Meaning of Life and Dream Boy Essay

â€Å"Dream Boy† is a song written by Natalia Genie, a high school student at A. S. T. Rafael Villeda, also known as â€Å"Faike†, was her inspiration. Faike was a 17-year old teenage boy who suffered from bone cancer. Faike was a very important person in Natalia’s life as well as in mine, and for many, many other people. During his struggles battling cancer, Natalia got inspired to write this song about him and his hard-hitting life fight. It’s a very emotive song, that has touched a lot of people’s hearts. It’s a song people listen to when missing or thinking about Faike. First, the title â€Å"Dream Boy† is an inspiration to believe in that no matter how hard life gets or how complicated it seems to be, you just can’t give up on your dreams. You have to dream big, try not to be so realistic in life. â€Å"I used to ask myself Why is this happening? Why were you the chosen one? And I used to believe that this was never goanna happen. But now I see it did† is the song’s lead. It tells you about how you never imagine someone you love and care about having a really severe and fatal illness. This verse represents the beginning of the journey when no one could understand that something so terrible could happen to someone so close to us and no one knew why it had to happen to him. The song continues with â€Å"And I bet it must be hard. And I know that you are strong. And you will stand up when you fall. † It’s a representation of the author having a conversation with Faike on how he inspires us and how proud we are of him because we all know his strength. Also, makes us realize that he is not a quitter and how he can fight to be in the top. The chorus goes like this â€Å"So Dream Boy, have faith in Him boy. He is taking care of you. So why don’t you dream, dream, Dream Boy. Why don’t you dream, boy dream. † It is one of the most important lines of the song that represents many things. When Natalia sings the word â€Å"Him† she is talking about God. Showing him God is by his side as well as all the people who care about him are. That God can make everything happen and we all should have faith in Him. She is also telling him to dream. Dream is a very broad word, but in this case it means to have faith that a miracle can come to light, to keep on living his life to the fullest. Also, that he should have big hopes and dreams and cancer can’t get in his way into becoming the best person he could be, and to achieve anything he wants in his life. â€Å"If you keep smiling your heart will brighten. And the joy will burn the pain. He gave you the heart of a lion to keep you strong and brave. † These verses imply if he gets all depressed about the fact he has bone cancer, he will even feel worse than the pain he has. So, if he believes that it’s over and that he lost his battle, he will worsen and feel that there is no point in even trying. Then again, if he lives like if the cancer was not there, he will feel better about himself and what is going on in his life. When the author wrote â€Å"Heart of a lion,† she gave double meaning to it. The first connotation is that the lion is the strongest in the animal kingdom, meaning he is brave, strong and a fighter. The second one is for his favorite team in the world â€Å"Olimpia,† being the lion the team’s mascot. â€Å"It’s a struggle what your going through. And you must fight with all your might. And I know that it’s scary and I know that it’s hard. But it’s fine. You’ll be alright. Cause he is by your side. He’s by your side. † These verse means that we really don’t know what he is going through but we know it’s harsh. It’s not something that is going to be cured from one day to another. It’s something really hard to get through and to battle with everyday of his life. So the only thing left to do is to fight with everything you’ve got. Besides all of that, he is going to be fine. If he dies, it’s going to be fine. It’s really sad, but he is going to be in a better place where pain is not felt anymore. If he survives, he will be with us and God will never leave his side. So he will always be fine, with or without us. â€Å"She is reaching out. They’re reaching out. We’re reaching out. You’re reaching out. He is reaching out. † Natalia uses the different pronouns to describe every different people reaching out for him. She is reaching out referring to Mother Mary. They’re reaching out means all the kids that are battling cancer all over the world. We’re reaching out is all the people that love him including family, friends, girlfriend and everyone praying for him. You’re reaching out refers to himself, Faike. He is reaching out means God. All for Faike to reach out for him to keep him going, to keep him trying; not to give up to win this horrible, painful, and ugly battle. In conclusion, â€Å"Dream Boy† is the song. It is Rafael Villeda’s song. Only for him, telling his life story and his tough battle. It symbolizes how strong he is, how a great fighter he is. When people listen to â€Å"Dream Boy† the only thing that pops in everyone’s head is Faike. Sadly Rafael Villeda passed away in November 20, 2012; it was the saddest day in a lot of people’s lives and we have this song to remember how strong of a person he was. He is an inspiration of perseverance and now he is our angel in heaven that showed us how to be a dreamer and a believer.

