International Operational And Logistics (REPORT) Assignment - 1

International Operational And Logistics (REPORT) - Assignment Example The society also recognizes honesty and good ethical values in its marketing system. The customers enjoys the company’s goods and services at affordable rates and the service speed is outstanding but with quality. The company also operates an impressive food supply chain logistics and Somerfield services which include; collection from warehouse, distribution, consolidation of products delivered to a single point, storage facilities and refrigeration, picking services as well as break bulk facilities. This is successful through well organized transport system. As much as company boasts of outstanding market system, various improvements should be implemented at some operational stages for quality assurance diversity of economy. Current operations and supply chain The company aims to reduce the cost of goods and services they provide to their customers. It has made it successful through online services and delivering goods to various accessible points. The company has several bra nches all over the UK and has plans to make further extensions. This would make sure that all its operations are accessible to all potential customers due to its wide range of market operations. Through a well organized transport system involving more than 1000 vehicles, the Co-operative food supply Chain Logistics and Somerfield operations ensure quality food supply involving temperature regulated, and facilities for chilled as well as frozen products to more than 4000 stores. The supply chain of food products involves a wide range of services involving timely collection of products from the manufacturer of warehouse, to the required destinations or centers, consolidation of products transported at a single point, temperature regulated storage facilities, picking of goods and facilities for break bulk. Food stuff is made to remain as pristine as fresh by ensuring that they are carried in temperature controlled facilities. The company uses a well transport system and an effective ne twork of which goods can be delivered to various centers or Somerfield RDC within 24 hours. The frozen food supply is based in three center depots namely Harthill, Halesowen and Thedford. This ensures effective collection of goods from the supplier for distribution from those centers. A well established network ensures that all goods are delivered to their designated centers on time whenever needed. Various stations like central hub in Alfreton, Derbyshire and other RDC centers provide most of the company’s effective storage facilities. The company’s warehouse services offer case picking operations for storing the stock, picked and taken care of by the management on the customers’ behalf. The co-operative food supply Chain logistics encourages its people to contribute in the improvement of the business culture through open communication as well as learning. The group is well connected to the investors and its customers because of its good ethical values that ren der honesty, openness, social accountability and caring for others. This is it operates with the mission of becoming the best performing team in UK food supply and logistics. With various improvements in the company, the Co-operative Food Chain Logistics have experienced fruitful change in culture and behaviors hence creating openness and honesty. This has coupled with a

Except for Native Americans Essay Example for Free

Except for Native Americans Essay These are very powerful words. Even though Native Americans were the first settlers’ of the continent, they were considered immigrants. This paper will discuss the issues these people faced, such as stratification, pluralism, discrimination, etc. It will also describe the role of politics, public policies and economics within this group. The tale of Native Americans, like other ethnic groups, is a tale of deceit. It began when Christopher Columbus and his European friends first came to North America. Columbus assumed he reached India; therefore he had no problems with calling the native people â€Å"Indians†. These indigenous people taught the Europeans how to survive on their continent. They were experienced in hunting and gathering so they felt it was only fair to share their knowledge to help a fellow man out. In return these men brought diseases to these tribes and forced them into a type of slavery. â€Å"As a conquered population, the subordination of Indians occurred through a highly conflictual process. An indigenous group invaded by a more powerful settler group can only capitulate or, more commonly, resist. This ordinarily makes for a high level of conflict and rejection of assimilation into the dominant group† (Marger, 2012). The North American settlers’ deemed the natives uncivilized and inferior (pertaining to technology). Contact and ethnocentrism is a factor of stratification but are not as important as competition and differential power. The land, as a valued resource, caused competition between Indian-white relations. The land was not viewed as private property. The Europeans’ technological skills are what gave them the advantage in war. â€Å"When the vastly superior arms of the colonialists were combined with the inability of Indians to resist the diseases introduced by the Europeans, it was inevitable that whites would prevail in the struggle for resources and that Native populations would decline† (Marger, 2012). The natives did not want to conform to the culture of the new settlers’. They were furious with them and did not want to take on anything they had. The notion of Indians as â€Å"savages† speaks to the prejudice and discrimination that was brought up earlier. This served as reasoning for stripping them of their land. Once it was established the â€Å"Indians† posed no threat to the Europeans, they produced a racist ideology that allowed them to treat these indigenous people as less than human. Some people were forced onto different reservations, thus birthing negative stereotypes, attitudes and actions. As if breaking the Native Americans down and shedding them of their land was not enough, the Europeans’ forced them to assimilate. Native Americans, in order to be a part of the American way, had to give up their religions and put Christianity in its’ place, â€Å"denying Indians native languages and substituting English, and reducing education to an effort to ‘civilize’ Indians† (Marger, 2012). Their children were separated from their families for years at a time when they were placed in boarding schools, run to by the government. They were taught to speak English, wear Westernized clothing, and pray as Christians (Marger, 2012). Government policies had two goals, in a nut shell, it wanted to â€Å"(1) eliminate the Native American population as an impediment to western settlement and the needs of an expanding American economy, and (2) eradicate Native American cultures and political forms† (Marger, 2012). No matter where the Native Americans reside, urban areas or on reservations, they are below the national average on majority of the socioeconomic measures (I.e. , income, education, health care, and etc. ) These give the Europeans more reasons to stereotype and discriminate. Indians were and are still on the bottom of the hierarchy and therefore the minority. To conclude, the natives have been through so much and have yet to come back from it all. Their land was taking over and they were forced to conform to the ways of the Europeans. The Europeans’ superiority meant their culture was more enhanced and therefore needed to be implemented. Discrimination was strong. The disdain for the natives was exemplified when their children were taking away from their families so they can be taught to speak English, and other ways of the West. Today, Americans are showing sympathy for the continued predicament of the Native Americans. Although we cannot take back what happened, expressing sympathy is a positive start. Reference Marger, M. (2012). Race and ethnic relations: American and global perspectives (9th ed. ). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

On the Waterfront Essay -- Film

Interpersonal relationships are a potent entity that wildly flutter, like a liberated pigeon, through the miserable docks of Elia Kazan’s 1954 film ‘On the Waterfront,’ shaping the moral metamorphosis of protagonist Terry Malloy – from an analysts perspective, the ‘power’ source of the film. Terry’s voyage from an inarticulate and diminished â€Å"bum† to a gallant â€Å"contender,† is the pedestal that the film gyrates around, however, it is palpable that Terry – a man branded with his primitive mores - is not equipped of emancipating himself from the self-preservative cycle of â€Å"D and D† singlehandedly. Therefore, the catalytic, moral facilitation of inspirational outsiders - Edie Doyle and Father Barry – are essential to the rewiring of Terry’s conscience and his propulsion into â€Å"testifying what is right against what is wrong.† However, rapports do not simply remain ‘st rong’ and stable for the entire duration of the film – they fluctuate. Terry shuffles closer to the side of morality each scene, portrayed by the simultaneous deterioration of Terry’s intertwinement with Johnny Friendly and â€Å"the mob† and intensification of his romantic involvement with Edie and confidence in Father Barry. Relationships fuel and glorify Terry’s powerful, audience-enthralling journey to morality. Nestled under the ‘hawkish’ wing of Johnny Friendly, the beginning of the film sees Terry Malloy a daft â€Å"bum,† too preoccupied by â€Å"standing with the right people, just to have a bit of change jingling in his pocket† to deeply contemplate morality. Tainted by a distressing antiquity, Terry Malloy has habituated to a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world of Darwinian ‘survival of the fittest,’ where â€Å"taking it out on their skulls† is the appropriate method of resolution. â€Å"Its eve... ...y. These factors, coupled with the incorporation of the heart-melting cheekbones of ‘Marlon Brando’ at his prime are more likely to have screamed ‘power’ in the eyes of a 1950’s audience, let alone the viewer of today. Also, the fact that ‘On the Waterfront’ mirrors Elia Kazan’s real-life decision to testify to the HUAC magnifies its validity to human nature and overall potency. As he trudges across the docks towards the unfamiliar, suit-clad man looming like utopia in the distance, Terry Malloy is clearly a product of his relationships. His rapport-catalyzed metamorphosis from a follower of Johnny Friendly to a genuine â€Å"contender† is profoundly powerful, however the ending is bleak – with corruption still lingering as the gate slides closed behind the men, engulfing them into another cycle of exploitation as Bernstein’s music reaches a haunting shrill.

