion, this report has concentrated strategic analysis on Toys R Us in toys and games industry. In the first part, the report has discussed the industry background and company overview. Then, the analysis of Poster’s five force model takes the second place. In the third part, this report analysis the Poster’s Generic strategies which show Toys R Us are concentrated on Differentiation strategy. Finally, the report mentions the several strategies which Toys R Us might pursue in the future.After the report analysis those strategies for Toys R Us, we can give the recommendation on the best s trategy for the future competitiveness. Figure 6 shows the benefit and risk of the three strategies for Toys R Us, compare those three strategies, all of strategies have both benefit and risk for Toys R Us, but we recommend that Strategic Alliances is the best strategy for Toys R Us in the future.New product development is the main objective of Toys R Us, if the company can develop own video games product, it will easy to increase the market share in toys and games industry, Strategic Alliances is the only strategy which can help Toys R Us to achieve the goal in the fastest time. Internal Development may also help company to develop new product, but the company will need spend high cost on new product development and Toys R Us may not have enough technology skill on video game as the company such as Sony and Nintendo. (Figure 6)

Applications of Data Mining in the areas of Marketing Communications Essay

Introduction In the information age, technological advancements have facilitated the collection of large amounts of information on various fields to include military intelligence, scientific and business data amongst several others. Computers are able to sort out this data with the aid of database management systems. Data can be classified according to predefined criteria. Data mining involves the extraction of implicit and useful information from databases. Use of relational databases is more helpful in the sense that it allows linkage with the structured query language (SQL) that allows for predicting, comparison and the determination of variations (Che, Han & Yu, 1996). In websites, this technology is used by businesses in crawling through web pages and collect information that enables the organization to enhance business, analyze the market trends and utilize the information obtained to their best interest (Web Data Mining, 2013). Applications of Data Mining In the Areas of Marketing Communications, Public Relations and Corporate Communications With the development of business intelligence, corporate management through the use of data marts and reporting software can obtain data from any region or field of interest in computer readable form in a relatively short time. It uses this data to forecast on future market expectation and consumer trends. Through its models and tools, managers are able to predict future events (Web Data Mining, 2013). It allows the analysis of past records and marketing to tailor and narrow target audience. It also helps in the determination of marketing methods; in the end, it increases revenue on sales with fewer campaigns. Data mining can predict consumer behavior, the psychology of the consumer, behavior while shopping, influence of business environment on consumers and consumer motivation depending on the importance of the product.   The products sold to consumers provide data on items how they are positioned. Data mining analyzes consumption patterns, for instance, during festive seasons to find out which products sell more and the association between one product and another. It is common to associate the purchase of bread with butter (Raorane & Kulkarni, 2011).Association is utilized in making decisions in cross marketing. Through web crawling information on consumer preferences are collected, their purchase records are used in making inventory decisions and analysis of fraudulent payments (Web Data Mining, 2013). Data mining can be categorized according to the data that is collected, in businesses the identification of high profit and low risk customers is an important task for business owners, customers can be segmented with associated characteristics as loyalty and other traits. This is useful in marketing and customer relationship management (Rajagopal, 2011). Accuracy is how often models get their predictions right while reliability is a measure of consistency of the model. Validation is done to determine how models perform against real data; quality and characteristics of a data mining model must be evaluated before deployment. However, data mining models are considered reliable if they generate the same type of predictions and return the same pattern of findings regardless of the test data. Reliability in data mining is also dependent on the skill, knowledge and the ingenuity of the analyst. Meaningful relations between variables can be extracted from databases in complex formats that are unachievable through manual systems. However, reliability is no longer assured in data mining due to its complex heterogeneous and dynamic nature. It is necessary to incorporate preventive measures to safeguard data validity and integrity (Kavulya, Gandhi, & Narasimhan, 2008). Conclusion Data mining is an effective tool in fields as medicine, marketing and crime prevention amongst many others. The use of computers has seen this lessen the time required for researches. The tools and models it utilizes are very helpful in business in determining and predicting consumer trends and consumption patterns that were unknown in the past. This seeks to promote revenues with little campaigns. Additionally, the use of web data mining allows businessmen to monitor consumer patterns, clusters and associations for inventory purposes. However, this technique may not be completely reliable, this depends on the skills of the user and preventive measures installed checking on reliability. Through legislation and technological interventions these issues can be alleviated. References Kavulya, S., Gandhi, R. & Narasimhan, P. (2008). Gumshoe: Perspective. IEEE Trans. Knowledge and Data Engineering, 8 (1), pp. 866-883. Rajagopal, S. (2011). Customer data clustering using data mining technique. International journal of Database Management Systems, 3(4), pp. 1-9. Raorane, A & Kulkarni, R.V. (2001). Data mining techniques: a source for consumer behavior analysis. Retrieved November 13, 2014 from: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1109.1202.pdf Web data mining. (2013). Predictive analytics and data mining. Retrieved November 13, 2014 from: http://www.web-datamining.net/analytics/   

Treasury Yield Curve Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Treasury Yield Curve - Coursework Example Inflation affects purchasing power of money and therefore has a major effect on interest rates. Therefore if inflation rate is expected to be 1% during the next year this is added to the risk free interest rate (say 3.5%) and so the Treasury bill rate will be: rT-bill = rRF = r* + IP = 3.5% + 1% = 4.5% The inflation rate is the main factor which determines the shape of the treasury yield curve. If the inflation rate is expected to increase, then the treasury yield curve will slope upwards; which is normal. On the other hand, if the inflation rate is expected to decrease, then this will cause the treasury yield curve to slope downwards. Another factor affecting the Treasury bill rate is interest rate risk. When interest rates rises the prices of treasury bonds decline sharply and since this is a regular occurrence all long term bonds including treasury bonds have an element of interest rate risk. A maturity risk premium (say 2.5%) is therefore added to the risk free rate resulting in the following formula for calculating the Treasury bill rate. rT-bill = rRF = r* + IP + MRP. = 3.5% + 1% + 2.5 = 7% This premium increases with the time to maturity. Therefore, the longer the period the higher maturity risk premium. ... This information tells me that interest rates are subject to various economic conditions that will cause it to rise or fall and that the trend does not have to be continuous as it would appear from the examples seen. This yield curve has a dip and a hump indicating that the interest rates on one year maturities are higher than interest rates on 5 year maturities. The interest rates on medium term maturities rises constantly between year 6 and year 20 and then falls resulting in interest rates on some long term maturities being much lower than the interest rates on some in the medium term. Part 2 Yield to Maturity The yield to maturity is the annualized discount rate that equates the future coupon and payments to the future coupon and principal payments to the initial proceeds received from the bond offering (Madura 2006, p157). Consider Wal-Mart bond which matures on July 2015 with coupon rate of 2.25% which is paid semi-annually. The value of a bond (Vb) is found using the following formula. Vb = 1000 = [$11.25/(1 + rd/2)1] + [$11.25/(1 + rd/2)2] + [$11.25/(1 + rd/2)3] + [$11.25/(1 + rd/2)4] + [$11.25/(1 + rd/2)5] + [$11.25/(1 + rd/2)6] + [$11.25/(1 + rd/2)7] + [$11.25/(1 + rd/2)8] + [$11.25/(1 + rd/2)9] + [$11.25/(1 + rd/2)10] + [$1,0001/(1 + rd/2)10] The PV table can be used to find the figures for each of the ten six-monthly period: where $11.25 is the half yearly coupon rate. The time to maturity is five years and so Wal-Mart 2.25% Corporate Bond Time Periods Interest Payment Maturity Payment Total cash Flow PV Factor (1.125%) PV of Cash Flow    $ $ $    $'000 0       1000 1 1000 Par Value of Bond 1 11.25    11.25 0.9889 11.1251 2 11.25    11.25 0.9779 11.0014 3 11.25    11.25 0.967 10.8788 4 11.25    11.25

Journalism and Mass media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Journalism and Mass media - Essay Example Therefore, from the point of view of the Associate Professor, Carmen uses methodological reductionism that the sites assist only those who require them urgently while in others it is not the case. Alternatively, Piskorski found that the online dating industry has worth of $2billion made of more than 14, 000 businesses that use various methods and techniques of matching up potential partners. For instance, OKCupid, an online dating site with a membership of about 3 million permits its users to surf each other’s profiles (Nobel, 2012). Furthermore, there are algorithms and comprehensive quizzes that allow partners to have compatible matches. Similarly, in a study of about 500,000 members of OKCupid, Piskorski discovered that older, shorter and at times overweight people viewed more profiles compared to their younger counterparts. On that account, there are several methods, data and evidence used to support the claims made in the article. For instance, Carmen uses secondary methods of data collection such as reading books, similar journals and internet sites to prove the validity of the article. Similarly, there is the interview on the Associate Professor of Harvard Business School on his studies and findings concerning various online dating sites (Nobel, 2012). Therefore, the available data to prove the claims made by Carmen include several online sites such as Match.com, eHarmony, OKCupid and Facebook among others that aim at matching up potential partners. ... For instance, Carmen uses secondary methods of data collection such as reading books, similar journals and internet sites to prove the validity of the article. Similarly, there is the interview on the Associate Professor of Harvard Business School on his studies and findings concerning various online dating sites (Nobel, 2012). Therefore, the available data to prove the claims made by Carmen include several online sites such as Match.com, eHarmony, OKCupid and Facebook among others that aim at matching up potential partners. On the other hand, the available evidence is the study of 500, 000 members of OKCupid who view the profiles of each other without any problem. Therefore, these claims hold because the members interviewed participate actively and report their results. There is also the presentation made by Piskorski on his findings in a HBS seminar concerning the various online dating sites (Nobel, 2012). On the same context, there is also the presence of the online dating sites t hat participated in the survey to determine the benefits of online dating. However, there are also biases and other missing information in the article by Carmen Nobel. For example, there is no alternative research on offline dating for comparison purposes with online dating. In other words, there is ecological fallacy in terms of the available statistics to support the benefits of online dating for its members (Nobel, 2012). Additionally, the research by the Professor does not conduct a follow up if the potential partners meet and the superseding consequences. This constitutes to individual fallacy whereby the other groups are not part of the research. Furthermore, Piskorski fails to mention the names of his variables during the findings hence