Lemurs in Madagascar Assignment

Associate Level Material Lemurs in Madagascar Assignment View the â€Å"Lemurs in Madagascar – Surviving on an Island of Change† video. Using the information found in this video, and in Ch. 5 and 6 of Visualizing Environmental Science, answer the following questions in 25 to 100 words each. 1. What are Madagascar’s biomes? Discuss the major features of at least one of these biomes. Use the textbook for biome examples. A= In Madagascar their biome is the tropical rainforest. A feature of a biome from the tropical rainforest is the temperature; it is usually warm yearly with rain every day.There are 3 different layers to the biome in the tropical rainforest, first being the layer on top of trees, the second layer being on the leaves, and the last layer being on the ground of the rainforest. 2. What changes happening in Madagascar are posing challenges for lemurs? Give details about the sources, time scale, and types of change. A= the changes that are happening are creating many challenges to lemurs is the destruction of the tropical rainforest by humans.Lemurs eat the leaves from the trees, and if the trees are being cut down it is destroying not only the rainforest but the lemur’s source of food. 3. Which types of lemurs are adapting to the changes? Which types of lemurs are not adapting well? Why? A= the lemurs that are doing well with the changes are the ones secondary to the habitats altered by people, these lemurs are called the ring-tailed lemur, they use the crops of the people to find food due to the destruction of the rainforest.The lemurs that are not adapting well are the bamboo lemurs, they eat only bamboo and since a lot of plants are gone they do not have food to eat. 4. What behavioral and physical traits are being favored in lemurs in the changing Madagascar environment? A= well some of the lemurs are able to adapt to the changes and they are studying this type to see what will help them change and also to see if that c hange can be shown to other lemurs. 5. Why might lemurs not evolve to adapt to the changes in Madagascar?A= this can happen is a lemur only eats a certain type of plant and if there is no longer that plant in the rainforest then the changes for that breed of lemur will not be good. 6. Which biogeochemical cycles may be altered by anthropogenic activities on Madagascar, and how? A= this involves the transition between atmospheric gases, soils, oceans and living organisms. Since the humans continue to destroy these resources in Madagascar areas will continued to be effected. Reference â€Å"Lemurs in Madagascar: Surviving on an Island of Change. † Films Media Group, 2006. Films on Demand.

5. the Best Way to Spend a Holiday.