Training Day :: Training Day Movie

In 2001, one of the most memorable performance’s in Hollywood was Honored with an Academy Award, for Best Actor In A Leading Role. The Oscar, went to Denzel Washington, for is amazing performance in Training Day. A powerful departure from his good guy roles, Denzel Washington, plays Alonzo Harris, a street smart, crocked, undercover narc, out on the mission to save his ass, from the Russian mob. On the day in question, he is giving rookie cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) a chance to prove himself worthy to be a part of his elite squad of undercover narcotics officers. From the beginning of the film, in the early hours of the morning, in the city of Los Angeles, we are introduced to Jake Hoyt, a first time father, getting ready for his first day of training, with his senior partner, Alonzo. Little does he know, that he is in for the rockiest 24 hours of his life. Jake is alarmed at Alonzo's unorthodoxy, which includes making him smoke pot so he'll know what it feels like, drinking on the job, and letting bad guys go if they're not "important" enough to spend time on. The violence is minimal until the finale, when Alonzo is killed by the Russian Mafia, which more than makes up for the lack of bullets seen in the first 100 minutes. Whether the violence is necessary or gratuitous depends on your point of view. To me, violence is unjustified only when it doesn't fit the context or when the film hasn't already earned my respect, causing the blood to turn me off even more. The idea that Fuqua ( the director) employed violence just for attention never crossed my mind, as the film was compelling enough already. Surely he knew he didn't need it as a gimmick. He included it because it works. There was nothing different from this movie compared to many others, Fuqua didn’t use any special camera techniques, that really made you say â€Å"WOW,† but the movie was really, well written, and directed, Fuqua captured the true essence of the streets of Los Angeles, to some this is just a movie, with a brilliant performance from Denzel Washington. Alonzo isn’t my only favorite, money hungry character, who gets played at the end. One of my favorite movies was directed by acclaimed music video director, Hype Williams. He made his debut in 1998, with

ICT †Business Use Essay

About the Business I’ll use ‘Ki for hair’ as a basis of my project. This is a hairdressing salon in Camden Town, where Myra Ferreira keeps her own business. She is the manager of the salon, although there are two more workers (hairdressers). I worked there last summer (2002) and I know how they manage their entire budget on paper base. She started with a small business two years ago and still keeps all her income and expenses manually. Every hairdresser has a minimum of three clients per day usually, which means about 270-300 clients per month. The situation now To keep all the paper work, safe and in order they need a separate room. It takes a day for two people to produce the monthly reports, which means they lose about 6 clients a day (12 clients every month). The monthly report itself is working out the income and expenses and therefore the profit and producing it clearly for every single month. Although it is going fine, the business is getting bigger and needs a system, which makes the budget more accessible, produces clear reports for the tax purposes and takes less time to be done. How the ICT can help Computers have many applications in the 21st century. Specific software such as databases and spreadsheets are designed to help, improve, speed up and reduce the workload of certain tasks. In order to help them I’ll use the ICT (Information Communication Technology) to create a system, which will work out the budget easily, will be more accessible and will take less place, as well as time to be managed. ICT develops every day and replaces more and more the manual work. As everything else it has its advantages: takes less space, time (one person will need about half an hour to do all the work, which means more clients and more income) and effort to be accessed. The disadvantages are that only people with certain skills can do the work. I’ll try to transfer this disadvantage into advantage for the users, as they will learn how to manage a computer system. The Solutions One of the solutions is using just a word processor for producing the information, and calculating the budget separately. That’s is going to work perfectly fine, but will take much time. Other solution is to use just Microsoft Excel to work out the budget quicker, although it cannot present the literal data, as well as the numerated one. So my solution is to use Microsoft Excel for the ‘main job’, which is to work out the budget and then to transfer the data to Microsoft Word to produce the reports. I think this is the most efficient way of doing this project, because it will satisfy the needs of the potential users and I’ll prove it at the end. I chose Microsoft Excel because I believe tools such as macros, â€Å"what if† statements and pivot tables would ease the use of the system and will make it more understandable and user friendly. What are the user’s requirements? In order to consider the user’s requirements I did a questionnaire (see below): Questionnaire: 1.) What is wrong with the current system and why do you need a new computer-based system? 2.) What do you expect from the system? 3.) What IT skills do you think you have? (e.g. can you work with the operating system, do you know how to use Microsoft Office, etc.) 4.) What do you want the system to look like? I also asked the manager what her expectations were †¦ â€Å"As we are not familiar with ICT our main requirement is that the system should be user friendly and easy to follow. The only data that will have to be entered into the new system will be the assigned item number. When more than one of an item is required it will be entered twice, as this will be quicker. The rest of the information will be worked out by the system. Good luck!† Myra Ferreira Manager of Ki for Hair What do I expect from the system? The system must be easy to understand and use, so that any user with no computer knowledge could easily make use of the system. Much time will be saved as the computer will automatically set up the layout and the users will only have to input the required data. * First every user is going to have his/her own ID and password; * Once the user’s logged on, he/she is going to have access to the main directories, which are: the prices, the customer accounts and the monthly reports; * Every user will have the priority to edit information, excluding editing the prices; * The change (editing) of the prices can only be done by the manager; * The design of the system is going to match the colours of the salon. * To ease the use of the system I’ll use different tools such as macros (program that stores Microsoft Excel commands and eliminates the need of repeating series of calculations), pivot tables (allow you to easily sort and view data), â€Å"what if† statements (test cell contents and help you make decisions based upon them) and data filters (a method of sorting which hides information that does not match your criteria). * It must also be easy to update and edit, and most importantly easy to use. To make my project easier to read and understand, I’ll use different fonts and sizes as well as colours. In order to use the system as much as possible, the user’s system must include: Hardware requirements The hardware requirements must meet those set by Excel and Windows 95+ * IBM compatible PC * Pentium 100, K6-2 100 or above * 32Mb of RAM * 1GB Hard Drive space * Printer The above requirements or those required by both Excel and Windows 95 or above. The printer is required when a hard copy of the programs output is required. Software requirements * Windows 95/98/98SE/2000/XP * Microsoft Office (depends on the operating system, e.g. Microsoft Office 97/2000/XP) The system itself will be developed in MS Excel. Excel will also be required to run and use the system. The developer/user must have running a version of Microsoft Windows 95 or later. As Microsoft dominates the software market and MS-Excel will not run on other operating systems such as Linux, Unix, and Solaris etc. However in this case the system is aimed at the average user who will only be using a MS Windows environment. What skills and knowledge will be needed for the user to manage working with the system? * First, he/she will need to know how to work with the operating system * He/she should have basic knowledge of how to use Microsoft Office and particularly Microsoft Excel. * He/she should have basic thinking skills such as knowing how to learn and seeing things in the mind’s eye and personal qualities such as self-management and integrity To make my system work and be more efficient, I will: * Consider the user’s requirements very carefully, e.g. the layout, appearance, colour restrictions and the paper size, while I’m carrying out the design * Prepare a test strategy and test plan * Evaluate the final solution * Write user manuals on how to use the system I’d have created. Input, Process and Output Input-Process-Output. These are the basic functions of a computer. Data must be fed into the computer (input), which is then analysed and reorganised (process), and then it is displayed or printed (output). Input- it’s the data the user will be putting in, in my case the number of haircuts, blow-dries, etc. In order to make my system work more efficiently I’ll use data validation such as putting certain letters or numbers in certain cells. The process- it’s the processing of the initial data put by the user and done by the system. The output- this is the final result of the input and the process; in my case the output is going to be a hard copy of the monthly reports.

Free Essays on Oboe History

The first type of reed instrument was created by the Egyptians in B.C. times. The primitive form was barley straws pressed flat and placed in a small pipe. These Egyptian reed-pipes later had three to four holes added. They varied in length. The Romans had similar instruments which they called tibiae. A short double-reeded instrument had been developed by the 12th century. It had a conical bore with a wide bell. It was brought to Europe during the Crusades from the East. It was named the shawm. The 14th century brought modifications and the discant shawm was invented. The treble shawm was soon produced. The oboe was developed from this instrument in the 17th century. It was made to be performed indoors. The oboe was produced by the Hotteterre family. It was first used in the court of Louis XVI. The original name was the French word hautbois, meaning "high-wood". The oboe was made of three sections with six keys and hole. Developments in the 18th century included making different sizes. One such model was the oboe di caccia. This is the ancestor of the English horn. More key mechanisms were developed in the 19th century. Nine keys were used by 1825 with the fingering similar to the flute and bassoon. The reed was also improved upon. The oboe is 1 foot 11.5 inches long, not including the reed. It is made with a conical bore that is larger towards the end. The English horn is 2 feet 7.5 inches long, not including the short metal tube to which the reed is attached. They are made of ebonite. The English horn has a lower, richer sound than the oboe. The oboe has been a favorite among composers for the last 300 years. The appeal is the reedy sound which is good for staccato melodies. The English horn is used for the lower sounds. Sound is produced by the player drawing the lips between the teeth into the mouth. The player then focuses the air through the reed at high pressure. The reeds vibrate against each other. This sets th... Free Essays on Oboe History Free Essays on Oboe History The first type of reed instrument was created by the Egyptians in B.C. times. The primitive form was barley straws pressed flat and placed in a small pipe. These Egyptian reed-pipes later had three to four holes added. They varied in length. The Romans had similar instruments which they called tibiae. A short double-reeded instrument had been developed by the 12th century. It had a conical bore with a wide bell. It was brought to Europe during the Crusades from the East. It was named the shawm. The 14th century brought modifications and the discant shawm was invented. The treble shawm was soon produced. The oboe was developed from this instrument in the 17th century. It was made to be performed indoors. The oboe was produced by the Hotteterre family. It was first used in the court of Louis XVI. The original name was the French word hautbois, meaning "high-wood". The oboe was made of three sections with six keys and hole. Developments in the 18th century included making different sizes. One such model was the oboe di caccia. This is the ancestor of the English horn. More key mechanisms were developed in the 19th century. Nine keys were used by 1825 with the fingering similar to the flute and bassoon. The reed was also improved upon. The oboe is 1 foot 11.5 inches long, not including the reed. It is made with a conical bore that is larger towards the end. The English horn is 2 feet 7.5 inches long, not including the short metal tube to which the reed is attached. They are made of ebonite. The English horn has a lower, richer sound than the oboe. The oboe has been a favorite among composers for the last 300 years. The appeal is the reedy sound which is good for staccato melodies. The English horn is used for the lower sounds. Sound is produced by the player drawing the lips between the teeth into the mouth. The player then focuses the air through the reed at high pressure. The reeds vibrate against each other. This sets th...