Business Plan Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9000 words

Business Plan - Thesis Example This has lead to the growth of online business across the globe and was the major reason for choosing the online form of business as it relates to Ortiz. The products produced by Ortiz are also in demand as footwear market has showed a steady growth rate over the past years. Additionally, continual changes in consumer’s preference, footwear demands continue to evolve and increase at a rate comparable to that of the apparel market. Factories producing the product line of Ortiz are currently located in the country of Colombia. As such, Ortiz plans to export its product from Colombia to European markets and sell these products through online marketplace to the end consumer. The products of Ortiz are manufactured to specifically keep the needs and preference of its target market in mind. As such, this target demographic includes younger and middle aged fashion conscious men and women who place a premium on footwear that is both stylish, fashionable, and comfortable. Objectives: To become a market leader in the online market for fashionable shoes To develop a superior reputation by allowing the customer to experience a streamlined and painless online shopping experience. To gain a reputation of reliable delivery in UK market and also for high quality shoes and design To determine the success of the business plan feasibility study was conducted in the online business sector and footwear market. It has been revealed that there exists a huge potential in the online business sector and also in the footwear market as the demand has increased drastically as compared to previous years. The feasibility research took into consideration five key areas, product/service, industry, market, organizational, and financial sectors. Next the business plan analyzes the business model. Ortiz implemented the affiliate business model and aims to earn revenue by its â€Å"pay per click† facility. The core strategy has been defined and explained in Chapter 4 under the heading business model. Chapter 5 analyzes the present and future scenarios of Ortiz and how the business prepared to perform in the future as well as where it expects to stand within the next few years of its operation. It can be said that the business is expected to generate positive cash flow as well as increase its overall brand awareness and image. In the process of conducting business there exists wide possibility of risk to be encountered by the online business and hence the likely risks which Ortiz might encounter have been stated in the business plan along with the remedies and how to manage the risk. The business plan also included the critical success factor which the company should implement to its business and earns profit and achieves success. Budget and investment planned by Ortiz will be shown in detail where the budgets have been prepared for three years starting from 2012 to 2014. As such, by the projections of this analysis, Ortiz is expected to break even by next year - 2013. Thus it can be concluded that the business aims to provide its target customers with innovate and stylish footwear and create a brand value in the UK and Europe market. Contents Executive summary 2 Contents 4 Chapter 1 7 Introduction 7 Structure 9 Business Model and Source of Information 10 Assumptions 10 Timescale 10 Chapter 2 12 The business concept 12 Product/Service 13 Target market 14 Value Added 14 Specific Features 16 Opportunity 16 Marketing and

Compare with crime control theory vs due process Essay

Compare with crime control theory vs due process - Essay Example In contrast to this the crime control model has been designed to make sure that the criminal cases are dealt fast and disposed off as early as possible. Both these models are important to the system of criminal justice and they play a key role in identifying offences and also in the interpretation of the criminal justice system. During 1964, Herbert Packer who is a Law professor wrote an article which provided a good philosophy on criminal justice. â€Å"In particular, the work of Packer provoked civil libertarian concerns over the police deviation from due process protections in pursuit of the objectives embodied in the crime control model† (William, 2002, p.11). In the said article, the author has further proposed the criminal justice model and the due process model. His article is said to have influenced every person who works on the criminal justice system. While crime control deals with the suppression of crime, the due process is concerned with the safeguarding the rights of the innocent. However, both have the same goal of punishing the guilty and protecting the innocent. The major difference lies in the fact that models use different means and approaches. â€Å"The question therefore arises for every society as to where on the continuum between crime control and due process it wishes to anchor its criminal justice values, subject to the observation that the two models in reality represent different means to a broadly common goal –the detection and effective punishment of crime† (Bryett & Osbome, 2000, p. 14). When comparing the crime control and the due process, it can be seen that the proponents of both approaches uphold constitutional values. However, some people view the crime control model in a negative light because of the fact that it assumes the criminal who has been alleged of an offence, guilty even before he is brought

Celestial Seasonings Tea Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Celestial Seasonings Tea - Research Paper Example specialty tea market by exceeding consumer expectations with: The best tasting, 200% natural hot and iced teas, packaged with Celestial art and philosophy, creating the most valuable tea experience† (Stone 3). The values of beauty and truth are its viewpoint in order to produce the highest quality of specialty teas through the use of the botanical products. To ensure the financial stability of Celestial Seasonings, the company decided to merge with the Hain Food Group and become The Hain Celestial Group. The Hain is a market leader of natural food products and a successful distributor of organic foods and personal care products. The company has a market capitalization of $1.05 billion with total revenue of $917.34 million. The reported revenue for this year is lesser compared to the revenue of the previous years (â€Å"Income Statement†). However, the company’s operating income as well as the position of financial statements is performing well. Also, the stock price performance for this year under the ticker symbol HAIN is increasing with a closing rate of 24.48. Celestial Seasonings is having a â€Å"50-percent market share in the herbal tea segment and 32-percent of the total specialty tea category† (â€Å"The Hain†). The Hain Celestial Group competitors in share market are General Mills Inc., Kraft Foods Inc., Nestlà © and Processed & Packaged Goods (â€Å"Competitors†). In the field of herbal tea segment, its major competitors are Lipton Tea, Bigelow Tea, Luzianne Tea, Twinings and Tetley, and all of these companies are fighting over the tea sales in America. â€Å"The Hain Food Group to Merge with Tea-Maker Celestial Seasonings.† All Business. All Business.com, 13 Mar. 2000. Web. 4 Nov. 2010.

Ethical Issues in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Issues in Business - Essay Example Likewise, the working definition from the ISO 26000 Working Group on Social Responsibility (2007) was noted as: â€Å"Social responsibility (is the) responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment through transparent and ethical behaviour that is consistent with sustainable development and the welfare of society; takes into account the expectations of stakeholders; is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behaviour; and is integrated throughout the organization† (International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2007, p. 4). When apparently asked by the area’s food bank for donation of day-old products, it was noted that management declined making any donation for the reasons that it could be a precursor for potential lost revenues which could be due to possible fraud and stealing by employees who might say they are donating the food. These statements are indicative of management’s narrow perspectives that focus on negative insights and unsubstantiated claims. In no way is corporate social responsibility being exemplified and manifested by Company Q by opting to throw the food instead of having other community members benefit from their products. To improve on Company Q’s attitude toward social responsibility, the organization’s management team must be apprised that organizations that actively implement and practice corporate social responsibility (CSR) by integrating CSR activities within their policies and philosophies, were found to be more productive and financially successful (International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2007). As such, the following recommendations are suggested: (2) Address any perceived potential fraud or stealing through enforcing stricter control measures that could easily detect violations of trust and applying sanctions through the organization’s code of

What constitutes a crime Understanding the various Acts that Essay

What constitutes a crime Understanding the various Acts that Constitute a Crime with Examples - Essay Example There are certain acts that get categorized as criminal activity and one must acquire knowledge about what comes under the boundaries that are considered unlawful according to the law of the land. Knowledge about the acts that constitute a crime is necessary for not just criminologists but ordinary people too. An understanding about the source behind a criminal activity helps in eradicating any sort of upcoming harm generated through that act. It also refrain people from heading towards the wrong (and unlawful) path. This paper discusses the most significant acts that propel a criminal activity or a crime in detail along with helpful examples. Any illegal or unlawful act comes under the category of crime. Crime is the commission of an act or it may be named as the omission of an act, through which the law is violated and results in punishments by the authorities (Milhorn, 2005). Crime serves several functions; it is because of crimes that the societies set the boundaries related to m orality. There are three classified main types of crime that is conventional or ordinary, occupational and organizational. Conventional category includes the unlawful acts regarding violence such as assault, rape and murder, but mainly involves of property crimes for example theft, robbery and burglary. Usually people involved in such acts belong to the lower and blue collar classes. Whereas the occupational crimes comprise of acts which are entirely different like violation of laws named as white collar crime, performed by people of middle or upper social classes. The people may include business persons, government employee etc. Third category is the organizational crime, which is committed by organizations, industries, labor unions etc. (Yeager, 1980). In general, ordinary crimes can be further divided into two categories personal and property crimes. Personal crimes are violations against any other person which may include the crimes such as assault, battery, betrayal, false impr isonment, kidnapping, homicide crimes namely first and second degree, murders and involuntary manslaughters and vehicular homicides. The property crimes comprises of actions against properties such as larceny, arson, burglary, forgery, false pretenses and receipt of stolen goods etc. Above are some of the crimes which are equivalently affective both personally and property wise like robbery involves enforcement through physical force as well as theft of ownership. Organizational crimes are the white collar crimes that include embezzlement, bankruptcy fraud, mail and wire fraud, bribery, theft or trade secrets, etc. They are named as corporate crimes because the acts have impact on the state. Assault, is a crime by a person who has an anxiety of fulfilling a pending damaging or violent connection. An assault does not take place when merely words are used to threaten; rather it takes place when apprehension of harm, that is, use of certain action along with the threat is called an ass ault. For example, a man commits an assault when he sexually harasses a female either verbally or physically. Battery is said to be a type of common assault, which is the result of a volitional deed, which is an action executed to cause harm to another person. For example, if a person even throws a rock at someone with the cause of hurting him and the rock hits the person, then this will lead to battery. False imprisonment is a form of crime in which a person is confined against his will by