1. Intonation. Its functions. Much has been said about the importance of paying due attention to intonation when studying a foreign language. The process of communication cannot be performed without intonation as it has its own functions in a sentence. These functions are: 1. The constitutive 2. The distinctive (1) Intonation forms sentences. Each sentence consists of one or more intonation groups. An intonation group is a word or a group of words characterized by a certain intonation pattern and is generally complete from the point of view of meaning. E. g.You’ll come early | and stay as long as you can | won’t you || Sentences are separated from each other by pauses. The end of a sentence is always recognized by a long pause; the end of a non-final intonation group is usually characterized by a shorter pause. E. g. He’s passed his exam || He is a student now || Like most old people | he was fond of talking about old days || (2) Intonation also serves to disting uish the communicative types of sentences, the actual meaning of a sentence, the speaker’s emotions or attitudes to the contents of the sentence, to the listener or to the topic of conversation. E. g.He’s passed his exam || Low-Fall – a statement of fact High-Rise – a question Low-Rise – a question with surprise High-Fall – an exclamation One and the same sentence pronounced with different intonation can express different emotions. Intonation is also a powerful means of differentiating the functional styles. 2. The components of the intonation 1) Speech melody or the pitch. The sentence possesses definite phonetic features: variations of pitch or speech melody, pauses, sentence stress, rhythm, tempo and timbre. Each feature performs a definite task and all of them work simultaneously.It is generally acknowledged that the pitch of the voice or speech melody, sentence stress and rhythm are the three main components of intonation, whilst pauses , tempo and timbre play a subordinate role in speech. The pitch of the voice does not stay on the same level while the sentence is pronounced. It falls and rises within the interval between its lower and upper limits. Three pitch levels are generally distinguished: high, medium and low. The pitch of the voice rises and falls on the vowels and voiced consonants. These falls and rises form definite patterns typical of English and are called speech melody.Pitch Range is the interval between two pitch levels. It may be normal, wide and narrow. E. g. I didn’t know you’ve been to London. The use of this or that pitch (and range) shows the degree of its semantic importance. As a rule the low pitch level expresses little semantic weight, on the contrary the high pitch level is a sign of importance, stronger degree of feeling. 2) Rhythm Rhythm is a regular recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables at definite intervals. The characteristic features of English speech rhythm may be summed up as follows: 1.The regularity of the recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables results in the pronunciation of each rhythmic group in a sense-group in the same period of time irrespective to the number of unstressed syllables in it. Which in its turn influences the length of sounds, especially vowels. 2. The alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables results in the influence of rhythm upon word-stress and sentence-stress. There are as many rhythmical groups in a sense-group as there are stressed syllables. Rhythmic groups can be of two types:  ·enclitics – a rhythmic group in which an unstressed syllable clings to the preceding stressed syllable. proclitics – a rhythmic group in which an unstressed syllable clings to the following stressed syllable. To acquire a good English speech rhythm one should arrange sentences: 1) into intonation groups; 2) into rhythmic groups; 3) link the words beginning with a vowel to preceding words; 4) weaken unstressed words and syllables; 5) make the stressed syllables occur regularly within an intonation group. Sentence stress A separate word when used alone as a sentence is always stressed. In a sentence consisting of more than one word, some of the words are left unstressed.They are the words of small semantic value or those with a purely grammatical function: articles, prepositions, conjunctions, auxiliary, modal and link verbs, personal and reflective pronouns. Words essential to the meaning of the utterance are normally stressed (nouns, adjectives, notional verbs, adverbs, demonstrative and interrogative pronouns). So words that provide most of the information are singled out by means of sentence stress. Sentence stress is a greater prominence with which one or more words are in a sentence are pronounced as compared with the other words according to their informational (semantic) importance.This greater prominence is achieved by: 1. Greater force of exhalation and muscular tensi on. 2. Changing of the pitch level. 3. Pronouncing the stressed syllables longer. 4. Not changing the quality of a vowel in the stressed syllable. The most important piece of information conveyed in the sentence is called its communicative centre. It may be expressed by a single word or a number of words. Usually it is the last word in a sense-group and it carries the terminal tone. The main function of sentence stress is to single out the communicative centre of the sentence, which introduces new information.So it performs a distinctive function and distinguished the speaker’s modal and emotional attitude to the words. Sentence stress may vary in degree. It may be full and partial. Full sentence stress in its turn may be unemphatic and emphatic. 1) Partial sentence stress is indicated by single stress-marks places below the line of print. E. g. I haven’t the slightest idea. 2) Full unemphatic sentence stress is indicated by single stress-marks placed above the line of print. E. g. I haven’t the slightest idea. ) Full emphatic sentence stress is effected by greater force of utterance, greater force of exhalation and lengthening the sounds. Emphatically stresses syllables become more prominent and sound longer than syllables with unemphatic stress. It is indicated by double stress-marks. E. g. Stop talking! Sentence stress can also be subdivided as to its function into syntagmatic stress, syntactic stress and logical stress. Syntagmatic stress presents the most important functional type. Together with the main tones it singles out the semantic centre of the sentence or a sense-group.In sentences where no word is made specially prominent syntagmatic stress is usually realized in the last stressed word. E. g. I am sending you two tickets for the theatre. Syntactic (or normal) stress marks the other semantically important words within the utterance. E. g. I am sending you two tickets for the theatre. Logical stress is connected with the shifti ng of the syntagmatic stress from its normal place on the last stressed word to one of the preceding words. It often expresses something new to the listener and creates a new communicative centre. Specific features of the English sentence stressThough we know that usually notional words are stressed in the sentence and form (functional) words are unstressed it is necessary to point out that any word in a sentence may have logical stress. A word which is made prominent by logical stress may stand at the beginning; at the end or in the middle of a sense-group but it is usually the last stressed word in it. Sentence stress on words following logical stress either disappears or becomes weak. Besides functional words may be stressed in some special cases: I. Auxiliary, modal and link verbs are stressed in the following positions: 1.At the beginning of the sentence in general and alternative questions. E. g. Can you come? Did you meet him? 2. When they stand for a notional verb in short a nswers for general questions. E. g. Yes, I am. Yes I have. 3. In contracted negative forms. E. g. He didn’t do it. 4. to be is stressed when final and preceded by the object which is unstressed. E. g. I want him to be here. 5. Auxiliary verb to do is stressed in emphatic sentences. E. g. I do like it! II. Prepositions are stressed when they consist of two or more syllables and are followed by an unstressed personal pronoun. E. g. The dog ran after him.III. Conjunctions are stressed at the beginning of a sentence when followed by an unstressed word. E. g. When he had gone | she went home too. If he drives | he may be here at any moment. IV. When a personal pronoun is connected by the conjunction ‘and’ with a noun they are both stressed. E. g. My mother and I. V. ‘Have to’ is stressed in the meaning of ‘must’. E. g. He has to go. The general rules for sentence stress are sometimes not observed: a word that should be stressed according to t hese rules may be left unstressed. In most cases it is rhythm that is responsible for the omission of stress.Compounds are influenced in the following way: 1. When preceded by a stressed syllable they are stressed on the second element. E. g They are all first-class. It is too old-fashioned. 