Weed essays

Weed essays Marijuana is the dried leaves, buds, stems, and seeds of the plant Cannabis Sativa that is usually smoked to obtain a mildly hallucinogenic high caused by the chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The high can also be obtained by cooking the marijuana into some foods or brewing it as a tea. Most marijuana is smoked though, usually in a cigarette called a joint, or a pipe called a bong. Recently, it has appeared in cigars called blunts, in which the tobacco is removed and replaced by the marijuana. Marijuana is known by many other names, such as pot, weed, bud, grass, smoke, dope, hash, hashish, green, cabbage, mary-jane, reefer, chronic, killer, sinsimellia, and herb. Most marijuana on the street is either grown in the U.S. or imported from Mexico and South America from the south and Canada from the north. It is sold in bulk to large dealers and works it way down through smaller and smaller dealers until it reaches the consumer, who usually pays anywhere from $80-$400 for an ounce of pot, depending on the strain of cannabis and more importantly, the THC content. Marijuana has several effects on the body, with its negative effects being very similar to that of tobacco smoking. These include an increased heart rate and lung complications due to the inhalation of carcinogens. Marijuana also affects the brain; this is the high, which includes distorted perception of time and sounds, an increase in appetite and a heightening of certain sensations such as taste and touch. The user may experience a decrease in problem solving skills and in some cases difficulty with motor function. Long-term effects may include decreased sperm count, trouble with memory-loss, and a severe addiction to Lucky Charms. Though marijuana is illegal and has been since the 1930s, it is the most popular illicit drug in the United States, with an estimated twelve to twenty million regular users (that is having used marijuana in...