Impact of New Media on Modern elections - Literature Review Essay

Impact of New Media on Modern elections - Literature Review - Essay Example Online democracy is not limited to polls and elections online. ICT does invite new opportunities. There are three categories broadly in which Internet voting may be classified – poll websites, kiosks and remote voting system. External influence is very common in case of remote voting compared to the well-monitored election booths. The problem of access cannot be ignored and the ‘digital divide’ exists across race, ethnicity and gender. The authors have also stated through thorough research that casting votes over the Internet might hamper the secrecy of a voter. The case presented here is that of TruE-Vote which uses smart card techniques and cryptography to design and formulate user accommodative system of voting through the Internet. Care has been taken such that the system is secret and secured. Field experiments were conducted through focus groups at five different locations. Tools used apart from the e-voting system designed include questionnaires. Results sh ow that the participants and pollsters did not expect that turnout rate would be influenced by this method of voting. Therefore the argument usually given in favor of e-voting (regarding increased turnouts) is proven wrong and the real cause could be cost curtail and time saving. The researchers concluded that traditional voting should not be substituted as his might leave out a large section of the population and internet voting might be used alongside the traditional ballot system. Also, despite expectations that e voting might enhance the democratic element there has been no definite plan about how this might be done in reality. (Besselaar and Oostveen 2004) With the advent of Facebook, Orkut and YouTube, a wide range of polling activities are already taking place on these sites. These websites obviously have great potential to assist the political elections as well but regulations will be essential. Already huge number of polls is taking place through Facebook. (Facebook: Polls, 2010) It is

Elizabethan society Essay Example for Free

Elizabethan society Essay In early Elizabethan society, acting was not considered a mainstream professional while college drama and craft guilds alone were acceptable. During Shakespeare’s era, the English aristocrats were the patrons of theatrical forms of art. Since acting in theaters had not become professional and actors were often moving from place to another in search of opportunities, they were considered to be vagabonds. To prevent actors from being arrested, theater fans such as Lord Chamberlain brought actors under their protection in the 1560s. Hence, performances in the theater mainly catered to the tastes of the art-loving aristocrats in Elizabethan society. According to the theatrical world, â€Å"Shakespeare’s livelihood and the stunning artistic explosion in which he participated depended on pragmatic and architectural effort† (Merchant of Venice ix). Since his plays’ themes centered on existentialism, they were considered to be revolutionary during that period of time. Existentialism is a philosophy that believes that human existence is inexplicable and holds man responsible for his actions. This school of thought might have appealed to liberals in the Elizabethan society that did completely agree with the Church’s dogmatic view of life. Hence, Shakespeare’s plays mostly drifted around ideas of pragmatism and were often staged quite artistically. The amphitheaters built to showcase plays were very elegant and a testament to architectural excellence. Hamlet declares that he would kill Claudius to seek revenge for his father, when the ghost of his dead father appears before him and says that Claudius is the murder. He first delays avenging his father’s death as he convinces himself that he is seeking concrete proof to ensure that Claudius is the real murderer behind old Hamlet’s murder. Since Hamlet is never actually driven by a natural instinct to seek revenge, he is tormented by guilt for still not avenging the person responsible for his father’s death. When he gets a chance to kill Claudius during a prayer, Hamlet says â€Å"so a goes to heaven† and turns down the opportunity (act iii scene iii). Finally, he also tries to reason with himself whether the ghost was real or a figment of his imagination. Hamlet has intense love for his mother Gertrude, but feels scared and guilty of his feelings towards his mother since the society despises incestuous love. Hence, Hamlet hesitates to kill Claudius who is Gertrude’s newlywed husband and the only force preventing Hamlet from expressing his true feelings. This depicts Hamlet’s inner battles with his conscience, as he ponders whether to kill Claudius or not. The brash and immature traits of Hamlet suggest that he is no more than twenty years of age. Hamlet’s indication that he wants to go back to Wittenberg as a student and the fact that he was not considered for being crowned the new King after his father’s murder reiterate this assumption. However, at the end of the play, the gravedigger clown tells Hamlet that he has been there since the day young Hamlet was born. When Hamlet asks him how long the clown had been there, the gravedigger clown replies â€Å"I have been sexton here, man and boy, thirty years† (act v scene i). Hence, this suggests that Hamlet is thirty years old when he dies in the end. The four major characters killed at the end of the play are Laertes, Gertrude, Hamlet and Claudius. Laertes, Lord Polonius’s son and Ophelia’s brother, challenges Hamlet to fight a friendly sword duel. But, he is actually ordered by the King Claudius to kill Hamlet and Laertes accepts the job to please the King. Laertes yells â€Å"I am justly kill’d with my own treachery† when Hamlet kills him with his own poisoned-tipped sword (act v scene ii). This indicates that Laertes tries to seek false glory and finally ends up paying a price for it. Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude mistakenly drinks the poisoned wine meant for Hamlet and dies. Hamlet kills Claudius for being responsible for poisoning his mother. Claudius, owing to his greed for the throne and lust for Gertrude, had killed old Hamlet and was responsible for the tragic situation. Hamlet finally avenges the death of his father and is justified in killing Claudius since he is not driven by blind rage or intent to seek revenge. Hamlet also dies as Laertes before dying had wounded him with his poisoned sword. However, Hamlet’s role in the eventual tragic end cannot be denied. Hence, Gertrude is the least responsible for the tragic situation since she did not conspire to kill or trick anyone, but was merely a victim of Claudius’ evil plans. Fortinbras, the King of Norway, enters the tragic scene and recognizes Hamlet as an honorable man after hearing about his story. Hamlet, before dying tells Horatio that he wishs Fortinbras to be the new King of Denmark. Hamlet, even in his dying moments, is concerned about the future of his country and learns to embrace death. Hamlet, initially perceived to be unruly, matures as a person and advices Horatio not to take his own life in the end. Fortinbras orders his men to honor Hamlet by saying â€Å"let four captains bear Hamlet like a soldier† on a raised platform and pay all the respects given to a true soldier (act v scene ii). Fortinbras also speaks of Hamlet’s virtues and says that Hamlet had potential to a good ruler if he had been â€Å"put on† as the King. The phrase â€Å"put on† is meant to signify the ambiguity of human nature and that we all don on costumes to signify who are. Our habits are like the like costumes that we put on and shape us into we who want to be. Our choices are always susceptible to doubt, but we â€Å"put on† an aura of certainty while suppressing the internal conflicts that go on inside our minds and this reemphasizes the existential nature of Hamlet. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The Merchant of Venice. Ed. Braunmuller, A. R. Penguin Classics, 2000. ix-xii. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.

Enteral Feeding After Gastric Intestinal Resection

Enteral Feeding After Gastric Intestinal Resection Optimum nutrition has always been a major target of post: operative care. Ileus is a common phenomenon after abdominal surgery, therefore early oral feeding is avoided and nasogastric decompression is being used. Conventionally, post abdominal surgery, the passage of flatus, or bowel movement was the clinical evidence of starting an oral diet. The end of post operative ileus based to be taken by the passage of flatus usually occurred within 5 days. The many studies have proved that the routine use of a nasogastric tube after abdominal Surgery and colorectal surgery may not be necessary. studies were undertaken to evaluate /whether different abdominal surgeries could benefit from early feeding. Early feeding improves the outcome of the patients with trauma and Burns although few studies have examined its use after gastro intestinal anastomosis. In case of laparoscopic colectomy patients have been fed routinely on day 2 after operation and that is being safely tolerated by the majority of patients. There are many evidences which indicate that immediate feeding after operation is actually feasible and safe whether post laparoscopic or post laparotomy , including gastro intestinal surgery. It has been proved by many studies that early enteral feeding in surgical patients improves nutrition and immunity and ultimately reducing septic complications and over all morbidity when compared with parenteral nutrition. A study conducted that compared an early regular diet to conventional post operative dietary management to determine G1 complications and mortality after major G1 anastomosis. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and tolerability outcomes of early oral feeding after elective gastro intestinal anastomosis. Patients and Methods Between July 2006 and December 2009, after the study was approved by ethical review committee, patients were offered participation and informed consent taken. Patients with chronic liver disease or those with metastasis and patients with histories of acute obstruction, perforation and intra abdominal infection were excluded. Patients were subject to a thorough history, physical examination and investigations. The patients were then randomized into two groups. Randomization done using sealed envelopes. Group 1 (Early feeding); 30 patients were offered simply a liquid diet within 6 hours of arrival on the ward. If 1 liter was being tolerated they were free for free liquid on the second day and then regular diet on the third day. (Tolerance is being indicated by an absence of vomiting or abdominal distension). Group 2 (Regular feeding) 30 patients were managed conventionally (that is nothing by mouth until the resolution of ileus, then a fluid diet, followed by regular diet. All patients underwent general anesthesia no nasogastric tube was inserted in any patients during surgery in patients in group 1 and a nasogastric tube was inserted in all patients during surgery and continued till the resolution of ileus in group 2. The patients were monitored for vomiting, abdominal distension length of ileus, tolerance of regular diet, length of hospitalization and complications. If there were two episodes of vomiting in the absence of bowel sounds or passage of flatus in the absence of any bowel movement, insertion of nasogastric tube was implemented.Also those who suffered from abdominal distension, emesis and succussion splash of stomach were diagnosed with acute dilatation of stomach, subjected to G I decompression. If there was anastomosis failure, treatment ensued such as antibiotics, nutritional support, ileostomy or colostomy. Patients with normal post operative course were discharged when they could tolerate a regular diet. Demographics were age and sex, medical and surgical histories of the patients and indications for anastomosis were noted. Different patients had different types of anastomosis were randomly allocated to group 1 irrespective of anastomotic type to eliminate bias. Table 1. Indications group 1 group 2 Tuberculous 5 5 Stricture at Ileum Closure of 20 20 Ileostomy Colorectal surgery 5 5 The main outcome was to evaluate post operative complications that included wound infection, leakage of anastomosis, obstruction, mesenteric emboli, upper G1 bleeding, wound dehiscence, prolonged ileus, and mortality. Ileus was defined as hypoactive bowel sounds, abdominal distension and no passage of flatus or bowel movement with or without nausea or vomiting after the first post operative day 3. Statistical analysis of data done by SPSS version 10. For continuous variables, descriptive statistics were calculated and were reported as mean +SD. Categorical variables were described using frequency distribution. The student T-test for paired samples was used to detect difference in the mean of continuous variables and the chi-square test was used in cases with low expected frequencies (a P value