2. When used as attributes before nouns stressed on the first syllable, the stress falls on the first element of the compound. E. g. She is a good-looking girl. 3. When two nouns occur together the first being used attributively, the second is not stressed. E. g film-star, telephone-book. But if the second noun is polysyllabic it must be stressed. E. g. picture gallery, detective story.Some words belonging to the notional parts of speech are not stressed in certain cases: 1. When a word is repeated in a sense-group immediately following, the repetition is generally unstressed. E. g. – How many books have you got? – Two books. 2. Word-substitutes like ‘one’ are usually unstressed. E. g. I don’t like this dress. Show me that red one. 3. When the word ‘most’ does not express comparison, but a high degree of quality and is equivalent to ‘very’, ‘extremely’ it is not stressed. E. g. This is a most beautiful picture. 4. The pronoun ‘each’ in ‘each other’ is always unstressed. E. g.They loved each other. 5. The adverb ‘so’ in ‘do so’, ‘think so’ is not stressed. 6. The conjunctions ‘as’ in the constructions of the type ‘as well as’ is not stressed. 7. The word ‘street’ in the names of streets is never stressed. E. g. Oxford street. Differences with the Russian language 1. Good morning! ! Good night! ! 2. She’s as pretty as her mother. ? . 3. He did not say a word. . 4. In English the final stress does not fall on the last element in the word combinations: ‘and so on’, Ã¢â‚¬Ë œand so forth’, ‘in a day or two’ etc. nd so on? . He will come in a day or two. . 5. In English general questions the final stress falls on the adverbials or on direct object following the verb (in Russian on the verb). Do you speak English? - Will you go home? The Intonation Group An intonation group may be a whole sentence or a part of it. In either case it may consist of a single word or a number of words. An intonation group has the following characteristics: 1. It has at least one accented (stressed) word carrying a marked change in pitch (a rise, a fall†¦). 2.It is pronounced at a certain rate and without any pause within it. The pitch-and-stress pattern or the intonation pattern of the intonation group consists of the following elements: 1. the pre-head – unstressed or partially stressed syllables which precede the first full stressed syllable; 2. the head (scale, body) – the intonation pattern extending from the first stress ed syllable up to (but not including) the nuclear syllable; 3. the nucleus – the syllable bearing the nuclear (terminal) tone; 4. the tail – unstressed or partially stressed syllables following the nucleus. He told me he would think of it. _____________________ ______________________ pre-head head nucleus tail There are different types of pre-heads, heads and tails. Types of heads. Head patterns are classified into three groups: descending, ascending and level according to the way it begins from the point of view of pitch movement. Descending heads move down from a medium or a high pitch level to the low one. The first stressed syllable is the highest. In the stepping head the stressed syllables gradually descend in pitch levels, unstressed or partially stressed syllables are pronounced on the same level as the preceding stressed ones.This head conveys the impression of the balanced, active, â€Å"normal† mood of the speaker. I don’t want to go to the cin ema. _________________________ _________________________ The unstressed syllables may gradually descend in pitch too. In this case the head is called a falling head. ________________________ ________________________ A fall in pitch may not be gradual but rather jumpy which is achieved by a considerable lowering of the pitch inside the stressed syllables or by pronouncing unstressed syllables at a much lower level than the preceding stressed ones. Such a head is called the sliding head.It usually reflects an excited state of mind and, sometimes, a highly emotional attitude to the situation. I don’t want to go to the cinema. _________________________ _________________________ Ascending heads are the opposite of the descending heads: their stressed syllables move up by steps with the intervening unstressed ones continuing the rise and in this case it is a rising head. I don’t want to go to the cinema. _________________________ _________________________ If the voice moves up jumpy the head is called climbing. Unstressed syllables glide up too. __________________________ _________________________ In level heads all the syllables are pronounced on the same level (or gradually ascends towards the nucleus) either high or medium or low. So there are three level heads correspondingly. It is shown by the tone mark before the first stressed syllable. [ ] Low head conveys an impression ranging from cool and indifferent to sulky and hostile. Types of pre-head There are two types of pre-head: the low pre-head and the high pre-head. The low pre-head is pronounced at a low pitch and may occur in all unemphatic and many emphatic utterances.Its main semantic function is to mark the comparative unimportance of initial unstressed syllables. The high pre-head is pronounced at a high pitch level. It has a clearly emphatic function. Before a rising tone it usually gives a bright, lively, encouraging character to the utterance. The high pre-head is marked by the tone-str ess mark ( ) placed before the first syllable above the line of print. Types of tails There are two types of tails: the low tail and the rising tail. The low tail goes after the falling tone and is pronounced at a low pitch. Show me. __________ __________The rising tail occurs after the rising tone and gradually rises in pitch producing the very effect of the rising tone whilst the word carrying the syntagmatic stress is pronounced on the lowest level in the sense-group. Really? ________ ________ The notion of â€Å"tone†. Static and kinetic tones. Prominent segments of an utterance are usually associated with a pitch change (or a pitch contrast) combined with increased force of articulation and increased duration. Such a cooperation of different phonetic features is reflected in the notion of the tone – the basic element of English intonation.Tones are divided into two classes: static and kinetic. Static are level tones, their number corresponds to the number of pitch levels. Kinetic tones are classified according to the following criteria: a) the direction of the pitch change; b) the interval of the pitch change; c) the relative position of the pitch change within the speaker’s voice range. Static and kinetic tones differ not only in form but also in function. Static tones give prominence to words. The degree of prominence is proportional to the pitch height of the static tone – the higher the tone, the greater the prominence.Kinetic tones are more significant for the sentence. Kinetic tones perform a number of functions in a sentence: 1. Indicate the communicative type of a sentence. 2. Express the emotional state of the speaker, his attitude towards the subject-matter and the situation. 3. Single out the centre of semantic importance in a sentence. The most common kinetic tones of Modern English are: The Low Fall – the voice falls from a medium to a very low pitch. The Low Rise – the voice rises from a low to a med ium pitch. The High Fall – the voice falls from a high to a very low pitch. The High Rise – the voice rises from a medium to a high pitch.The Fall-Rise – the voice first falls from a fairly high to a rather low pitch and then rises to a medium pitch. The Rise-Fall – the voice first rises from a medium to a high pitch and then falls to a very low pitch. The falling tones carry a sense of completion and finality and are categoric in character. The rising tones carry incompletion and are non-categoric in character. Combinations of nuclei, heads, tails, and pre-heads lead to a great variety of melodic patterns in English intonation. The melodic structure of the language is a simple system of patterns based upon the most important linguistic functions of intonation.Since the most significant component of intonation is speech melody, and the most important word of an utterance is made prominent by one of the special tones typical of the language, it is natural to systematize the melodic patterns according to these special tones. Thus the great variety of possible patterns can be reduced to six Intonation Contours (IC), based on the six main tones used in the nuclei. These tones, when combined with different heads, tails and pre-heads, give rise to a few significative variants of the intonation contour.