Causes and Stages of Cancer The WritePass Journal

Causes and Stages of Cancer Introduction Causes and Stages of Cancer IntroductionLiterature ReviewReferenceRelated Introduction The World Heath Organisation (2011) estimates that without intervention 84 million people will die from cancer between 2005 and 2015. In 2008 156,723 people died in the UK alone of malignant neoplasm and 1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. There were 12.7 million new cases diagnosed worldwide in the same year which led to 7.6 million deaths.   (Cancer Research UK, 2011). There are over 200 different types of cancer but lung, breast, prostate and colorectal account for over 50% of cancer cases. The percentage of deaths caused by cancer varies by region with 4% in Africa, 12% in Asia, 19% in Europe, 21% in Oceania and 23% in North America (National Cancer Institute, 2010). Cancer is used to define the group of diseases in which extensive cellular proliferation occurs alongside the invasion of surrounding tissues. Cancer cells can spread through the body via the blood and lymph systems and ultimately cause death of multi-cellular organisms (National Cancer Institute, 2010). Cancer is caused by the accumulation of genetic mutations which leads to instability of genetic regulators and alters gene expression. Cancer represents not a single disease but a group of heterogeneous diseases that share the fundamental biological characteristics of immortalisation, invasion, genetic instability, erratic differentiation and uncontrolled proliferation (Vogelstein and Kinzler, 2008). Despite advances in detection and treatment of metastatic cancer, specifically breast, mortality rates still remain high because current therapies are limited by the emergence of therapy resistant cancer cells (Al-Hajj, et al, 2003). It has been documented that tumorous cells possess key stem cell characteristics such as high migration, self-renewal, drug resistance and extensive differentiation which leads to the production of a heterogeneous population. Tissue specific cells are able to self-renew and produce differentiated and functional cells within an organ. These differentiated cells are short lived and are produced from a small pool of long lived stem cells which lasts throughout the organism’s lifetime (Seo, 2007). Stem cells are essential for tissue development, replacement and repair however their longevity means they are susceptible to the accumulation of genetic damage and thereby providing a growth route for cancer recurrence following treatment (Clarke, 2005). Dean, Fojo and Bates (2005) suggest that cancer stem cells can survive chemotherapy and sustain the re-growth of a malignant tumour. Therefore if cancer stem cells are present in a tumour then they must be targeted in order to achieve a cure. Prospectively identifying cancer stem cells will allow investigation of the pathways and key molecules that can be targeted to eliminate these malignant cells (Clarke Fuller, 2006). There have been many studies which imply the existence of a sub-population of cells within tumours termed cancer stem cells which drive tumourgenesis. This paper therefore aims to isolate and characterise different sub-populations of cancer stem cells through physiological stress in human and murine models (DLD-1 and CT-26 respectively). There has been extensive evidence that CD133 and CD44 are reliable cancer stem cell markers therefore it can be hypothesised that CD133 and CD44 positive cells would demonstrate resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. This statement formed the basis of the protocol developed by Sharma (2010) where the novel technique of exposing parental cancer cells to the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin in-vitro to isolate cells resistant to drug exposure.   The resulting cells will them be characterised by their ability to form spheroids and the performance of Q-PCR, immunofluorescence and western blotting to identify the presence of the CD133, CD44 and CD26 specif ic cancer stem cell markers. The ultimate aim is then perform microarray on parental and cancer stem cell populations to compare the difference in gene expression of the two populations. Literature Review On a cellular level cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell proliferation which enables abnormal growth leading to cancerous tumours. Just 5-10% of cancer cases can be attributed to genetic defects whereas the remaining cases (in order of influence) are a result of environmental factors such as diet, tobacco, infections, obesity, alcohol, radiation, stress and physical activity (Anand, et al, 2008). These factors lead to tumour growth as they induce DNA alterations or loss of the ability to repair DNA damage which deregulates standard gene expression (Vogelstein and Kinzler, 1998). Carcinogenesis is the term used to define the creation of cancer by which normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. This is due to the accumulation of genetic mutations and the resultant misbalance in cell death and proliferation (King Robins, 2006). Cell production is a complicated process which is kept in apoptosis via cell regulation by numerous classes of genes including oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes (Vogelstein and Kinzler, 1998). Carcinogenesis occurs when there is a genetic mutation which upsets the normal balance between cell death and proliferation. The multi-step process is driven by the accumulation of genetic alterations which gives rise to highly malignant derivatives which have the ability to elude apoptosis, invade tissues and possess unlimited potential for replication (Hanahan and Weinberg, 2000). The inheritance of a defective gene itself is not sufficient for development of cancer. Cancer manifests from the accumulation of additional somatic mutation s which occur as a result of imperfect DNA replication or DNA damage caused by environmental mutagens. Genes that, when mutated, lead to cancer predisposition normally have the function of suppressing tumourgeneis. If one allele of such gene mutates in the germ line then the cell still has the product of the wild type as a back up. If a mutation occurs in the wild type then the cell has no functional suppressor gene product remaining. The cell therefore proliferates abnormally leading to clonal expansion. Cells of proliferating clones are likely to accumulate another mutation resulting in further loss of growth control. As gradual clonal expansion takes place a tumour evolves. Oncogenes and cell suppressor cells control cell proliferation, a mutation here leads to the cells to become continually active. Caretaker genes control rates of mutation, defective caretakers therefore acquire mutations (Vogelstein and Kinzler, 1998). The three stages of carcinogenesis are promotion, proliferation and progression. Changes in the genomes structure occur across all three of the stages of neoplasm development. Additionally changes in gene expression take place at cell promotion with selective proliferation of mutation cells. Apoptosis and cell proliferation occur at different rates but still maintain a balance during initiation and promotion but during progression the balance alters and a malignancy arises as seen in figure 1 (Oliveira, 2007). The fundamental progression features of malignancies are invasion and metastasis and it is these traits which distinguish between normal and cancerous cells. Metastasis is characterised as the migration of cancer cells from the site of origin to a secondary point through the lymphatic system, connective tissues and blood supply. At this secondary point the cells then continue to invade and form new tumours (Hanahan, 2000). Cancer immunoediting has been described as the conflicting action of the immune system to protect the host from cancer development through immunosurveillance and promote tumour growth by the promoting action of immunity (Smyth, Gunn and Schreiber, 2006). The interaction of the innate and adaptive anti-cancer immunity dictates the intensity of the outcome of the endogenous anti-cancer response. Stress induced molecules on tumour cells initiates the innate response and presentation and processing of tumour associates antigens leads to an adaptive response. Both of these responses can affect the tumour in different ways. The endogenous reaction could suppress tumour formation whilst at the same time exerting a selection pressure leading to the emergence of escape variants. Additionally the host’s immune response could directly promote tumour growth, invasion and metastasis via elaboration of inflammatory mediators and cytokines. There is a complex network of interactions between tumour cells, immune elements and stromal components in the microenvironment (Jinushi and Dranoff, 2007). However currently only the capability of the immune system to identify and kill cancer cells forms the basis of therapeutic strategies and immunotherapy (Schulz, 2005). Modifications in immunotherapy protocols have been proposed to lessen the effect cancer and improve the therapeutic value of immunological approaches by targeting the elimination of cancer stem cells (Lepisto, McKolanis Finn, 2007). Stem cells originate from the haematopoietic tissue and can be characterised by the unlimited capacity to self renew, which is the result of increases telomere activity (Huntly Gilliand, 2005) and the ability to terminally differentiate into one or more cell types, which is regulated by a niche signalling pathway system (Spradling, Drummond-Barbosa Kai, 2001). The capacity of stem cells to form differentiated offspring is described in terms of their differentiation potential (Friel, Van der Sar Mee, 2005). Totipotent cells have the ability to construct a complete organism, pluripotent cells are descendants of totipotent cells and can differentiate into almost all cells, multipotent cells differentiate into a specific family of cells, oligopotent cells differentiate into lymphoid and myeloid cells and omnipotent cells are only able to produce their own cell type but have the ability of self renewal which distinguishes them from other non-stem cells (Knoepffler, Schipanski Sorgner, 2007). The differentiation of stem cells is regulated by a niche signalling pathway system (Spradling et al, 2001). It has been suggested that cancer stem cells are displaced due to lack of heritable changes in phenotype and genetic alteration leading to an absence in cancer however when stem cells were placed in defective tissue they induced tumour growth (Clarke Fuller, 2006). Charafe-Jauffret, Monville and Ginester (2008) clarify the existence of cancer stem cells which possess tumorgenic, self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation abilities. Cancer stem cells are defined as a sub-population of cells in a tumour capable of generating phenotypically assorted cells (Gao, 2007). This petite population is accountable for the relapse of tumour growth, progress and invasion after treatment (Clarke Fuller, 2008). Although the concept that germ cells are responsible for oncogenesis has existed since 1855 the first conclusive evidence of cancer stem cell existence was that by Bonnet and Dick (1997) who isolated a CD34+/CD38 sub-population of leukemic cells which were capable of initiating tumours in NOD/SCID mice histologically similar to the donor. The cancer stem cell hypothesis states that the cancer initiating cell is a transformed tissue stem cell which retains the property of self protection through the activity of multiple drug resistant transporters. This drug resistant cell then remains at a low frequency amongst a tumour mass (Donndenberg Donndenberg, 2005). The cancer stem cell theory points to a new era of cancer res earch and is expected to yield alternative cancer treatments. It is now evident that tumours include cancer stem cells which can be isolated by antigenic markers and have the potential to develop into non-adherent spheroids (Wright et al, 2008).   This concept has challenged the previous hypothesis that carcinogenesis is a result of ‘clonal evolution’ where every cell present in a tumour is capable of proliferating and forming new tumours (Max et al, 2006). Cancer stem cells have similar properties to stem cells such as similar molecular mechanisms and physiological trafficking which implies that cancer stem cells are a result of consecutive accumulated mutations in embryonic stem cells (Kucia Ratajckzak, 2006). This is supported by the correlation seen in the signalling pathways associated with maintenance of ‘stemness’ in embryonic cells and cancer pathways. These pathways such as JAK/STAT, Notch, MAPK/ERK, P13k/AKT, NF-GB and Wnt are not only involved in stem cell renewal governing proliferation but also express key molecules associated with malignant phenotypes which leads to tumour growth (Dreesen Brivanlou, 2007). It has therefore been deduced that normal stem cells are transformed into cancer stem cells via mutations in suppressor genes and oncogenses and mutations in repair genes and histone modifications (Costa, et al, 2006). Embryonic stem cells are dependent on the specialised microenvironment in which they reside. This niche prevents tumorgenesis by supplying signals to inhibit differentiation and proliferation. Additional signals are also provided to allow stem cell promotion, self-renewal or differentiation when necessary (Scadden, 2006). Stem cells are dependent on this niche for survival alternatively cancer stem cells do not appear to be dependant on this niche in the same way. Some believe that cancer stem cells have evolved to escape the control of a local environment whereas an additional theory suggests the cells do reside in a niche which has undergone changes itself which encourages cell growth (Burness Sipkins, 2010). Cancer stem cells are thought to evolve from an intrinsic mutation leading to self-sufficient proliferation and deregulation as the cancer cell overtakes the molecular machinery used by normal stem cells (Li Neaves, 2006). These tumour initiating cells are the source of recu rring tumours in many types of cancer (Foltz et al, 2009). Cancer stem cells make up less than 5% of a tumour and have been found in blood-borne, brain, breast, ovarian and colon cancers (National Cancer Institute, 2010). These cells are highly resistant to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy and in order to develop successful therapy it is essential to identify the cell surface markers unique to cancer stem cells and interpret their signalling pathways, figure 2 (Foltz et al, 2009). Figure 2: The impact of cancer stem cells on tumour growth and response therapy. A: Subset of cells within the tumour has the ability to replicate and sustain tumour growth. TA cell is suspected to be responsible for a majority of tumour growth and is susceptible to cancer therapy. Cancer stem cells give rise to identical immortal daughter cells. B: Possible outcome of targeting tumour cancer stem cells verses present cancer therapy techniques which do not affect cancer stem cells (Houghton et al, 2007). The developmental concept of cancer denotes the presence of a hierarchy of cells within a tumour which refers to the differences of cancer cells within a tumour where all cells do not express the same antigens. Additionally functional assays show that only a specific sub-population of cells within a tumour can propagate tumour growth. It appears that cancer cells capable of tumour growth are able to self-renew as well as generate cells which cannot propagate tumour growth (Cho Clarke, 2008). Cancer stem cells have therefore developed the ability for self-renewal and differentiation into a heterongenous population as well as the tumour related properties of uncontrolled growth and ability to form metastasis (Dalerba, et al, 2007). The ability that cancer stem cells share with stem cells to renew has changed perspectives leading to new approaches to treating the disease (Li and Neaves, 2006). Cancer stem cells show resistance to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy making them a crucial target for treatment, it is therefore essential to identify the markers present on these cells in order to therapeutically target them (Foltz, et al, 2009). Current therapeutic strategies attempt to target cancer stem cells and its microenvironment whereas Tang, Ang Pervaiz (2007) identified a novel approach of targeting the reactive oxygen species in a cancer stem cell which would facilitate apoptotic death over proliferation. Additionally the development of monoclonal antibodies to recognise cancer stem cell markers would allow for more efficient destruction of these tumour forming cells (Okamoto Perez, 2008). The use of immunocompromised mouse model have shown to reliably capulate the molecular, biological and clinical features of the human disease. With such models defining the stages of tumour development, homogenised breeding and environmental conditions. This has therefore led to the development of the concept that plasma from genetically modified cancer models contains tumour derived proteins that may be relevant in the development of markers for human cancer (Kuick, et al, 2007). There are numerous studies which cites the use of immuno-comprised mice as vehicles for cancer stem cell isolation. Mouse models have been established as highly trusted in the development of human cancer treatment through verify the cancer stem cell extent of a tumour. This has been achieved by the opening and repetitive tumour progression in immuno-compromised SCID mice (Laurie, et al, 2007). http://tpx.sagepub.com/content/38/1/62.full.pdf+html Current developed methods to isolate ‘adult’ stem cell populations includes collection of different hematopoietic cells populations staining with the antibodies of interest and sorting by magnetic bead and/or fluorescence activated cell sorters (FACS) followed by in vivo transplant experiments. This allows for the development of understanding of fundamental hematopoietic stem cell characteristics of differentiation and the ability of the cells to give rise to others cells with the same potential for proliferation whilst still maintaining the stem cell pool Cho Clarke, 2008). Additional characterisation of cancer stem cells can be carried out by identifying gene expression and cell markers via immunofluorescence, western blotting and Q-PCR. It has been stated that an immature cell population can be characterised by surface markers CD34+ and CD38+ in AML and that these markers suggest the ability of initiating tumour development (Bonnet Dick 1997). Furthermore the use of a low-adherent growth environment can be used to produce spheroids from tumorgenic cells as a basis of isolation of cancer stem cells (Grange, et al, 2008) As it has been identified that a small minority of cells present in a tumour has the ability to form new tumours. It is therefore possible to distinguish between tumorgenic and non-tumorgenic cells based on the cell surface marker expression. Al-Hajj, et al (2003) were able to isolate breast cancer cells expressing CD44+ and CD24 lineage in as few as 100 cells with tumorgenic capabilities and identified hundreds of thousands of cells with a different phenotype which failed to form new tumours. Furthermore passaging the CD44+ and CD24 lineage led to the creation of phenotypically diverse populations. Sherman, et al (2011) also identified CD133 expression correlated with prognosis of oligodendroglial and astrocytic tumors and here immunofluorescence provided an effective and reproducible assay for identifying markers present in ca ncer stem cells. Fundamentally cancer is resistant to treatment because malignant cells survive chemotherapy, CD133 positive cancer stem cells display strong compatibility with tumours resistant to chemotherapy (Liu, et al, 2006). The use of immunofluorescence to characterise cancer stem cells has been used in a great deal of cases especially where total cell count is reduced CD44+ and CD24+ can be used for markers of colorectal cancer stem cells. CD44/CD24 cells are enriched for spheroid colonies and can reform all four CD44/CD24 subpopulations (Yeung, Wilding Bodmer, 2009). Additionally a population of CD26+ cells present in a sub-population of colorectal cancer stem cells led to the development of distant metastasis when injected into a mouse cecal wall. These CD26+ cells were also associated with enhanced invasiveness and chemoresistance (Pang, et al, 2010). Lgr-5 has also been identified as a key marker expressed in cancer stem cells of colorectal cancer associated with the activation of the Wnt signalling pathway which plays a key role in cancer development (Takahashi, et al, 2010). The first report indicating the difference in gene expression of cancer cells exhibiting cancer stem cell properties and those which did not was published in 2007 by Seo, et al. Amongst the 61 differently expressed genes 12 genes were considered up-regulated in the sub-population whereas 49 were downgraded validation of these gene expressions was validated using quantitative real time reverse transcriptase PCR. It was found that genes related to drug resistance such as AKR1C1/C2 and NR0B1, or cancer metastasis (TM4SF1) were up-regulated. Further more the up-regulated gene ABCG2 could be of use as an indicator for sorting. AKR1C has been identified as a catalyst of metabolic reduction and either activates or inactivates several xenobiotics. The public database (Gene expression Omnibus) has shown significant up-regulation in expression of AKR1C1 in smokers. Reference AL-HAJJ, M., et al. 2003. Prospective identification of tumorgenic breast cancer cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA, 100(7), pp. 3983-3988. ANAND, P., et al. 2008. Cancer is a preventable disease that requires major lifestyle changes. Pharmaceutical Research, 25(9), pp. 2097-2116. BONNET, D. DICK, J. 1997. Human acute myeloid leukaemia is organized as a hierarchy that originates from a primitive hematopoietic cell. Nature Medicine, 3(7), pp. 730-737. BURNESS, M. SIPKINS, D. 2010. The stem cell niche in health and malignancy. Seminars in Cancer Biology, 20(2), pp. 107-115. CHO, R. CLARKE, M. 2008. Recent advances in cancer stem cells. Current Opinions in Genetics Development, 18(1), pp. 48-53. CLARKE, M. FULLER, M. 2006. Stem cells and cancer: two faces of evil. Cell, 124(6), pp. 1111-1115. CLARKE, R. 2005. Isolation and characterization of human mammary stem cells. Cell Proliferation, 38(6), pp. 375-386. COSTA, F., LE BLANC, K. BRODIN, B. 2006. Cancer/testis antigens, stem cells and cancer. Stem Cells, 25(3), pp. 707-711. DALEBRA, P., et al. 2007. Phenotypic characterization of human colorectal cancer stem cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA, 104(24), pp. 10158-10163. DREESEN, O. BRIVANLOU, A. 2007. Signalling pathways in cancer and embryonic stem cells. Stem Cell Reviews, 3(1), pp. 7-17. FRIEAL, R., VAN DER SAR, S. MEE, P. Embryonic stem cells: understanding their history, cell biology and signalling. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 57(13), pp. 1894-1903. GAO, J. 2008. Cancer stem cells: the lessons learnt from pre-cancerous stem cells. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 12(1), pp. 67-96. GRANGE, C., et al. 2008. Sca-1 indentifies the tumor-initiating cells in mammary tumors of BALB-neuT transgenic mice. Neoplasia, 10(12), pp. 1433-1443. HANAHAN, D. 2000. The hallmarks of cancer. Cell, 100(1), pp. 57-70. HANAHAN, D. WEINBERG, R. 2000. The hallmarks of cancer. Cell, 100, pp. 57-70. HOUGHTON, J., et al. 2007. Stem cells and cancer. Seminars in Cancer Biology, 17, pp. 191-203. HUNTLY, B. GILLIAND, G. 2005. Leukaemia stem cells and the evolution of cancer stem cell research. Nature Reviews Cancer, 5(4), pp. 311-321. JINUSHI, M. DRANOFF, G. 2007. Immunosurveillance: innate and adaptive antitumor immunity. Cancer Immunotherapy: Immune Suppression and Tumor Growth, pp. 29-41 KING, R. ROBINS, M. 2006. Cancer Biology. 3rd Edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. KNOEPFFLER, N., SCHIPANSKI, D. SORGNER, S. 2007. Human biotechnology as social challenge: an interdisciplinary introduction to bioethics. England: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. KUCIA, M. RATAJCZJAK, M. 2006. Stem cells as a two edged sword-from regeneration to tumour formation. Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 57(7), pp. 5-16. KUICK, R., et al. 2007. Discovery of cancer biomarkers through the use of mouse models. Cancer Letters, 249(1), pp. 40-48. LEPISTO, A., MCKOLANIS, J. FINN, O. 2007. Cancer immunotherapy: challenges and opportunities. Cancer Immunotherapy: Immune Suppression and Tumor Growth, pp. 167-181. LI, L. NEAVES, W. 2006. Normal stem cells and cancer stem cells: the niche matters. Cancer Research, 66(9), pp. 4553-4557. LUI, G., et al. 2006. Analysis of gene expression and chemoresistance of CD133+ cancer stem cells in glioblastoma. Molecular Cancer, 5(1), pp. 67-79. MAX, L., et al. 2006. Electrocervical potentials: are they pathognomonic of cancer? Cancer, 6(1), pp. 77-79. NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE, 2011. What is cancer? [online]. US National Institute of Health. Available at: cancer.gov/cancertopics/cancerlibrary/what-is-cancer [Accessed on 7th February 2011]. OKAMOTO, O. PEREZ, J. 2008. Targeting cancer stem cells with monoclonal antibodies: a new perspective in cancer therapy and diagnosis. Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 8(4), pp. 387-393. OLIVEIRA, P., et al. 2007. Chemical carcinogenesis. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Cià ªncias, 79(4). PANG, R., et al. 2010. A Subpopulation of CD26+ Cancer Stem Cellssciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B8G3V-5075DHJ-R_user=2471587_coverDate=06%2F04%2F2010_alid=1706053035_rdoc=4_fmt=high_orig=search_origin=search_zone=rslt_list_item_cdi=41804_st=13_docanchor=view=c_ct=4194_acct=C000057461_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=2471587md5=c4c6cd7408c3db836492bfe7e2665c5esearchtype=a hit2 with Metastatic Capacity in Human Colorectal Cancer. Cell Stem Cell, 6(6), pp. 603-615. SCADDEN, D. 2006. The stem-cell niche as an entity of action. Nature, 441 (7097), pp. 1075-1079. SCHULZ, W., 2005, Molecular biology of human cancers: an advanced student’s textbook. The Netherlands: Springer. SEO, D., et al. 2007. Gene expression profiling of cancer stem cells in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. SHARMA, M. 2010. Cancer stem cell isolation and characterisation in murine models. MRes thesis, Nottingham Trent University. SPRADLING, A., DRUMMOND-BARBOSA, D. KAI, T. 2001. Stem cells find their niche. Nature, 414(6859), pp. 98-104. TAKAHASHI, H., et al. 2010. Significance of Lgr5(+ve) cancer stem cells in the colon and rectum. Annals of Surgical Oncology, 18(4), pp. 1166-1174. TANG, C., ANG, B. PERVAIZ, S. 2007. Cancer stem cell: target for anti-cancer therapy, The FASEB Journal, 21(14), pp. 3777-3784. VOGELSTEIN, B. KINZLER, K. 1998. The genetic basis of human cancer. 2nd Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION, 2011. World cancer day [online]. World Health Organisation. Available at: who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/world_cancer_day/en/ [Accessed on 7th February 2011]. WRIGHT, M., et al. 2008. Brca1 breast tumours contain distinct CD44+/CD24- and CD133+ cells with cancer stem cell characteristics. Breast Cancer Research, 10(2), p. 105. YEUNG, T., WILDING, J. BODMER, W. 2009. Colorectal cancer stem cells: characterization and functional analysis. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 27(15). P. 4124. KUICK, R., et al. 2007. Discovery of cancer biomarkers through the use of mouse models. Cancer Letters, 249(1), pp. 40-48.