Risks And Benefits Of International Trade Economics Essay

Risks And Benefits Of International Trade Economics Essay Political environment, which is more important especially large international business, requires high investment. More consumers sought after more goods, more service and besides last pay back time. The political systems have two types namely; democracy and totalitarianism. Economic environment, which is required in home country, host country and world economics, are supporting or objection for international business and relation to suppliers. Economic growth affects on politics social and lows, the found political system and situation politics in country, and the world has direct affects on economic and business. Social and culture are foundation of living and work for humans, they has an impact on characteristic to work and every day life. For lows, it is convention for country activities including economic activities and business. Therefore economics, political, social and lows are closely bound in terms of relationship. Technology environment refers to new knowledge factor in the world such as sciences or engineering and including strategic management because marketing competition enforce each country to invent new knowledge or know-how benefit for its own business development. Each country that has new knowledge must create new products; have low capital and high efficiency in order to keep pace with the international competitors and to respond the customers needs in the international market. When the country enters into international business, they must encounter risks in international business, which can be listed as four categories as following; Country risk is associated with intervening of the government, protectionism, trading and investing barriers, social disturbance and instability of politics, economic malfunction and unorganised, unsatisfied of foreign companies in legal sanction, bureaucry, managerial postponements and bribery, and deficient legal acts for trespassing property rights. Commercial risk is correlated to inability of partner, management failures, timing factor, competitive intensity and poser execution of strategy. Currency (Financial) risk is related to currency exposure, asset valuation, foreign taxation, inflationary and transfer pricing. Cross-cultural risk is consisted of cultural differences, negotiation strategies and ethics. The four types of international business risks are omnipresent; the firm may encounter them continuously. When these risks cannot be simply avoided, they can be efficiently anticipated and managed by preparing to confront the risks mentioned above. The important two types of focal firms in international business: the multinational enterprise (MNE); and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME). The multinational enterprise refers to a huge company, which possesses plentiful assets, manages numbers of business activities by communicating through a network of subsidiary companies settled worldwide. While MNEs are among the leading participants, international business is not the domain of large, resourceful firms alone. Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are participated in the business as well. Overall this step to international business, it is significant to study international business to every parts, such as global economic and interconnectedness, contributor to national economic well-being, a competitive advantage for the company to sustain a competitive advantage in the necessary skills, knowledge, competence and etc. According to Dr. B. Warner, the determinants of national competitive advantage can be divided into four determinants namely, the factor conditions; demand conditions; related supporting industries; and structure of firms and rivalry. The factor conditions are used in various ways by means of upholding the economic competitiveness among business and country. In order to advance the employees ability in working with efficiency and handling the higher-tech goods, the employees are trained and educated according to their factor conditions. Another way to use the factor conditions as a determinant of national competitive advantage is that the business must provide more funds in researching or buying the high-tech discoveries and other improved efficient appliances that may facilitate better products and services in order to compete with opponents (Warner). Secondly, the demand conditions is a significant determinant of national competitive advantage, for it assists in upholding the maintenance of economic effectiveness and it empowers the business to possess the well-built local market, which eventually pave the company better way in advancing the goods and services quality for the international market. Warner suggest an example to illustrate this point that French customers give the reasonable feedbacks to the local wine makers in order to help them improving their wine-making for selling world-wide. Furthermore, Warner remarks that related and supporting industries are important because of its benefits in providing low-cost inputs and offering information concerning on the industry environmental issues and changes that support MNEs. To illustrate this point, it is noteworthy to look upon example given by Warner Italian tiles companies are informed continuously by their suppliers who notify them about any technological changes, the inputs and developments of factors in the industry. Besides the determinants mentioned above, the firm strategy is remarkable determinants for those companies that eager to maintain the economic competitiveness. The firm strategy smoothes the progress of a company catching up the competitors game, then the company knows how to fight and how to activate marketing plan. Making the decisions with well-organized firm strategy enable the company to empower its economical reliable. Take company competitiveness in the German chemical industry as an example. A particular simple structure may complete a firms requirement, whereas the same simple structure may fail to answer another firms needs, which concerns on the complexity of particular design. As for the German firms, for instance, they are hierarchically organized to make them appropriate for personnels needs. In addition, the rivalry of firm should not been overlooked because of its important in uplifting the firms to take as much chance in sharpening their skills and eventually turning out to be even more challenging to compete among the international business. Japanese car manufacturers are the case that Warner provides in his article. The Japanese car manufactures increasingly develop its economic competitiveness among the international businesses and happen to be the unignorable competitor, because their economical development progressively rises upon those car manufacturers in the U.S. and in Europe. In conclusion, it is remarkable for those companies who are able to take the challenge in encountering the international business risks. As mentioned above, the four determinants are both significant and correlated. Moreover, these determinants have particular impacts on others determinants and vice versa. In short, the firms rivalry is affected by the demand conditions, and the number and type of related and supporting industries are impacted by the factor conditions. References: Cavusgil, T. Knight, G. and Riesenberger, J.(2007) International Business: Strategy, Management and the New Realities. New Jersey: Pearson prentice hill. Katsioloudes, Marios I. and Hadjidakis, Spyros. International Business: A Global Perspective. Oxford: Elsevier, 2007. Kuntonbute, C. Assoc. Prof., Ph.D. (2006) International Business Administration. (3th edition), Chulalongkorn University Bangkok Press, Chulalongkorn Publishing. Hill, C. International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace. (international Edition), New York, NY: McGRAW-HILL, 2007. Warner, B., Ph.D. International Business and Policy: Seminar Two.

Tough Guy Case Study: Managing Organizational Conflict Essay -- Tough

Introduction: The Tough guy case study focuses on Chip Mazey, a newly appointed Vice President of the Hudson Smith Gordon. Though many of the employees that worked with Chip Mazey had a problem with his attitude around the workplace, none was bold enough to confront him. The employees faced many challenges as none of them has the power to change. They all considered it â€Å"tricky business†. The employees were hesitant to report Mazey’s attitude mainly because they thought he would deny the allegations or reporting it to the seniors would result in a tense situation within the workplace. As such, they all chose to bear with his sharp, unprovoked, and unrelenting lashings. Defining the Problem: Chip Mazey, man who has been with the organization, has done wonders to the organization with his sheer intelligence and working style, known to have shown productive results. Yet he also had bagged the ill reputation of being a ruthless and reprove in nature. Mazey though has been part of the organization for a longtime, developed poor interpersonal and managerial skills. Hardly appreciates of their work, never gave credit or appreciated for good work and also had disgusting behavior of selling other’s ideas as his. His mantra for controlling and influencing his subordinates was to put them under pressure and float fear among them. Almost every employee have a disconcerting experiences with VP. In fact Mazey doesn’t share all the details that are required to complete the task, created panic in the minds of the employees by showcasing the meetings which were not planned and used to assign the tasks which were no necessity. He constantly took means of threatening, demand ing, intimidating which clearly shows that he was dominant in nature and... ...ngo. Manuel Mendonca. Ethical Dimensions of Leadership. ISBM 0-8039-5787-4. SAGE Publications, India. Lussier, R.N., & Achua, C.F., (2010). Leadership, Theory, Application, & Skill Development. (4th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Allen Nan, S. (2008). Conflict resolution in a network society. International Negotiation, 13(1), 111-131. doi:10.1163/138234008X297995 Brubaker, D., & Verdonk, T. (1999). Conflict transformation training in another culture: A case study from Angola. Mediation Quarterly, 16(3), 303-319. Tost, L., Gino, F., & Larrick, R.P (2013). When power makes others speechless: The negative Impact of Leader power on team performance. Academy Of Management Journal, 56(5), 1465-1486. doi:10.5465/amj.2011.0180 Yemen, G., Clawson, J., & Bigelow, E.T. (2007). Tough Guy. University of Virginia, Darden Business Publishing.

Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

Beowulf   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the dawn of time, the forces of evil have always tried to gain an upper hand over the forces of good. The battles between these two forces have transcended time in both different forms and in different places. Every culture since the birth of man has background stories of creation and the battles that are waged between the two forces of light and dark. Leaving in the aftermath, stories and legends that are passed down from generation to generation through the vast cultures and civilizations. Beginning with the use of oral traditions that took these stories and the use of spoken word to both inform and entertain the people of a given society. These tales also had another purpose, which was to remind the people of the evils that were around them. Lurking in the shadows, waiting to claim another victim in the war of good and evil. Such stories fed on the fears of the people and the uncertainty of the world around them. Although the stories themselves may differ considerably from region to region, the basic underlying theme has always been identical. With the coming into being of written word, these stories could now be put down for people to read and serve as a reminder of their folklore. Not only to them, but to future people who come to read these documents. We have been lucky in the fact that over the last few hundred years, we have recovered many works from all over the world, dating back through years that had been long forgotten to many of us. In a great many of these works we have come into contact with many tales of heroism and the fight between good and evil. Just as the heroism in these stories may take on different faces, so does the evil present itself in many different guises. This brings us to one work in specific, Beowulf, one of the earliest Old English poems that we have today. It is the embodiment of the struggle between good and evil. The poem begins with the funeral of Scyld, the mythical founder of the Danish Royal House. One of his descendants builds a great hall called Heorot, and it is here that the people gather to rejoice and sing the praises of G-d. This singing angers a vile fiend named Grendel, that inhabits the nearby bog. The poet describes Grendel in this way:

Application of Nanotechnology in Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases: Cancer