The Primary Image of Southwest Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

The Primary Image of Southwest Airlines - Essay Example Southwest believes, and practices, that its employees are family and the culture is entirely informal. Teamwork is the watchword and practiced from the top down. The entire strength of 32000 plus employees work with each other, help out each other, indeed reach out to comfort and support co-workers facing difficult times even in private lives. The company has nine labor unions but they are nowhere like their counterparts in other airlines. In the last decade, there has been only one strike lasting six days by machinists. Â  It has the lowest cost per available seat mile in the industry at 7.1 cents that is 30% lower compared to its nearest rivals United and Continental. It is a lone operator that has no code-sharing arrangement with any other airline and flies from point to point with no concept of hubs. Â  The primary image of an organization is akin to family, clan or tribe where relationships, needs, feelings, and skills are the characteristics of its members. The objectives are empowerment, liberation, fulfillment, and self-actualization of both the individual and the group and the challenge are how to develop an attitude to achieve this goal. Â  There are three assumptions to all HR theories. Organizations serve human needs. People and organization need each other for this service. It is critical that people and the organization are in complete harmony to fulfill this purpose. Â  The most valuable assets of any business are its people. This is one fact that is singularly recognized at Southwest. Therefore they have a created a People Department instead of the HR department to give it a more humane face. Whereas in the aviation industry and indeed in other industries too, Human Resources represent a professional, structured and therefore very stiff-collared concept, at Southwest it means entirely the opposite.

Improving a Corporate Tool That Shifts Workload from UK Employees to Essay

Improving a Corporate Tool That Shifts Workload from UK Employees to Sourcing Centers in Emerging Economies - Essay Example Another of its many uses is to help with the investigating of existing third party agreements for internal and customer engagements. Most commonly they are used to source third party contracts& agreements (Great Britain, 40, 2006).   Methodology The current problem is discussed below. Hewlett-Packard is one of the leading IT firms worldwide, founded in 1939 by Bill Hewlett & Dave Packard. HP operates many markets within the technology sector including: PC, Laptops, Personal Printers, Industrial Printers, Storage, Networking, etc. HP has been recognized as a leading IT firm since its early days, however in recent times it has become scandal prone through various CEO changes and bad acquisitions. Since January 2010 until now HP has undergone 4 CEO changes from Mark Hurd (April 2005- August 2010) to Meg Whitman (September 2011 – Present), along with the 4 CEO changes came two major failed acquisitions for HP: Palm Inc. (2010) a struggling mobile phone provider was purchased for $1.2billion, 1 year later Palms Smart phones, tablets &webOS devises where discontinued by HP (Information Resources Management Association, & Khosrowpour, 55, 1997).   About the Company and the problem Autonomy acquired for $11.1billion quickly turned out to be overvalued by ?8.8billion and this debt was written off by HP during the last fiscal year 2012.Following these changes HP has been seen as unstable and risky by investors and shareholders, this has reflected in HPs share price by plummeting over %50 in the last 5 years (Hewlett-Packard). Through these struggling times our Voice of the Workforce (VOW) a questionnaire about employees job satisfaction held annually by HP was better than expected but still left room for improvement. The latest VOW from July 2011 –... This essay approves that the benefits of the tool are far much more than the weakness. Therefore, as discussed above, the new tool will increase the efficiency and effectiveness in the management of the turnaround times. This will happen through the following four critical Sourcecon successes; one, the request pipeline will be managed by the GC’s Delivery Assurance team. Two, the BP’s and stakeholders will receive automated notification in case there are any changes in status. This will enable them to timely correct the forms in case of any mistakes. Three, the requests will be automatically directed to the solution owners This report makes a conclusion that to implement Sourcecon, one must first access the GP followed by BUs access. Through the procurement central home page, one will be able to access Sourcecon. Here, there will be detailed interface showing the key roles of the SourceCon requester, recipient assigning manager, recipient solution, GP Strategic Business, Partners/Go to market. In addition, one will be able to access the roles of the CDA. Thus, depending with the interest of the user, he/she will choose the most suitable role. After which, one will be able to access the SourceCon request form. It is this form that must be filled in. after submitting the request form; it is possible to see the submission response. In addition, one will receive any updates and notifications. Usually these are received through the request life cycle. The SourceCon information’s are confidential and cannot be accessed by any unauthorized person. This means that, there is no fear or call for alarm, un like the NRTs.