Short Paper Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short Paper - Coursework Example It is evident in the commonality in the forms of discrimination manifested in institutions and across countries and even religions. This paper examines a specific institutional setting, where a student who is from a different race is discriminated based on the skin color. It will also outline an example of a student from United Arab Emirates who is studying in the University of Arizona. Racism can be manifested through stereotypes, prejudice or through discrimination. However, while institutional racism is based on stereotypes and prejudice, it is mainly expressed through discrimination. Racism is dominant in the American society through social institutions such as University of Arizona. American institutions are in most cases oriented to white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant values and its associated lifestyle. The mentioned is the dominant lifestyle and culture that permeates the whole American society. This does not suggest that there is anything wrong in the cultural orientation. What needs to be questioned is the implication that only protestant values and culture can be viewed as exemplary in the American culture. According to Better (41), the greatness of the United States has been utilized to champion people who have been subjugated. The American troops sent to Haiti and Kosovo attests to the nation’s concern for the poor people. As a student from United Ar ab Emirates, one can face segregation since policies, practices and procedures in most American institutions favor the dominant culture. Different practices and policies aimed at addressing differential outcomes for different races continue to fail to address inequalities and perceived discrimination in various institutions. Broad anti-discrimination legislation and diversity cannot sufficiently address the current discriminations in institutional

Identify and explain the potential claims which arise from these Essay

Identify and explain the potential claims which arise from these facts. In your view does the law strike fair balance between the rights of Colin, Toby and Sue - Essay Example It may be an act of omission or commission. Tort may arise out of commission as when the defendant makes a noise by running of his mill. It may arise out of omission where the defendant does not secure his cow which then runs on the neighbour’s garden and damages his precious plantation. Occupier of premises: Usually the occupier of the premises is the owner thereof but sometimes the tenant may be the occupier, and sometimes the person who is given the charge of carrying out repairs when the landlord is living elsewhere. Trespass: Trespass is the violation of property of the claimant by the defendant. It may be caused by entering into a property which is fenced with a warning to keep out. In cases where the defendant strays on to the property because there is no other way to reach his destination the trespass id not actionable. Nuisance: Nuisance is the violation of the right to enjoyment of property, for the purposes of this paper, nuisance should be taken to mean that the act or omission is causing disturbance in the claimant’s enjoyment of the property which includes rights that arise of the land. Trespasser’s rights and liabilities: The trespasser is guilty of trespass and liable in torts for that intrusion in another’s property when he has not entered in to the property either by invitation or authority or otherwise when he has no duty to enter the premises. The circumstances give rise to multiple claims for all three parties against each other. The trespass and subsequent damage to the chicken run and loss of business caused due to the chicken straying gives rise to cause of action for Colin against Toby. Colin also has a remedy in criminal law against Toby. Under the Occupier Liability Act 1984, Toby has a claim against Colin for the physical damage suffered by him. Sue has a right of action against Colin for the nuisance caused to her due to the increased noise caused by the straying chicken. As occupier of the

ERP Failures Lessons Learned Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ERP Failures Lessons Learned - Assignment Example One of the major lessons from ERP implementation is employee involvement that requires the company wishing to use ERP to put a lot of effort during implementation in assessing the ability of the employees to use the software (Ghosh, 2012). Evaluation of their current staff is important as they cannot do their daily work and implement the plan at the same time. A companys employees can lead to the success or failure of the implementation of the ERP project depending on their commitment and skills necessary to implement the project. For the ERP project to succeed, the company can employ temporary staff for daily maintenance. Another lesson learned from the ERP implementation is recognition and retention of the employees. Employers, who offer incentives to their employees engaged in the long-term implementation of the system, face few challenges as Ghosh (2012) reports. Employees get satisfaction and can remain with the employer for a long time for various reasons such as the feeling that their employer values them and allows them time to spend with their families and to appreciate the time spent in the implementation. Employees struggle to work on the project that takes too much time, and energy, yet the rewards are low. Giving employees some incentives facilitates the success of the project and a smooth implementation. Communication is very important in the management of a company as many issues that hinder the implementation of the project results from the lack of good communication between the management and the employees. Ghosh argues that Sharing the good aspects of the implementation process across all departments is very important for its success (12). Many ERP projects fail because important details on the working of the system are not revealed problems arise. Sometimes the problems are blamed on individuals but it is normally too late for action. Communication across all management levels is very important for ERP systems