RESEARCH PROPOSAL APPLICATION OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES – CANCER. BY OLOWOKERE JOHN 1. 0 Introduction Nanotechnology is the study, design, creation, synthesis, manipulation, and application of materials, devices, and systems at the nanometer scale (One meter consists of 1 billion nanometers). It is becoming increasingly important in fields like engineering, agriculture, construction, microelectronics and health care to mention a few. The application of nanotechnology in the field of health care has come under great attention in recent times.There are many treatments today that take a lot of time and are also very expensive. Using nanotechnology, quicker and much cheaper treatments can be developed. By performing further research on this technology, cures can be found for diseases that have no cure today. We could make surgical instruments of such precision and deftness that they could operate on the cells and even molecules from which we are made – something well beyond today's medical technology. Therefore nanotechnology can help save the lives of many people. Mohd & Jeffery, 2007). The specific purpose of this report is to explain the application of nanotechnology to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer in the field of medicine. Applications such as drug delivery system, tissue reconstruction and disease diagnosis and treatment shall be discussed. This report will be of particular interest and help to researchers in the genetic engineering and biotechnology department of the federal university of technology Minna, and other research institutions. 1. 1 Problem StatementThe specific purpose of this report is to delve into the application of nanotechnology to diagnose and treat diseases in the field of medicine using our own indigenous technology. Applications such as drug delivery system, tissue reconstruction and disease diagnosis and treatment shall be discussed as it relates to cancer. 1. 2. Just ification of the Study With the raging scourge of cancer in the world today, nanotechnology provides the field of medicine with promising hope for assistance in its diagnosis and treatment as well as improving the general quality of life.Humans have the potential to live healthier lives in the near future due to the innovations of nanotechnology. Some of these innovations include: Disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease, better drug delivery system with minimal side effects and tissue reconstruction. 1. 3. Objective of the Study This research work is designed to achieve the following objectives: ? Design and production of nano-tech devices and equipment for the diagnosis of diseases such as cancer. ?To develop a model that predicts the method involve in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases such as cancer. Design of nanoparticles for nano-tech applications such as tissue reconstruction. ?To determine the method that will best optimize the drug delivery s ystem with minimal side effects. 1. 4. Scope and Limitation of the Study The scope of this research work shall be limited to the application of nanotechnology in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer as highlighted in the problem statement of this research work. 2. 0 LITERATURE REVIEW The word â€Å"nano† is derived from the Greek â€Å"nanos†, directly translating to English as â€Å"dwarf†.From the very literal meaning of the word, therefore, it is inferred that the science is operated on a miniature scale. When working at a nanoscale, the prefix â€Å"nano† is used as an SI unit to denote any value multiplied by 10-9, meaning that a nanosecond is roughly a billionth of a second and a nanometre equates to a billionth of a metre. Ten hydrogen atoms lined up side by side would equate to a length of 1nm; in fact, most atoms are a miniscule 0. 1-0. 2nm wide. Due to the fact that work on a cellular level is done primarily at a nanoscale, it is th erefore unsurprising that nanotechnology has paved the way for a vast quantity of iological development, and a great majority of the findings encountered have led to cutting edge breakthroughs in this area (Harry, 2005). Nanotechnology offers various exciting prospects to every aspect of life. From dietary supplements to clothing, nanotechnology is evolving rapidly all around us. It offers numerous possibilities, especially in the medical sector of nanoscience (nanomedicine). Nanomedicine can be defined as â€Å"the design and manipulation of nanoparticles, particularly as applied to the medical diagnosis and treatment of disease. Examples of recent nanomedical developments include; the use of nanoparticles with antibacterial properties in hospital equipment and the development of magnetic nanoparticles being used to target disease, reducing the necessity of surgery and the associated risks. A further innovation in nanomedicine has been manufacturing drugs as nanoparticles as they are thought to be absorbed more easily into the body because of their size. It could offer easier methods of locating and targeting specific cells on a „nano? size level, on an atomic scale, and delivering drugs to these cells.This is good because often very powerful drugs are needed to kill mutated cells such as tumour cells, and these drugs would be hazardous if they came into contact with normal functioning cells (Mohd & Jeffery, 2007). 2. 1 Nanotechnology preventive approach In general, the best way to eliminate a problem is to eliminate the cause. In cancer, the problem can be perceived differently at various stages of the disease. Most apparently, if genetic mutations are the underlying cause, then we must counteract the causes of the mutations.Unfortunately, genetic mutations are caused by artificial or natural carcinogens only some of the time. At other times, they may occur spontaneously during DNA replication and cell division. With present science and technology the re is very little we can do to prevent this from happening. However, in all other cases, eliminating the carcinogens is indeed a highly effective way of cancer prevention. But most patients do not recognise the problem until it has actually occurred, which makes preventive medicine a rarely utilised, although a highly effective form of cancer prevention.Even so, is there a way to eliminate cancer through nanotechnology before it starts? Although there is little current research on preventive treatments using nanotechnology, they are indeed possible. After a careful review of the most advanced disease-time nanoscale treatment methods, one can easily see why the proposed nanotechnology alternatives to current preventive treatments have so strongly attracted the attention of the scientific and medical communities in recent years. In fact, nanotechnology-based treatments are no more challenging to devise than the currently used disease-time treatment methods.Nonetheless, it requires tim e and monetary investments to develop such treatment methods in short time. (Greider and Blackburn, 1996). 2. 2 Method of Disease Diagnosis using nanotechnology 1. Diagnosis and Imaging: Nanobiotech scientists have successfully produced microchips that are coated with human molecules. The chip is designed to emit an electrical impulse signal when the molecules detect signs of a disease. Special sensor nanobots can be inserted into the blood under the skin where they check blood contents and warn of any possible diseases.They can also be used to monitor the sugar level in the blood. Advantages of using such nanobots are that they are very cheap to produce and easily portable. (Harry, 2005) 2. Quantum dots: Quantum dots are nanomaterials that glow very brightly when illuminated by ultraviolet light. They can be coated with a material that makes the dots attach specifically to the molecule they want to track. Quantum dots bind themselves to proteins unique to cancer cells, literally br inging tumors to light. (Weiss, 2005). 2. 3 Application of Nanotech in Drug Delivery SystemNanobots are robots that carry out a very specific function and are just several nanometers wide. They can be used very effectively for drug delivery. Normally, drugs work through the entire body before they reach the disease-affected area. Using nanotechnology, the drug can be targeted to a precise location which would make the drug much more effective and reduce the chances of possible side-effects (Perkel, 2004). The drug carriers have walls that are just 5-10 atoms thick and the inner drug-filled cell is usually 50-100 nanometers wide. When they detect signs of the disease, thin ires in their walls emit an electrical pulse which causes the walls to dissolve and the drug to be released. Aston Vicki, manager of BioSante Pharmaceuticals, says â€Å"Putting drugs into nanostructures increases the solubility quite substantially†. (Harry, 2005) 2. 4 Nanotechnology approaches for cancerous cell destruction Preventive treatments are not much good to those who have already developed the disease. And since these are the people who require the most immediate medical help, it is no wonder that a majority of innovative treatments are focused here.Again, there are several ways to view the problem. The traditional approach is to simply eliminate the causing agents, or the cells that make up the tumour and end their pararcine signalling effect. This method actually dates back to the mid-17th century, when John Hunter, a Scottish surgeon first suggested the surgical removal of the tumour (Denmeade and Isaacs, 2002). Of course, we have made great progress in the last 350 years, but the idea remains the same. If we see the cancerous cells of the tumour as the causing agents of the disease, then the obvious strategy is to remove or to destroy them.The most significant recent breakthroughs have been made in this area. A relatively long-standing strategy dating back to the 1950s is to flood the body with substances that are especially toxic to tumour cells. Unfortunately, tumour cells are not dissimilar enough from healthy cells to distinguish one from the other using such large-scale techniques. A drug that is especially toxic to tumour cells is usually also toxic to healthy cells, and simply flooding the entire body with it causes system-wide damage and serious side effects.Almost everyone has heard of or seen chemotherapy patients who have lost their hair, lost significant weight, or developed other serious disorders (Silva, 2004). 2. 5 Physics and Engineering Concepts in Cancer Treatment Aside from destroying cells directly, we can take a more elegant approach to tumour elimination. Massand energy balance are well understood and are widely used in all types of science and engineering. Furthermore, these concepts are quite general, and can be applied to other fields as well, such as medicine.The general principles of mass balance, energy conservation and e ntropy production are applicable to bio systems as well as industrial processes. Thus, we can define the malignant tumour as our bio system and proceed to investigate the mass, energy and entropy inputs, outputs and accumulations. (Mansoori et al. , 2007). Since our ultimate goal is to destroy the tumour, we realise that this can be achieved by limiting or eliminating the inputs of the needed nutrients and the useful energy that are vital to its growth and survival.Likewise, we can limit the outputs, which are necessary for the tumour cells to get rid of toxic waste products that are left over from the multitude of biochemical reactions continuously taking place. Furthermore, basic anatomy and biology tell us that cells within the human body get a vast majority of their nutrients and energy from the bloodstream, and likewise use the bloodstream to eliminate the toxins. Cells that are cut off from circulation quickly undergo necrosis and are effectively eliminated. Therefore, our goa l is to separate the tumour from the circulation in order to kill it.Numerous studies have explored the possibility of isolating cancer tumours from the bloodstream. (Reynolds et al. , 2003). 2. 6 Tissue Reconstruction Nanoparticles can be designed with a structure very similar to the bone structure. An ultrasound is performed on existing bone structures and then bone-like nanoparticles are created using the results of the ultrasound, the bone-like nanoparticles are inserted into the body in a paste form. When they arrive at the fractured bone, they assemble themselves to form an ordered structure which later becomes part of the bone (Adhikari, 2005). 3. 0 MethodologyThis research work shall use the following methods or approaches to achieve its aim and objectives: †¢Top – down technique: The top – down technique begins with taking a macroscopic material (the finished product) and then incorporating smaller scale details into them. The molecules are rearranged to get the desired property. This approach is still under immense research as many of the devices used to operate at nanolevel are still being developed. †¢Bottom – up approach: The bottom – up approach begins by designing and synthesizing custom made molecules that have the ability to self- replicate.These molecules are then organized into higher macro-scale structures. The molecules self replicate upon the change in specific physical or chemical property that triggers the self replication. This can be a change in temperature, pressure, application of electricity or a chemical. The self replication of molecule has to be carefully controlled so it does not go out of hand. 4. 0 Expected Contribution of the Work to Knowledge Though, nanotechnology is still in its early stage, but it is of worthy note to know that it has began to gain application as it is already helping patients all over the world today.As further research continues in this field, more treatments will be discovered. Many diseases that do not have cures today may be cured by nanotechnology in the future. As part of contribution to knowledge, the result that shall be established in this research work may be useful in the development of indigenous methods and model on the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer. 5. 0 Conclusion Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer have always been a formidable medical challenge. In fact, cancer has long been considered an incurable disease and it is grouped with Hepatitis C and AIDS.Throughout the bulk of human history, cancer tended to be fatal in those who were unfortunate to develop it. Cancer will continue to be a big problem since it is a disease related mostly to age. As our population average age increases due to medical advances, cancer will be a major disease of the aging. At the end of this research work, we may have been able to develop and design a model that will effectively be used to diagnose the disease of cacer, proff er measures and techniques on how it can be prevented and treated.Also, the principle surrounding the mechanism of how a better drug delivery system with minimal side effects concerning the cure of cancer must have been fully explored. All these will be tried and tested using our own indigenous nanotechnology in the area of genetic engineering which promises a brighter future in the field of medicine leading to the actualization of the objective of this research work. REFERENCES Greider, C. W. and Blackburn, E. H. (1996). ‘Telomeres, telomerase and cancer’, Scientific American, Vol. 274, pp. 80–85. Mohd A. K and Jeffery J. (2007). Nanotechnology: Application in medicine and possible side effects.Denmeade, S. R. and Isaacs, J. T. (2002). ‘A history of prostate cancer treatment’, Nature Rev. Cancer, Vol. 2, pp. 389–396. Reynolds, A. R. , Moghimi, S. M. and Hodivala-Dilke, K. (2003) ‘Nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery to tumor neovasculatu re’, Trends in Molecular Medicine, Vol. 9, No. 11, pp. 2–4. Mansoori, G. A; Pirooz, M; Percival, M; Siavash, J. (2007). Nanotechnology in Cancer Prevention, Detection and Treatment: World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, Vol 4. Adhikari, R. (2005). â€Å"Nanobiotechnology: Will It Deliver? † Healthcare Purchasing News. pg 1-3.