Theory of Constraints and the Public and Non-profit Organizations Essay

Theory of Constraints and the Public and Non-profit Organizations - Essay Example The theory of constraints is based on the practical implications of 'how to think' and deals with thinking processes and their applications. The theory of Constraints was originally developed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt who introduced the concept in his book, The Goal. The concept suggests that the world around us could be changed with a better understanding of the cause effect relationships between certain processes. The theory of constraints thinking processes or TPs are problem solving tools that show ongoing improvements raising questions on what to change and how to cause the change within any organisation (Goldratt 1984, Friedman, 2005). Some of the essential management skills that are essential to any system and recognized by TOC thinking processes would be communication, team building and empowerment. The theory of constraints thinking processes could be applied to production units, to distribution, marketing, sales, project management and laying out the direction of a company. In the Goal, Goldratt suggests that within any complex organisational system, there will be weaknesses and as within a chain the weakest link must be identified and corrected, so also within any organisation, the weaknesses will have to be identified as weaknesses coul... thin any organisation, the weaknesses will have to be identified as weaknesses could limit the ability of any system or company from achieving its goal. The TOC thinking processes or TPS provides an integrated problem solving methodology that help in construction of solutions, communications, collaboration and successful implementation of all solutions to problems identified within any organisation (Goldratt, 1984). The TOC Thinking Processes provides solutions to production, project management, distribution, supplier relations, sales and marketing and also provides generic solutions to specific organisational environments. The Theory of Constraints or TOC is based on the fact that there is at least one limiting factor that constraints the revenue generating process of a company (Friedman 2005). By increasing production rate of a company and initial implementation obstacles, TOC approaches could be used to identify constraints or bottlenecks, exploit these constraints to increase eff iciency of the company, elevate and downplay these constraints and repeat all the measures taken to overcome bottleneck. Some of the essential features of the theory of constraints include gaining agreement that a problem or limitation exists for a company, a direction is sought out to provide a solution to the problem, and negative ramifications and obstacles to implementation are overcome. Goldratt's theory of constraints not only helps identify constraints and helps improving organisational success, but also facilitates improvement for organisations and teams using solutions from the Theory of Constraints (Friedman, 2005). The Theory of Constraints is based on cause and effect logic as the cause of any production problems in a company is identified and sorted out and all local

Cultural Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cultural Analysis - Essay Example since the horrific images of September 11, 2001, one of the greatest obstacles proponents of a global community overcome is the image of the Muslim people as blood-thirsty, murdering terrorists. There are in fact millions of Muslims around the globe, in virtually every country of the world, who are in fact not terrorists and have little desire to do more than – like most people – provide for their families and live out their lives in a peace. In Arabic, the word â€Å"Muslim† means one who surrenders, and for Muslims the surrender to God, or Allah (Merriam Webster on-line dictionary). Mary Pat Fisher (1999) describes how the Arab people received the Word of God through the Prophet Muhammad (p. 346). Just as those whose faith rests in Judaism and Christianity, Islam can also be traced to the patriarch Abraham (p. 344). Also, just as the expression of Judaism is held within the Old Testament of the Bible, as is the expression of Christianity held in the New Testament of the Bible, the expression of Islam rests within the Qura’an (p. 344). The revelations of the Qur’an unto the Prophet Muhmmad by an â€Å"angel in human-like form, Gabriel†¦,† began about 600 C.E., which began with the words â€Å"Proclaim! (or Recite!) In the name of they lord and Cherisher, who created – created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And they Lord is Most Bountiful – He who t aught (The use of) of the pen, - Taught man that which he knew not (p. 347).† The revelations made unto Muhmmad by the angel Gabriel continued â€Å"intermittently,† says Mary Pat Fisher (p. 347). The central theme of the revelations was that there was but one God, and that one God was calling the people of Islam unto Him (p. 347). The word â€Å"Islam† means â€Å"complete trusting surrender to God (p. 347).† At first Muhammad shared his revelations only with those people he believed he could trust; his wife, Khadijah; his cousin Ali; a friend named Abu Bakr; and a freed slave