Cakes case study on ops & supply chain management - 1

Cakes on ops & supply chain management - Case Study Example nufacturing industry, the manner in which resources are handled, among them time, provides a measure of how productive the business model is and how much it is able to make use of 100% of the resources to result to 100% value and quality management. On the other hand, the retail industry which provides final consumers with consumer products makes use of the lean concept through the consideration of factors such as the channels of ordering, the human resource required, and the number of other factors to be considered between the time of order placement to the time of delivery to the consumer (Maleyeff, 2012). In the application of the lean concept, several factors are considered. Among these are resources that are directly in control of the business model at hand. This means that internal operations are the only operations the business model can control. However, it is observed that various considerations have to be considered when handling internal operations. For instance, it is observed that the number of factors affecting the productivity within a business model include time management. Time management and the utilization of other resources go hand in hand. The lean concept points that the operations of a company or a business model can be manipulated in manner that processes use the optimal resources under a defined and well strategized timeframe. In this case, while processes such as those involved in a bakery or confectionary companies, require various inputs aimed at bringing out one outcome. Under this example, it is observed that processes such as the ordering of ingredients fr om the companies’ inventories must ensure that orders are on time and dispatch of the ingredients is at par with other processes’ schedules. While processes such as the cleanup of equipment as well as the preparation of the next batch make use of time management and material management (Barrad, & Sipper, 1988). On the other hand, while inventory is a major component of the

The energy requirements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The energy requirements - Essay Example Fossil fuels are the remains of the living organisms that inhabited this world millions of years ago. The dead bodies of these organisms were buried deep down under the rocks where lack of oxygen prevented the decay. After about a period of millions of years, these corpses have converted into fossil fuel on exposure to extreme conditions of heat and pressure. Examples of fossil fuels include coal and oil. Fossil fuels have been used since ages as a fuel to power the industries and with the advent of electricity, they began to be utilized as an important source of energy. The reason why fossil fuels are considered as attractive sources of energy is that they have a high carbon content which can easily burn in air to provide the great amount of heat energy per unit weight which in turn can be used to run generators to produce electricity (Hodge, 2009).  Since the reserves of fossil fuels are rapidly running out due to extreme commercial and industrial use, the world is pitting its ho pes in finding alternative sources of energy.... Since the reserves of fossil fuels are rapidly running out due to extreme commercial and industrial use, the world is pitting its hopes in finding alternative sources of energy. Two of the most promising of such sources are the nuclear power and the solar power. The metals that have a very high atomic mass are unstable and hence they disintegrate ejecting subatomic particles. These subatomic particles can be used to harness energy in two ways. The first one is nuclear fission in which a ‘heavy’ atom disintegrates into two lighter atoms generating energy in the process. The other is nuclear fusion in which a lot of energy is first provided to fuse together light atoms of two elements to form one ‘heavy’ atom releasing substantial amount of energy in the process. Compared to fossil fuels, these sources of nuclear energy are very efficient and produce huge amount of energy. One ton of Uranium can produce the same amount of energy as produced by 16000 tons of co al (Hodge, 2009). Nuclear energy is also friendly to the atmosphere since there is no release of harmful gases or pollutants into the air. Harnessing energy from fossil fuels is however easier when compared to nuclear power since construction of a nuclear plant is very expensive and even though there is no release of gaseous pollutants, the solid nuclear waste needs to be disposed off safely since it remains toxic for more than thousand years, which is a big problem and a major disadvantage when it comes to using nuclear fuels as an energy resource. Another alternative to fossil fuels is the solar energy which has a lot of potential to develop into the fuel of the future. The light and heat energy from the sun is converted into electrical energy

Cakes case study on ops & supply chain management - 1

Cakes on ops & supply chain management - Case Study Example nufacturing industry, the manner in which resources are handled, among them time, provides a measure of how productive the business model is and how much it is able to make use of 100% of the resources to result to 100% value and quality management. On the other hand, the retail industry which provides final consumers with consumer products makes use of the lean concept through the consideration of factors such as the channels of ordering, the human resource required, and the number of other factors to be considered between the time of order placement to the time of delivery to the consumer (Maleyeff, 2012). In the application of the lean concept, several factors are considered. Among these are resources that are directly in control of the business model at hand. This means that internal operations are the only operations the business model can control. However, it is observed that various considerations have to be considered when handling internal operations. For instance, it is observed that the number of factors affecting the productivity within a business model include time management. Time management and the utilization of other resources go hand in hand. The lean concept points that the operations of a company or a business model can be manipulated in manner that processes use the optimal resources under a defined and well strategized timeframe. In this case, while processes such as those involved in a bakery or confectionary companies, require various inputs aimed at bringing out one outcome. Under this example, it is observed that processes such as the ordering of ingredients fr om the companies’ inventories must ensure that orders are on time and dispatch of the ingredients is at par with other processes’ schedules. While processes such as the cleanup of equipment as well as the preparation of the next batch make use of time management and material management (Barrad, & Sipper, 1988). On the other hand, while inventory is a major component of the

Research Utilization Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Utilization - Research Paper Example This happens in different forms and kinds, including in the breast. Cancer that affects the breast is called breast cancer. This is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer. Although breast cancer is said to have been first reported in Egypt around 122 B.C, there are no accurate statistics that can clearly prove its earliest reported cases. However, according to the journal, Phenomenal Woman, Hippocrates was the first to give a logical and medical explanation of breast cancer in 460 B.C (2008). This development was further expanded by the works of Galen at around 200 A.D. Since then, more studies and medical research have been done to discover explicit knowledge about the disease. Breast cancer is caused by a number of factors commonly called breast cancer risk factors. Breast Cancer Breast cancer is one of the types of cancers. It manifests itself in the breast. It originates from the milk ducts or lobules of the breast. Although it typically occurs in women, breast cancer can also attack men as well. Breast cancer occurs in the form of a lump on the breast or the side of an armpit. This lump contains thick tissue which is not uniform with the rest of the breast tissue. It can be noticed by simply touching the breast gently to feel the thickness of its inner tissue. Another way of detecting breast cancer is through the observation of any abnormal growth or development in the breast. Such abnormalities are physically observable features of a breast. For instance, some breast cancer cells cause the nipple of one breast to be inverted in such a way that it seems to grow towards the inside of the breast rather than the normal way of growing towards the outside. There could also be skin dimpling or change in skin color at the part of the breast where cancer has attacked the breast tissue. One of the breast cancer risk factors is the transfer of genes responsible for certain types of cancers from parent to child. Breast cancer can be passed from a child bearer to t he baby. This means that the breast cancer cells can be passed from one generation to another through the genes. In such cases, if a mother or father has breast cancer cells, then they can be passed to their offspring or to subsequent generations of their offspring. Another major cause of breast cancer is contributed to lifestyle. This means that the way people conduct their day to day activities has an influence on their chances of getting or preventing breast cancer. Smoking of tobacco has been identified as one of the major lifestyle causes of breast cancer. Lack of breast feeding after child birth also increases a woman’s chances of suffering from breast cancer. In addition to that, abortion also increases the chances of a woman suffering from breast cancer. A poorly conducted abortion procedure can easily result in breast cancer. Breast cancer is typically classified on a number of bases. For instance, when classified according to origin, we have ductal cancer and lobula r cancer. Ductal originates from milk ducts while lobular cancer originates from lobules. When classified according to the stage of the development and spread of the cancer cells, the TNM system is used. The level T is when the cancer cells have only attacked the armpit. The level N is when the cancer cells have spread from the armpits to the whole breast while the level M is when the cancer