U.S. Gaap vs. Ifrs

Thao Vu Accounting 303 October 9, 2012 US GAAP vs. IFRS The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) developed the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) has been used in US corporations for over 75 years. It allows financial statements from all corporations to be compared accurately and efficiently, and serves as a guideline for accountants. GAAP is slowly being taken out for the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as global business goes across the world. GAAP applies only to United States financial reporting. GAAP and the international rules have close similarity.The differences can lead a financial statement user to believe incorrectly that a company A made more money than company B because they report using different rules. The difference between GAAP and IFRS is the means of inventory valuation. In this case, GAAP permits accountants to use Last-in First-out, First-in First-out, and weighted average. Under IFRS, LIFO is not allowed. If U nited States corporations are forced to switch to LIFO under a universal accounting standard, they will have large increases in income tax. The use of LIFO allows them to avoid larger income taxes in times of inflation.Another example of the different procedures between IFRS and GAAP is in the evaluation of intangibles. GAAP focuses mostly on recording them at a set price, and amortizing that value over the amount of useful life of the intangible. IFRS stresses constant re-evaluation of the price, and recognition at the intangible's fair value (Miska). One of the greatest benefits of adopting IFRS is the fact that the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) would be working together to develop the best, most effective accounting principles.Converting to an accounting standard that is less rule-based, and more principle oriented would definitely save American businesses trouble as well. IFRS authorize three basic accounting models: I. Current Cost Accounting, under Physical Capital Maintenance at all levels of inflation and deflation under the Historical Cost paradigm as well as the Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing Power paradigm. II. Financial capital maintenance in nominal monetary units, i. e. globally implemented Historical cost accounting during low inflation and deflation only under the traditional Historical Cost paradigm III. Financial capital maintenance in units of constant purchasing power, i. e. , Constant Item Purchasing Power Accounting – CIPPA – in terms of a Daily Consumer Price Index or daily rate at all levels of inflation and deflation under the Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing Power paradigm and Constant Purchasing Power Accounting – CPPA – during hyperinflation under the Historical Cost paradigm. What are the advantages of IFRS?First, it allows a company to compare itself to competitors overseas, because they will all be us ing the same financial language (IFRS FAQs). Second, a company that has offices all around the world will be able to use one set of standards rather than many different sets unique to each country. Third, it may make it easier for companies to grow globally because the accounting methods will be the same everywhere and time won’t need to be spent learning new rules. The projects listed below are a move toward achieving a common accounting framework, a step in the globalization of business and investment. Financial instruments * Revenue recognition * Leases * Statement of comprehensive income * Fair value measurement * Derecognition * Consolidations * Post-employment benefits| * Balance sheet – Netting * Financial statement presentation * Discontinued operations * Financial instruments with characteristics of equity * Insurance contracts * Emissions trading schemes| Currently, the first three projects (in bold) are priority projects – due to the existing divergen ce of US GAAP and IFRS and the need for improvements in the standards they replace.In conclusion, going from GAAP to IFRS will take time, money, training, and patience, but it will be well worth it in the long run for the United States and international businesses. Globalization of business is growing and students and professionals need to become aware of what the IFRS will mean in their careers. As of 2011, IFRS will be eligible for testing in the CPA exam; so, it is important for students to understand the implications of the newest set of global standards (IFRS FAQs).In a profession that needs a lifetime commitment to learning, IFRS is not different than Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and GAAP before it; it is one more academic step for accountants to overcome and master during their professional career. Sources â€Å"IFRS FAQs. † IFRS. com. 2011. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. Imhof, Rori. Accounting Standards Go Global. Articlebase. com. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. Kaiser, James G. â€Å"US GAAP ; IF RS Convergence. † PWC. com. Web. August 2012. Miska, Kevin. US GAAP vs. IFRS. Articlebase. com. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. U.S. Gaap vs. Ifrs Thao Vu Accounting 303 October 9, 2012 US GAAP vs. IFRS The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) developed the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) has been used in US corporations for over 75 years. It allows financial statements from all corporations to be compared accurately and efficiently, and serves as a guideline for accountants. GAAP is slowly being taken out for the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as global business goes across the world. GAAP applies only to United States financial reporting. GAAP and the international rules have close similarity.The differences can lead a financial statement user to believe incorrectly that a company A made more money than company B because they report using different rules. The difference between GAAP and IFRS is the means of inventory valuation. In this case, GAAP permits accountants to use Last-in First-out, First-in First-out, and weighted average. Under IFRS, LIFO is not allowed. If U nited States corporations are forced to switch to LIFO under a universal accounting standard, they will have large increases in income tax. The use of LIFO allows them to avoid larger income taxes in times of inflation.Another example of the different procedures between IFRS and GAAP is in the evaluation of intangibles. GAAP focuses mostly on recording them at a set price, and amortizing that value over the amount of useful life of the intangible. IFRS stresses constant re-evaluation of the price, and recognition at the intangible's fair value (Miska). One of the greatest benefits of adopting IFRS is the fact that the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) would be working together to develop the best, most effective accounting principles.Converting to an accounting standard that is less rule-based, and more principle oriented would definitely save American businesses trouble as well. IFRS authorize three basic accounting models: I. Current Cost Accounting, under Physical Capital Maintenance at all levels of inflation and deflation under the Historical Cost paradigm as well as the Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing Power paradigm. II. Financial capital maintenance in nominal monetary units, i. e. globally implemented Historical cost accounting during low inflation and deflation only under the traditional Historical Cost paradigm III. Financial capital maintenance in units of constant purchasing power, i. e. , Constant Item Purchasing Power Accounting – CIPPA – in terms of a Daily Consumer Price Index or daily rate at all levels of inflation and deflation under the Capital Maintenance in Units of Constant Purchasing Power paradigm and Constant Purchasing Power Accounting – CPPA – during hyperinflation under the Historical Cost paradigm. What are the advantages of IFRS?First, it allows a company to compare itself to competitors overseas, because they will all be us ing the same financial language (IFRS FAQs). Second, a company that has offices all around the world will be able to use one set of standards rather than many different sets unique to each country. Third, it may make it easier for companies to grow globally because the accounting methods will be the same everywhere and time won’t need to be spent learning new rules. The projects listed below are a move toward achieving a common accounting framework, a step in the globalization of business and investment. Financial instruments * Revenue recognition * Leases * Statement of comprehensive income * Fair value measurement * Derecognition * Consolidations * Post-employment benefits| * Balance sheet – Netting * Financial statement presentation * Discontinued operations * Financial instruments with characteristics of equity * Insurance contracts * Emissions trading schemes| Currently, the first three projects (in bold) are priority projects – due to the existing divergen ce of US GAAP and IFRS and the need for improvements in the standards they replace.In conclusion, going from GAAP to IFRS will take time, money, training, and patience, but it will be well worth it in the long run for the United States and international businesses. Globalization of business is growing and students and professionals need to become aware of what the IFRS will mean in their careers. As of 2011, IFRS will be eligible for testing in the CPA exam; so, it is important for students to understand the implications of the newest set of global standards (IFRS FAQs).In a profession that needs a lifetime commitment to learning, IFRS is not different than Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and GAAP before it; it is one more academic step for accountants to overcome and master during their professional career. Sources â€Å"IFRS FAQs. † IFRS. com. 2011. Web. 09 Nov. 2011. Imhof, Rori. Accounting Standards Go Global. Articlebase. com. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. Kaiser, James G. â€Å"US GAAP ; IF RS Convergence. † PWC. com. Web. August 2012. Miska, Kevin. US GAAP vs. IFRS. Articlebase. com. Web. 20 Nov. 2010.