Principal-agent theory provides definitive answers to how ownership Essay - 1

Principal-agent theory provides definitive answers to how ownership and control problems should be overcome in particular firms. Discuss - Essay Example As a result of globalization, managing business is considered as a complex situation wherein the business owners should continuously develop strategic ways that can enable the company survive the internal and external business challenges. In relation to the use of principal-agent theory, this study will provide some strategic ways on how ownership and control problems should be overcome. As part of going through the main discussion, some real-life case situations will be analyzed using the principal-agent theory framework. In relation to the principal-agent framework, the agent is pertaining to the person who is offering a product or service whereas the principal is the one who pays a certain amount of money in exchange for a product or service. In line with this, the concept of principal-agent theory can also be applied in the case of a landlord (agent) and the tenant (principal) who pays rent and electricity as stipulated in the agreement contract between the landlord and the tenant The principal and the agent may or may not have complete information with regards to the future development of their business relationship. As explained by Rasmusen (2007, p. 179), the presence of moral hazard which is normally hidden by nature is a common cause of misunderstanding between the principal and the agent. In line with this, a common principal-agent problem that may arise between the landlord and the tenant is the payment for unsettled rent, electricity bills and damages that may occur inside the house. Depending on the preferred mode of payment as demanded by the landlord, the landlord can prevent the risk wherein the tenant could fail to pay the due amount of rent, damages and electricity bills by obliging the tenant to pay the amount of two months deposit plus the monthly rental fees. On the part of the tenant who is paying for the rent, the principal is more likely to demand for good quality house that is free from termites, non-functioning

Human Resource Development studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Human Resource Development studies - Essay Example This essay will discuss how boundaries between organisations are increasingly becoming fluid across a diverse range of networks and the implications that these network forms have on the maintenance and development of skills for individuals and organisations. Reasons for diversification of networks The thinning of the boundaries between organisations has to a large extent been caused by the diversification of organisations, this has seen most of the organisations increase their product diversity to minimise risks and increase their capability to take advantage of opportunities in the market (Johnson, 2010, p65). In addition, organisations have also diversified their markets in several regions in order to reach a larger client base. These processes of diversification have caused major shifts in the way the companies conduct their operations (Hill & Jones, 2007, p85). In the case of concentric diversification where organisations are concerned with increasing the scope of their products through the adding related goods and services, integration of different skills has been a necessity; this is to increase the strategic fit in the running of the organisations (Gu?Nther, 2007, p152). The related products that an organisation includes in its operation depends on the field that it operates in, for instance, organisations that offer services in the service industries are likely to add to their products other services that compliment their operations or those that add value to the initially existing services. For instance, a company that has a conservancy for wild animals or that is manages a game reserve is more likely to diversify its operation to include offering travelling packages for tourists who visit their facility. In addition, it may wish to own a hotel within the conservancy where the tourists can stay when they are visiting the region, this would encourage more tourists to visit the conservancy or the game reserve. Still to increase the visibility of the orga nisation to possible tourists, the organisation is likely to acquire an advertising firm. This diversification in operations of a service company would require that the workers especially in the management levels to acquire new skills to enable them run the organisation efficiently and effectively. Diversification in organisations that deal in goods is more likely to be extensive and complex than for the organisations that are in the service industry, this makes the workers in the goods producing organisations more affected by the organisation’s operations in different networks (Toxvaerd, 2010, p72). Most of the organisations that have their final products in form of goods require a lot of technological and management expertise, this is because in the production of goods, there are a lot of stages that are involved before the goods are ready to be taken to the market (Gregory & Cooper, 2009, p111). These stages include; procurement and transportation of raw materials, the pro cessing of raw materials that may involve several stages, quality assurance checks, packaging and branding of the product, warehousing search and transportation

First Team LLC Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

First Team LLC Business Plan - Essay Example The company remains controlled by the one entrepreneur and a team of support staff (Folsom, 48) Goals of the company Ease supply of goods and materials to customers in a competent and reliable manner Networking with the surrounding suppliers and storage enterprises to facilitate smooth running and operation of the business Build branches in various parts of the country to facilitate growth of the institution Buy more vehicles to ensure that clients always get services they need on time and efficiently Recruit more staff to improve service delivery and facilitate expansion of the business Increase the revenue base yearly Establish efficient communication channels among the parties involved Fixing the correct programmes which can remain achieved conveniently Employing and maintaining highly qualified and trained staff Trying to precisely understand the client’s needs and help them achieve them (Folsom, 49) Company Description Logistics support company located at the outskirts of the capital city will offer transport and logistics organization solutions for enterprise customers within the region of its location and far. Starting with operations form within the city, the company will transport materials from distributors to manufacturers to wholesalers and retailers, acting in conjunction with supply canters, storage enterprises, and wholesalers. The logistics company remains started by two entrepreneurs who before worked like managers of storage enterprises for a reasonable period. The company will function in the logistics and transportation filed with many services. An extra source of income remains the growth of unique services. This can vary from computer arranging systems to supply services. Cross marketing remains arranged to be one of the key methods in this company, because the whole items remain focused to serve the same requirement and can cheaply remain merged. Synergy in marketing an item across company divisions remains probable to push income further higher. A firm concentration of this company will remain placed on the growth of unique and creative techniques for the clients that offer an important value. A wide variation of customized services will remain provided that will aid make use of the institution and worker potential. A core objective of this suggested business technique remains the growth of a unique corporate personality. Such personality will form client loyalty and aid achieve a competitive advantage. The particular choosing of services and requests provided will remain supervised regularly and differ depending on business requirements. This method offers a competitive border against various businesses in the surrounding and remains anticipated to cause an extra demand and the probability for a cost mark-up (Folsom, 52) Market Analysis This is a big industry with stiff competition from various transport and logistics companies in the region and outside the region. However, the company will battle out in th e market with the medium sized institutions of its kind. It will offer general transport and logistics services to its clients at favorable and affordable costs aiming at minimizing cost but making profits as well. Market Segmentation Raw material distributors They transport huge amounts of materials to big producers in the region. These materials wholly