Psychopathic Behavior Essay Example for Free

Psychopathic Behavior Essay The Psychopath Understanding and Treatment Abstract Mental health disorders are among the most complex disorders to understand. Persons with these types of disorders are not commonly accepted into society. Psychopaths are among some of the most difficult disorders to treat. These persons most often come from a background lacking structure and continuity. Proper treatment is heavily debated. Report It is a popular belief that psychopaths are considered to be individuals that are as brilliantly charming as they are morally insane. However, the tendency to refer to the psychopathic behavior as â€Å"morally insane† is a misconception. Regardless of scientific discoveries, psychopathy is a disease which results in a physiological deficiency. The brain of psychopaths is believed to fail in generation of proper wave activity. Waves emitted are generally slower in individuals suffering from psychopathic behavior. This fundamental incompetence is responsible for a lower degree of arousal when these persons face a threatening situation. Their lack of anxiety and consequent careless behavior in any situation is commonly referred to as lack of conscience. These individuals lack the plethora of emotions that arise in the â€Å"normal† individual; that is, the ability to feel, to anticipate the breaking of the law, or to feel sorry when they break these laws. They are deprived of a conscience which organizes the moral notions of good and bad. In normal behavior, acts are constrained by external laws at work in society. The conscience of average individuals are able to anticipate any destructive action which could obstruct the law. Psychopaths don’t have such a capacity. They are leading a life which ignores external impediments. This fundamental unawareness is directly related to a slower activity of waves at work in the brain. This abnormality blocks the entire process of learning. The lower waves produce a decreased response of anxiety which causes the psychopaths to not be anxious or afraid of punishment when they perform a reprehensible action. According to Cleckley’ s definition of psychopathic behavior in the Mask of Sanity , (1988) when one of them breaks the law, he or she does not experience a sense of shame or guilt. When psychopaths are faced with any form of punishment – it could be physical pain or punishment regardless of the deliberate breaking of laws- they do not react with as much anticipation as the average individual. This is because they lack a part of the neurological process which allows them to avoid pain; that is, the adequate rise in palmar sweat gland activity which generates the adequate stimulus. Therefore, the psychopath will reproduce the same harmful actions again and again. In 1954, Ellington’ s experiments showed that between 31 % and 58 % of psychopaths showed some form of electroencephalogram abnormality located in the temporal lobes of the cerebral hemispheres. Another experience regarding the lack of anxiety in psychopaths was lead in 1965 by Robert Hare. In that experience, psychopathic and non-psychopathic subjects were told that each time they would see the number eight in a series of number from one to twelve, they would receive an electric shock. Non-psychopathic individuals showed higher rates of anxiety when they knew the number eight was about to come. On the contrary, psychopathic individuals remain perfectly calm at the sight of the feared number. These results are important since they show that it is a physiological deficiency rather than deliberate insanity that is responsible for the psychopath’s criminal behavior. Another perception largely spread among the population concerns the traditional representation of the psychopath who is figured out as a habitual pleasure seeker, constantly searching for the next big thrill. In the movie the Silence of the Lambs, such a personality is embodied in Hannibal Lector, a frightening psychopath who, by his compelling need of strong experiences, breaks the boundaries of decency. The portrayal of this character embodies the collective myths referring to the mental scheme of the psychopath. The representation is romanticized in order to play with society’s fascination for the violation of laws. However, the popular myths have captured one of the most fundamental features of the psychopathic personality as described by Cleckley, cited in p. 479 of Abnormal Behavior. Most psychopaths become bored quickly with the humdrum of everyday life. They search constantly for new thrills and experiences daring robberies, impersonations, confidence games, new varieties of drugs and deviant sexual behavior†. The psychopath occasionally needs to receive a stimuli stronger than the average person in order to be aroused and, eventually, find â€Å"the game† exc iting. Therefore, psychopath’s brain activity is not always below the average. Otherwise, this decreased activity would have it made difficult to explain the energy the psychopath shows in order to catch his victim. When an immediate reward is offered, impulsivity of the individual suffering from psychopathic disorder increases through an immediate responsiveness to the appealing stimulus. From a neurological point of view, the slow brainwaves are balanced by a peak of specific waves located in the temporal area and linked to the individual’s impulsivity; which, in that case, appears every time there is a promise of instantaneous reward. In 1993, Patterson and Newman conducted a test, the purpose of which was to analyze the reaction of psychopaths when they were confronted with instantaneous rewards. The results where puzzling. While the non-psychopathic individuals, conscious that they were losing their money, stopped to play, nine out of ten psychopaths continued to play even though they had lost money on nineteen of the twenty trials. In that case, the immediate reward which was money functioning as a powerful stimulus, constituted the new thrill. Since psychopathic behavior violates the laws at work in society, the view commonly held among people is that, from an early age, environmental factors cause the psychopathic disorder. The characteristics underlying psychopathy are denial of the society’s rules or simply lack of concern for the other fellow men. It can be asserted that, at some point in their life, the maturation of a psychopath’s self has encountered several barriers which, in turn, have resulted in a distorted ego in the young adult. The psychopath is unable to avoid the satisfaction of his primary impulses as well as not feeling the guilt associated with the breaking of a given rule. All these processes were part of the values that, as a young child, the individual has internalized through particular schemes. These schemes referred to as cognitive schemes essentially lie in the emotional responses which are provided by the external world. Through these cognitive clues, an entire world of tenderness and care provides the baby with identifiable marks necessary to his present and future well being. These cognitive schemes are mediation processes between the individual and the world in the sense that, through them, the child distinguishes the good from the bad. Little by little, he is able to build his consciousness of the surrounding world. But, because either the psychotic child has been stopped from doing so at some point of his life or that, generally, these signs have been distributed in spare quantity, the individual will develop psychopathic tendencies since he lacks the ability to relate himself to the world in a proper way. One quick look at the background of Charles Manson is enough to understand the role played by environmental factors in his rearing and the consequent deviant personality he developed through the years. In the book abnormal behavior on p. 488, it is showed that Manson’s mother â€Å"modeled a life of prostitution, irresponsibility and crime. She probably provided little in the way of cognitive structuring about rules, consequences, or values. † For the young boy there was little left to model his life on. What he became later has been certainly influenced by the poor education he received which, in turn, resulted in a subsequent failure to internalize society’s prohibitions. The biological approach provided the theory of environmental factors as shaping the future personality with a number of interesting clues. Franz Kallman found that a high percentage of children of psychopaths ended up themselves with psychopathic disorders. The main reason was that their parents were indeed institutionalized for psychopathic symptoms and once left alone, these children experienced the deprivation of external warnings consequent to the familial structure’s withdrawal. As a result of this lack of guidance, they ended up psychopaths. Moreover a study focusing on children who spend their early years in institutions where there is less love offered than in a family structure, revealed that they later showed an aggressive behavior toward both humans and animals. However, the assertions have to be manipulated cautiously in the sense that if those children later isplayed a criminal behavior though vandalism, truancy and antisocial activities, not all of them ended up psychopath. Seventy to 85 percent of individuals classified as criminals meet the criteria for anti- social personality disorder. By contrast only 15 to 25 percent of convicted criminals meet the criteria for psychopathy. All experiments stated above have sh own how the characteristics of psychopathy as a disease are dramatically profound. Generally, the subjects’ clear lack of conscience diminishes dramatically their concrete chances of effective treatment. Nevertheless, science has built its success on an attempt to improve on common limitations, constantly challenging even the most irremediable cases. In that perspective, through the years, several approaches to the treatment of psychopathy have been designed. From a biological point of view, if we assume that psychopathy is a disease which has its physical causes in an abnormal brain activity, that physiological deficiency can be corrected by drug treatment. However, the implications of such treatments have to be considered carefully for whoever is aware of the ethical implications involved by such manipulations. For a long time, psychopaths have been treated with a variety of drugs such as dilantin, sodium, and amphetamine sulfate. Occasional recoveries have been reported. However, the lack of follow-up studies once the subject stopped taking the medications has called into question the overall efficiency of the treatment. Generally, patients do show improvement while taking their medications as prescribed. Moreover, if the drug treatment effectively alleviates the pain, it involves a passive approach to that disease. Indeed, to give a psychopath a pill for lack of real structures adapted to his particular disease represents an â€Å"easy way† to deal with the problem. One illustrative case concerns the use of such drugs treatments in the late 70’s. In that time, assuming that psychopathy was an incurable disease, certain institutions distributed those drugs â€Å"too generously†, which, in turn, led the patients suffering from psychopathic symptoms to experiencing a general apathy. This process raised an ethical question: 1. To what extent should the pain be alleviated? 2. Were these drugs dministered in order to help the patients or simply to put them in a great situation of passivity, making sure they would not hurt anyone? Still, this passivity was believed to be better than the manifestation of psychopathic symptoms in which the patient could have an uncontrollable outburst of rage. However, drug treatment generally tries to stabilize the situation rather than look for dy namic solutions which involve an active participation both of the doctor and of his patient. In any case, the use of mediations has to be manipulated cautiously in order to avoid such excesses. Doctors should use them only when it has been established case per case that the violent behavior is clearly related to a brain dysfunction. From a psycho dynamic perspective, the treatment of psychopathic disorders through psychoanalysis is believed by many to be inadequate. Psychoanalysis tends to analyze the conflicts between the id, the ego and the superego. These internal conflicts are at the basis of the personality. On the contrary, a psychopath doesn’t experience these underlying conflicts. He has become psychopath precisely because he lacked a superego which could have provided him social standards . Whereas most of us are able to sit in an armchair and express our remorse, the psychopath is not likely to expand himself in sorrowful complaints about all the damages he caused to his surroundings. In fact, if his disease is a result of a poor internalization of moral values, he is not able to be lucid and clear about himself. This lack of clarity related to a lack of conscience is one of the reasons why Freud refused to cure a certain category of patients, precisely those who manifested a clear distortion of reality although they were fully aware. Among this category were the schizophrenics but also the psychopaths. Similarly, in Mask of Sanity, Cleckley concluded that psychotherapeutic treatments to treat psychopathy have been disappointing in the sense that they failed to provoke changes to the psychopath’s daily behavior. Therefore, the best approach to the treatment of psychopathy is that which takes into consideration the environmental factors and attacks the problem from its basis by providing the child with psychopathic tendencies a secure environment where he can learn to anticipate his negative instincts by developing a positive sense of the self. Some believe that the control of psychopathy lies in institutional programs. From January 1954 to February 1955, a study at the Wiltwyck School In New York was conducted. The institutional program at work in the school emphasized a loving permissive environment which gradually replaced permissiveness by efforts to teach social control and responsibility. As a result, the children developing psychopathic disorders responded positively to the treatment. They showed an increase in the internalization of social standards which allowed them to re- experience feelings of guilt and shame. In conclusion, considering the fact that there is no real treatment which has proven to be effective on a larger scale, it is dangerous to let the psychopaths operate in everyday life by lack of social structures. Hare notes the connection between psychopathy and domestic abuse. Psychopaths are generally intelligent and superficially charming enabling them to exploit others’ weaknesses. In a culture that promotes superficial values, the psychopath will thrive.