The Lost Symbol Chapter 24-25

CHAPTER 24 The revelation crashed over Langdon like a wave. I know why I am here. Standing in the center of the Rotunda, Langdon felt a powerful urge to turn and run away . . . from Peter's hand, from the shining gold ring, from the suspicious eyes of Sato and Anderson. Instead, he stood dead still, clinging more tightly to the leather daybag that hung on his shoulder. I've got to get out of here. His jaw clenched as his memory began replaying the scene from that cold morning, years ago in Cambridge. It was six A.M. and Langdon was entering his classroom as he always did following his ritual morning laps in the Harvard Pool. The familiar smells of chalk dust and steam heat greeted him as he crossed the threshold. He took two steps toward his desk but stopped short. A figure was waiting there for him–an elegant gentleman with an aquiline face and regal gray eyes. â€Å"Peter?† Langdon stared in shock. Peter Solomon's smile flashed white in the dimly lit room. â€Å"Good morning, Robert. Surprised to see me?† His voice was soft, and yet there was power there. Langdon hurried over and warmly shook his friend's hand. â€Å"What in the world is a Yale blue blood doing on the Crimson campus before dawn?† â€Å"Covert mission behind enemy lines,† Solomon said, laughing. He motioned to Langdon's trim waistline. â€Å"Laps are paying off. You're in good shape.† â€Å"Just trying to make you feel old,† Langdon said, toying with him. â€Å"It's great to see you, Peter. What's up?† â€Å"Short business trip,† the man replied, glancing around the deserted classroom. â€Å"I'm sorry to drop in on you like this, Robert, but I have only a few minutes. There's something I needed to ask you . . . in person. A favor.† That's a first. Langdon wondered what a simple college professor could possibly do for the man who had everything. â€Å"Anything at all,† he replied, pleased for any opportunity to do something for someone who had given him so much, especially when Peter's life of good fortune had also been marred by so much tragedy. Solomon lowered his voice. â€Å"I was hoping you would consider looking after something for me.† Langdon rolled his eyes. â€Å"Not Hercules, I hope.† Langdon had once agreed to take care of Solomon's hundred-fifty-pound mastiff, Hercules, during Solomon's travels. While at Langdon's home, the dog apparently had become homesick for his favorite leather chew toy and had located a worthy substitute in Langdon's study–an original vellum, hand-calligraphed, illuminated Bible from the 1600s. Somehow â€Å"bad dog† didn't quite seem adequate. â€Å"You know, I'm still searching for a replacement,† Solomon said, smiling sheepishly. â€Å"Forget it. I'm glad Hercules got a taste of religion.† Solomon chuckled but seemed distracted. â€Å"Robert, the reason I came to see you is I'd like you to keep an eye on something that is quite valuable to me. I inherited it a while back, but I'm no longer comfortable leaving it in my home or in my office.† Langdon immediately felt uncomfortable. Anything â€Å"quite valuable† in Peter Solomon's world had to be worth an absolute fortune. â€Å"How about a safe-deposit box?† Doesn't your family have stock in half the banks in America? â€Å"That would involve paperwork and bank employees; I'd prefer a trusted friend. And I know you can keep secrets.† Solomon reached in his pocket and pulled out a small package, handing it to Langdon. Considering the dramatic preamble, Langdon had expected something more impressive. The package was a small cube-shaped box, about three inches square, wrapped in faded brown packing paper and tied with twine. From the package's heavy weight and size, it felt like its contents must be rock or metal. This is it? Langdon turned the box in his hands, now noticing the twine had been carefully secured on one side with an embossed wax seal, like an ancient edict. The seal bore a double-headed phoenix with the number 33 emblazoned on its chest–the traditional symbol of the highest degree of Freemasonry. â€Å"Really, Peter,† Langdon said, a lopsided grin creeping across his face. â€Å"You're the Worshipful Master of a Masonic lodge, not the pope. Sealing packages with your ring?† Solomon glanced down at his gold ring and gave a chuckle. â€Å"I didn't seal this package, Robert. My great-grandfather did. Almost a century ago.† Langdon's head snapped up. â€Å"What?!† Solomon held up his ring finger. â€Å"This Masonic ring was his. After that, it was my grandfather's, then my father's . . . and eventually mine.† Langdon held up the package. â€Å"Your great-grandfather wrapped this a century ago and nobody has opened it?† â€Å"That's right.† â€Å"But . . . why not?† Solomon smiled. â€Å"Because it's not time.† Langdon stared. â€Å"Time for what?† â€Å"Robert, I know this will sound odd, but the less you know, the better. Just put this package somewhere safe, and please tell no one I gave it to you.† Langdon searched his mentor's eyes for a glint of playfulness. Solomon had a propensity for dramatics, and Langdon wondered if he wasn't being played a bit here. â€Å"Peter, are you sure this isn't just a clever ploy to make me think I've been entrusted with some kind of ancient Masonic secret so I'll be curious and decide to join?† â€Å"The Masons do not recruit, Robert, you know that. Besides, you've already told me you'd prefer not to join.† This was true. Langdon had great respect for Masonic philosophy and symbolism, and yet he had decided never to be initiated; the order's vows of secrecy would prevent him from discussing Freemasonry with his students. It had been for this same reason that Socrates had refused to formally participate in the Eleusinian Mysteries. As Langdon now regarded the mysterious little box and its Masonic seal, he could not help but ask the obvious question. â€Å"Why not entrust this to one of your Masonic brothers?† â€Å"Let's just say I have an instinct it would be safer stored outside the brotherhood. And please don't let the size of this package fool you. If what my father told me is correct, then it contains something of substantial power.† He paused. â€Å"A talisman, of sorts.† Did he say a talisman? By definition, a talisman was an object with magical powers. Traditionally, talismans were used for bringing luck, warding off evil spirits, or aiding in ancient rituals. â€Å"Peter, you do realize that talismans went out of vogue in the Middle Ages, right?† Peter laid a patient hand on Langdon's shoulder. â€Å"I know how this sounds, Robert. I've known you a long time, and your skepticism is one of your greatest strengths as an academic. It is also your greatest weakness. I know you well enough to know you're not a man I can ask to believe . . . only to trust. So now I am asking you to trust me when I tell you this talisman is powerful. I was told it can imbue its possessor with the ability to bring order from chaos.† Langdon could only stare. The idea of â€Å"order from chaos† was one of the great Masonic axioms. Ordo ab chao. Even so, the claim that a talisman could impart any power at all was absurd, much less the power to bring order from chaos. â€Å"This talisman,† Solomon continued, â€Å"would be dangerous in the wrong hands, and unfortunately, I have reason to believe powerful people want to steal it from me.† His eyes were as serious as Langdon could ever recall. â€Å"I would like you to keep it safe for me for a while. Can you do that?† That night, Langdon sat alone at his kitchen table with the package and tried to imagine what could possibly be inside. In the end, he simply chalked it up to Peter's eccentricity and locked the package in his library's wall safe, eventually forgetting all about it. That was . . . until this morning. The phone call from the man with the southern accent. â€Å"Oh, Professor, I almost forgot!† the assistant had said after giving Langdon the specifics of his travel arrangements to D.C. â€Å"There is one more thing Mr. Solomon requested.† â€Å"Yes?† Langdon replied, his mind already moving to the lecture he had just agreed to give. â€Å"Mr. Solomon left a note here for you.† The man began reading awkwardly, as if trying to decipher Peter's penmanship. â€Å"`Please ask Robert . . . to bring . . . the small, sealed package I gave him many years ago.' † The man paused. â€Å"Does this make any sense to you?† Langdon felt surprised as he recalled the small box that had been sitting in his wall safe all this time. â€Å"Actually, yes. I know what Peter means.† â€Å"And you can bring it?† â€Å"Of course. Tell Peter I'll bring it.† â€Å"Wonderful.† The assistant sounded relieved. â€Å"Enjoy your speech tonight. Safe travels.† Before leaving home, Langdon had dutifully retrieved the wrapped package from the back of his safe and placed it in his shoulder bag. Now he was standing in the U.S. Capitol, feeling certain of only one thing. Peter Solomon would be horrified to know how badly Langdon had failed him. CHAPTER 25 My God, Katherine was right. As usual. Trish Dunne stared in amazement at the search-spider results that were materializing on the plasma wall before her. She had doubted the search would turn up any results at all, but in fact, she now had over a dozen hits. And they were still coming in. One entry in particular looked quite promising. Trish turned and shouted in the direction of the library. â€Å"Katherine? I think you'll want to see this!† It had been a couple of years since Trish had run a search spider like this, and tonight's results astounded her. A few years ago, this search would have been a dead end. Now, however, it seemed that the quantity of searchable digital material in the world had exploded to the point where someone could find literally anything. Incredibly, one of the keywords was a word Trish had never even heard before . . . and the search even found that. Katherine rushed through the control-room door. â€Å"What have you got?† â€Å"A bunch of candidates.† Trish motioned to the plasma wall. â€Å"Every one of these documents contains all of your key phrases verbatim.† Katherine tucked her hair behind her ear and scanned the list. â€Å"Before you get too excited,† Trish added, â€Å"I can assure you that most of these documents are not what you're looking for. They're what we call black holes. Look at the file sizes. Absolutely enormous. They're things like compressed archives of millions of e-mails, giant unabridged encyclopedia sets, global message boards that have been running for years, and so forth. By virtue of their size and diverse content, these files contain so many potential keywords that they suck in any search engine that comes anywhere near them.† Katherine pointed to one of the entries near the top of the list. â€Å"How about that one?† Trish smiled. Katherine was a step ahead, having found the sole file on the list that had a small file size. â€Å"Good eyes. Yeah, that's really our only candidate so far. In fact, that file's so small it can't be more than a page or so.† â€Å"Open it.† Katherine's tone was intense. Trish could not imagine a one-page document containing all the strange search strings Katherine had provided. Nonetheless, when she clicked and opened the document, the key phrases were there . . . crystal clear and easy to spot in the text. Katherine strode over, eyes riveted to the plasma wall. â€Å"This document is . . . redacted?† Trish nodded. â€Å"Welcome to the world of digitized text.† Automatic redaction had become standard practice when offering digitized documents. Redaction was a process wherein a server allowed a user to search the entire text, but then revealed only a small portion of it–a teaser of sorts–only that text immediately flanking the requested keywords. By omitting the vast majority of the text, the server avoided copyright infringement and also sent the user an intriguing message: I have the information you're searching for, but if you want the rest of it, you'll have to buy it from me. â€Å"As you can see,† Trish said, scrolling through the heavily abridged page, â€Å"the document contains all of your key phrases.† Katherine stared up at the redaction in silence. Trish gave her a minute and then scrolled back to the top of the page. Each of Katherine's key phrases was underlined in capital letters and accompanied by a small sample of teaser text–the two words that appeared on either side of the requested phrase. Trish could not imagine what this document was referring to. And what the heck is a â€Å"symbolon†? Katherine stepped eagerly toward the screen. â€Å"Where did this document come from? Who wrote it?† Trish was already working on it. â€Å"Give me a second. I'm trying to chase down the source.† â€Å"I need to know who wrote this,† Katherine repeated, her voice intense. â€Å"I need to see the rest of it.† â€Å"I'm trying,† Trish said, startled by the edge in Katherine's tone. Strangely, the file's location was not displaying as a traditional Web address but rather as a numeric Internet Protocol address. â€Å"I can't unmask the IP,† Trish said. â€Å"The domain name's not coming up. Hold on.† She pulled up her terminal window. â€Å"I'll run a traceroute.† Trish typed the sequence of commands to ping all the â€Å"hops† between her control room's machine and whatever machine was storing this document. â€Å"Tracing now,† she said, executing the command. Traceroutes were extremely fast, and a long list of network devices appeared almost instantly on the plasma wall. Trish scanned down . . . down . . . through the path of routers and switches that connected her machine to . . . What the hell? Her trace had stopped before reaching the document's server. Her ping, for some reason, had hit a network device that swallowed it rather than bouncing it back. â€Å"It looks like my traceroute got blocked,† Trish said. Is that even possible? â€Å"Run it again.† Trish launched another traceroute and got the same result. â€Å"Nope. Dead end. It's like this document is on a server that is untraceable.† She looked at the last few hops before the dead end. â€Å"I can tell you, though, it's located somewhere in the D.C. area.† â€Å"You're kidding.† â€Å"Not surprising,† Trish said. â€Å"These spider programs spiral out geographically, meaning the first results are always local. Besides, one of your search strings was `Washington, D.C.' â€Å" â€Å"How about a `who is' search?† Katherine prompted. â€Å"Wouldn't that tell you who owns the domain?† A bit lowbrow, but not a bad idea. Trish navigated to the â€Å"who is† database and ran a search for the IP, hoping to match the cryptic numbers to an actual domain name. Her frustration was now tempered by rising curiosity. Who has this document? The â€Å"who is† results appeared quickly, showing no match, and Trish held up her hands in defeat. â€Å"It's like this IP address doesn't exist. I can't get any information about it at all.† â€Å"Obviously the IP exists. We've just searched a document that's stored there!† True. And yet whoever had this document apparently preferred not to share his or her identity. â€Å"I'm not sure what to tell you. Systems traces aren't really my thing, and unless you want to call in someone with hacking skills, I'm at a loss.† â€Å"Do you know someone?† Trish turned and stared at her boss. â€Å"Katherine, I was kidding. It's not exactly a great idea.† â€Å"But it is done?† She checked her watch. â€Å"Um, yeah . . . all the time. Technically it's pretty easy.† â€Å"Who do you know?† â€Å"Hackers?† Trish laughed nervously. â€Å"Like half the guys at my old job.† â€Å"Anyone you trust?† Is she serious? Trish could see Katherine was dead serious. â€Å"Well, yeah,† she said hurriedly. â€Å"I know this one guy we could call. He was our systems security specialist–serious computer geek. He wanted to date me, which kind of sucked, but he's a good guy, and I'd trust him. Also, he does freelance.† â€Å"Can he be discreet?† â€Å"He's a hacker. Of course he can be discreet. That's what he does. But I'm sure he'd want at least a thousand bucks to even look–â€Å" â€Å"Call him. Offer him double for fast results.† Trish was not sure what made her more uncomfortable–helping Katherine Solomon hire a hacker . . . or calling a guy who probably still found it impossible to believe a pudgy, redheaded metasystems analyst would rebuff his romantic advances. â€Å"You're sure about this?† â€Å"Use the phone in the library,† Katherine said. â€Å"It's got a blocked number. And obviously don't use my name.† â€Å"Right.† Trish headed for the door but paused when she heard Katherine's iPhone chirp. With luck, the incoming text message might be information that would grant Trish a reprieve from this distasteful task. She waited as Katherine fished the iPhone from her lab coat's pocket and eyed the screen. Katherine Solomon felt a wave of relief to see the name on her iPhone. At last. PETER SOLOMON â€Å"It's a text message from my brother,† she said, glancing over at Trish. Trish looked hopeful. â€Å"So maybe we should ask him about all this . . . before we call a hacker?† Katherine eyed the redacted document on the plasma wall and heard Dr. Abaddon's voice. That which your brother believes is hidden in D.C. . . . it can be found. Katherine had no idea what to believe anymore, and this document represented information about the far-fetched ideas with which Peter had apparently become obsessed. Katherine shook her head. â€Å"I want to know who wrote this and where it's located. Make the call.† Trish frowned and headed for the door. Whether or not this document would be able to explain the mystery of what her brother had told Dr. Abaddon, there was at least one mystery that had been solved today. Her brother had finally learned how to use the text-messaging feature on the iPhone Katherine had given him. â€Å"And alert the media,† Katherine called after Trish. â€Å"The great Peter Solomon just sent his first text message.† In a strip-mall parking lot across the street from the SMSC, Mal'akh stood beside his limo, stretching his legs and waiting for the phone call he knew would be coming. The rain had stopped, and a winter moon had started to break through the clouds. It was the same moon that had shone down on Mal'akh through the oculus of the House of the Temple three months ago during his initiation. The world looks different tonight. As he waited, his stomach growled again. His two-day fast, although uncomfortable, was critical to his preparation. Such were the ancient ways. Soon all physical discomforts would be inconsequential. As Mal'akh stood in the cold night air, he chuckled to see that fate had deposited him, rather ironically, directly in front of a tiny church. Here, nestled between Sterling Dental and a minimart, was a tiny sanctuary. LORD'S HOUSE OF GLORY. Mal'akh gazed at the window, which displayed part of the church's doctrinal statement: WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS BEGOTTEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY, AND IS BOTH TRUE MAN AND GOD. Mal'akh smiled. Yes, Jesus is indeed both–man and God–but a virgin birth is not the prerequisite for divinity. That is not how it happens. The ring of a cell phone cut the night air, quickening his pulse. The phone that was now ringing was Mal'akh's own–a cheap disposable phone he had purchased yesterday. The caller ID indicated it was the call he had been anticipating. A local call, Mal'akh mused, gazing out across Silver Hill Road toward the faint moonlit outline of a zigzag roofline over the treetops. Mal'akh flipped open his phone. â€Å"This is Dr. Abaddon,† he said, tuning his voice deeper. â€Å"It's Katherine,† the woman's voice said. â€Å"I finally heard from my brother.† â€Å"Oh, I'm relieved. How is he?† â€Å"He's on his way to my lab right now,† Katherine said. â€Å"In fact, he suggested you join us.† â€Å"I'm sorry?† Mal'akh feigned hesitation. â€Å"In your . . . lab?† â€Å"He must trust you deeply. He never invites anyone back there.† â€Å"I suppose maybe he thinks a visit might help our discussions, but I feel like it's an intrusion.† â€Å"If my brother says you're welcome, then you're welcome. Besides, he said he has a lot to tell us both, and I'd love to get to the bottom of what's going on.† â€Å"Very well, then. Where exactly is your lab?† â€Å"At the Smithsonian Museum Support Center. Do you know where that is?† â€Å"No,† Mal'akh said, staring across the parking lot at the complex. â€Å"I'm actually in my car right now, and I have a guidance system. What's the address?† â€Å"Forty-two-ten Silver Hill Road.† â€Å"Okay, hold on. I'll type it in.† Mal'akh waited for ten seconds and then said, â€Å"Ah, good news, it looks like I'm closer than I thought. The GPS says I'm only about ten minutes away.† â€Å"Great. I'll phone the security gate and tell them you're coming through.† â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"I'll see you shortly.† Mal'akh pocketed the disposable phone and looked out toward the SMSC. Was I rude to invite myself? Smiling, he now pulled out Peter Solomon's iPhone and admired the text message he had sent Katherine several minutes earlier. Got your messages. All's fine. Busy day. Forgot appointment with Dr. Abaddon. Sorry not to mention him sooner. Long story. Am headed to lab now. If available, have Dr. Abaddon join us inside. I trust him fully, and I have much to tell you both. –Peter Not surprisingly, Peter's iPhone now pinged with an incoming reply from Katherine. peter, congrats on learning to text! relieved you're okay. spoke to dr. A., and he is coming to lab. see you shortly! –k Clutching Solomon's iPhone, Mal'akh crouched down under his limousine and wedged the phone between the front tire and the pavement. This phone had served Mal'akh well . . . but now it was time it became untraceable. He climbed behind the wheel, put the car in gear, and crept forward until he heard the sharp crack of the iPhone imploding. Mal'akh put the car back in park and stared out at the distant silhouette of the SMSC. Ten minutes. Peter Solomon's sprawling warehouse housed over thirty million treasures, but Mal'akh had come here tonight to obliterate only the two most valuable. All of Katherine Solomon's research. And Katherine Solomon herself.