Defined Benefit And Define Contribution Pension Schemes Accounting Essay

Defined Benefit And Define Contribution Pension Schemes Accounting Essay Pension is fund that is built during the working life of the employee and then used to secure the income after retirement. These funds can be operated by employer (occupational pension) who invests over time or alternatively employee can invest in a fund of their choice (private pension scheme). Both of these schemes generate income after retirement. The pension funds are operated in many countries. According to international financial service the UK pension fund is $1,464 billion, Germany had $268 billion and France had $164 billion. Pension schemes are of two major types: Defined benefit scheme Defined contribution scheme DEFINED BENEFIT SCHEMES: Define benefit scheme is also known as final salary scheme which stipulate a particular level of income after retirement normally based on final salary and length of service. Although there is a compulsory contribution by the employee, most of the cost of the benefit and risk of the investment is borne by the employer. For example, in most of the public sector pension schemes, UK employers pay 60% of the cost of providing the benefits and members pay 40%. Various factors which effect the contribution includes: Value of the scheme assets and investment yield. Â  The composition of scheme membership. Â  Rate of salary growth of the scheme members. Â  Longer life span after retirement. Â  Changing regulatory requirements. Contributory Defined Benefit Scheme: In this case the employees make contributions to the pension scheme. Final Salary Schemes and Career Average Salary Schemes are the contributory Defined Benefit Schemes. Final Salary Scheme: In this case the pension amount is calculated on the basis of the final salary of an employee in that company. From the employers point of view these are expensive as compared to other pension schemes. The contributions for are made by the employee for the pension scheme. Career Average Salary Scheme : It calculates the pension amount depending upon the average earnings over the total number of years an employee works in a company. The benefits would be a percentage of the average salary earned by an employee during his career in that particular company. As compared to final salary scheme they are less costly for the employers. In this case also employee contributes in the pension scheme. Non- Contributory Defined Benefit Scheme: In this case the emploer instead of employee is responsible for the contributions in the pension scheme. Cash Salary Scheme is the non contributory Scheme. Cash Salary Scheme: This is a non contributory defined benefit scheme. In this case employer contributes a particular amount of money each year on behalf of the employee. They are a combination of defined benefit scheme and defined contribution scheme. For this reason they are also called as Hybrid Schemes. Decline in Defined Benefit Schemes: In define benefit scheme employer bears most of the risk as well if the pension fund become insufficient either due to poor investment performance or large salary increases, employer must replenish the pension fund out of business revenues. Operating such scheme on average earnings rather than final salary can help to protect against higher rate of salary growth. Munnell and Soto found that many firms have frozen define benefit plans since 2003. There are Following are the number of factors which have been used by employers to explain the decline of defined benefit schemes which are described below: Source : http://www.opalliance.org.uk/decline.htm DEFINED CONTRIBUTION SCHEMES Defined contribution schemes are also known as money purchase scheme in which the employee and/or employer make contributions into a pension fund according to prescribed rules. At retirement the pension fund is used to buy annuity which is an income guaranteed for life of the recipient. Most of the personal pensions are of his type. Under defined contribution schemes following factors determine the pension income available at retirement. The contributions invested in the scheme; Product provider charges; The performance of the pension fund; The annuity rate at retirement date The main factors that determine the benefits at retirement are the contributions invested by the employee, the return on investment earned, Annuity rate, the type of annuity selected and the charges of the scheme. Due to the characteristics and benefits of this scheme, this is the most popular type of pension schemes used in UK. These contributions cover a wide variety of private and occupational schemes. In this case the risk of poor returns on investment or high cost lies with the employee instead of employer. The employees cannot forecast their pension as the return on investment fund is uncertain. The factors affecting the return like annuity rate, charges on investments and performance of investments are beyond the control of the employee. An employee can also be certain of the amount of investment made by him. In the initial stages of investment the contributions are invested in the investments where risk is high and as an employee reaches near his retirement his contributions are invested in comparatively less riskier investments. This provides a good combination of growth and security. Employees in this case can have tax relief on their contributions. The pension fund in this case therefore includes: Pension Fund = Employees Contributions + Employers Contributions + Investment Returns + Tax benefits The contributions are invested in the shares and other investments with the aim of earning more return on these investments which can help in the growth of the pension fund before the retirement of the employees. Employees can choose the investments in which they want to invest. At the time of retirement employees can take a tax free lump sum amount from their pension and the remaining amount can be used to secure an income. If an employee changes his job he can stop making payments to his fund and can leave it as it is with his previous employer. This is also known as Deferred or Preserved Pension. Otherwise with some additional cost and risk he can get it transferred to his new employer or a stakeholder. Defined contributions scheme allows employees to make regular contributions. Employer can also opt for making contributions in the pension fund. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEFINED BENEFIT AND DEFINED CONTRIBUTION SCHEMES. The defined benefit and defined contribution schemes can be best differentiated by determining where the risks lie. In a defined benefit scheme, the employer bears the vast majority of costs and if investment returns poor yield or costs increase, the pension fund can become insufficient and the employer must replenish the fund out of the business revenues. Whereas in a defined contribution scheme the contributions are paid at a fixed level and therefore it is the recipient who bears these risks. If they are not able to increase contributions when fund performance is poor or cost increases, then their retirement income will be lower. In UK there is an upper limit from a define benefit scheme where as there is no upper limit to the level of income generated from this scheme. Basis Defined Benefit Scheme Defined Contribuion Scheme 1. Risk Risk lies with the employer Risk lies with the employee 2. Change in Value of Investment Pension fund is fixed and pre determined. Pension funds have the growth potential. They are flexible and can provide more return. 3. Affect of Market conditions Market conditions do not affect the pension fund Market conditions affect the return on investments made by the employees. 4. Economic Conditions. Economic conditions like inflation, affects the employees. As they receive fixed amount and the value of money decreases. They have less affect of the economic conditions on the investments. 5. Cost to employer These have high cost associated with them for the employer. These plans have comparatively low cost. 6. Responsibility Responsibility to make payments lie with the employer most of the times. Employee is responsible to make payments 7. Trend These pension schemes have a downward trend these days due to the cost associated with them for the employer. They have an upward trend due to the less cost to the employers. 8. Uncertain These are comparatively more certain. The same amount invested by two different persons provides the same return. These are uncertain in nature. The employee knows the amount he or his employer invested but he is uncertain about the return on this investment. The recent rush to close final salary pension schemes to new employees means that an increasing number of workers now have to rely on defined contribution (money purchase) schemes to provide their future retirement income, either through a scheme set up by their employer or a personal pension as a group or individual arrangement. Buessing and Sotos (2006) analysis of data from Department of Labor Form 5500 filings shows that the number of individuals who participate only in a private sector define benefit plan has declined from 9.6 million in 1990 to 6.6 million in 2003. The growth of private sector define contribution plans has given employees new responsibility for managing retirement assets and made retirement wealth accumulation a function of an employees contribution and asset allocation decisions. Accrued benefits in define benefit plans do not depend on financial market returns, except in extreme circumstances such as plan insolvency. Benefits in define contribution plans, however, are a function of financial market returns. Some analysts have suggested that define contribution plans expose prospective retirees to greater risk than define benefit plans because of this link. Several recent studies have examined financial market risk in define contribution plans. Balcer and Sahin (1979) compare define benefit and define contribution plans in a lifecycle setting, recognizing that earnings uncertainty and job transitions have an important effect on the accumulated wealth of define benefit plan participants. Bodie, Marcus, and Merton (1988) note that define benefit and define contribution plans both entail risks, but that these risks are different. Neither of these studies make quantitative estimates of relative risks; two more recent studies do. Samwick and Skinner (2004) use data from the 1983 and 1989 Survey of Consumer Finances and the associated Pension Provider Supplement (PPS) to summarize DC and DB plan attributes. They generate synthetic earnings histories under the assumption that the logarithm of earnings follows a random walk with age-related drift, and they evaluate define benefit and define contribution wealth accumulation for these earnings hi stories. This approach may miss subtle stochastic properties of actual earnings histories. The results suggest that for many workers define contribution plan accumulations are likely to exceed the actuarial present discounted value (PDV) of define benefit plan benefits. Finally, Schrager (2005) uses data on earnings and job change patterns from the Panel Survey of Income Dynamics to study related issues. She finds that job turnover increased in the 1990s, making define contribution plans more attractive relative to define benefit plans for many workers. Both of the empirical studies parameterize the earnings and job change processes, thereby suppressing some of the richness in individual earnings histories. One of the key risks in both define benefit and define contribution wealth accumulation is an ex ante risk that workers face when they accept a job: what does the firms define contribution or define benefit plan offer? There is substantial variation in the generosity of employer matching contributions in define contribution plans, and in the normal retirement age and level of risks that are realized as their working career unfolds. These include their earnings path, which is a key input directly to define benefit wealth accruals and which affects the capacity to make define contribution contributions, the economic fortunes of their employer, which may lead to changes in the retirement plan parameters, their job tenure and the number of jobs they hold over their working career, the choices they make in a define contribution plan, and the financial market returns that they earn on their define contribution plan investments. Some components of both the post-retirement benefits in define benefit plans. In addition to these ex ante risks, workers also face ex post ex ante and ex post risk are under the control of the worker, who may decide whether or not to work for a firm with particular pension characteristics, whether or not to voluntarily separate from a firm with a define benefit plan, or whether or not to contribute the maximum amount to a define contribution plan. Conclusion When employers try to compare the real overall cost of providing a typical defined benefit scheme with a typical defined contribution scheme, they usually fail to compare like with like. It is often forgotten that because employers tend to benefit from favorable investment returns with defined benefit schemes, many defined benefit arrangements have actually cost a lot less than contribution levels suggest if you take into account contribution reductions and contribution holidays. Certainly when looking back beyond the recent troubled financial markets, it was not uncommon for defined benefit arrangements to be holding surpluses and/or to be taking contribution holidays. This will not be possible under a defined contribution scheme where the employer is required to maintain the agreed level of contributions irrespective of how well the investments are performing, subject only to the proviso that an individual cannot be over-funded (i.e. the benefits that can be purchased by their contributions cannot exceed the maximum as laid down by the Inland Revenue). This will not always be the case and negotiators might like to remind employers of this fact during their deliberations. Where it does not prove possible to persuade the employer to maintain a defined benefit scheme for all employees then the objective must be to ensure that the defined contribution scheme agreed is essentially based upon contributions that will actually deliver an adequate pension for future retiring employees.