Teaching People of Other Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Teaching People of Other Cultures - Essay Example nner World of the Immigrant Child.† This work will detail the important factors to consider while teaching English in a class of people from other cultures. The first thing I learned was the necessity to dig deep into their background. According to Igoa every teacher involved with people of a different culture must first seek to understand the basics of the culture from which his/her students are drawn. Here I learned that the various cultures offer distinct values that an english teacher needs to understand in order to avoid a case where a student feels offended by being forced to abandon a value he/she that has been part and parcel of his/her past life. I understood how serious this idea is when relating to Igoa’s experience as an immigrant student. In her confession she stated â€Å"I come from another land, another culture. I have been unearthed and am a seedling in a new land. The change upsets the kind of life I had. It is hard to go into the classroom (Christine pg.190). Based on this statement I learned that the entire process of introducing a student to learning a new language is frustrating and will thus require help o f the teacher to ensure a smooth transition. Still in the same idea, every English teacher apart from knowing who his/her students really are and where they came from, need to establish how much knowledge of the new Langiuage they have, and how to help them move forward.(Christine Pg.7). I believe that if this is considered carefully, the process of orienting students to the new language will progress with fewer difficulties. The second idea is the need for the teacher to establish a learning environment that will allow students feel relaxed and willing to learn English. I have learned that new culture setting demands new approach and thus teachers should always lead the way in helping immigrants children develop the willingness to adapt to the demands of the new culture. As a teacher dealing with such a student, my role is to ensure

Communists Win Chinese Civil War Essay Example for Free

Communists Win Chinese Civil War Essay How much of the Cold War was affected by the Chinese Civil War? One may ask themself this question and not find an answer because one may think very little of another country being a part of different wars at the same time. The Chinese Civil War impacted the Cold War completely. The Chinese Civil War left a legacy of many people, major events in history, importance towards the Cold War and many others. The people who made this war happen also left behind their own goals along with their own legacies. â€Å"The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang (KMT), the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China (CPC) for the control of China which eventually led to Chinas division into two Chinas, Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan and Peoples Republic of China (PRC) in Mainland† (Chinese Civil War, 2012). The KMT and CPC are the groups of people who created the Chinese Civil War because of their diverse and unique beliefs on government. This war for control began in April 1927 during the same time of the Northern Expedition, which was a military campaign led by the KMT to unify China under the Kuomintang banner (2012). The Cold War began in 1941 or most resources say exactly after WWII showing that both the Chinese Civil War and Cold War went on in the same time period in history (Cold War, 2012). In the Chinese Civil War the main objective of each powerful party was to gain control of China and establish their thoughts on government. This civil war marked the third largest war in history, being represented by ideological split between the Nationalist KMT and Communist CPC (2012). The main leaders of the Chinese Civil War were the Nationalist’s leader, Chiang Kai-shek, and the Communist’s leader, Mao Zedong. The Chinese Civil War ended due to major active battles ending in 1949-1950 (2012). Most would say the war is still going on with no ending yet because no armistice or peace treaty has been signed yet. With most resources showing the Civil War of China ended about 40 years earlier than the Cold War (Cold War, 2012), but considering the Chinese Civil War never had an armistice nor peace treaty the war has never correctly ended or ended  at all. The Chinese Civil War was mainly ended though due to the Sino-Japanese War destroying the KMT severely toward their moral, troops, and trust throughout China. The Japanese invaded at this time forcing the KMT and CPC to unite in an attempt to drive out the invading Japanese (2012). Furthermore, the KMT when defending Japanese attacks lost many casualties, but once it was the CPC’s turn they defended far more than expectation pushing the Japanese back some using guerilla warfare (2012). This gained a lot of respect and trust within the CPC adding new followers to its party. After this ended the Western-supported Nationalist KMT and the Soviet-supported CPC went back at it for the control of China (Chinese Civil War, 2008). The last three years of the war are more commonly known as the War of Liberation, or alternatively the Third Internal Revolutionary War (2012). â€Å"On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the Peoples Republic of China with its capital at Beiping, which was renamed Beijing; Chiang Kai-shek and approximately 2 million Nationalist Chinese retreated from mainland China to the island of Taiwan† (2012). The Chinese Civil War affected the Soviet Union and United States in many different ways. Among the time period of World War II the United States became a large factor in Chinese affairs (Chinese Civil War, 2011). The United States as an ally helped the Nationalist government by sending a program of massive military and financial aid in the late months of 1941 (2011). â€Å"In January 1943 the United States and Britain led the way in revising their treaties with China, bringing to an end a century of unequal treaty relations† (2011). By doing this the United States were tr ying to become a strong ally with China, stabilizing force in postwar East Asia (2011). â€Å"As the conflict between the Nationalists and the Communists intensified, however, the United States sought unsuccessfully to reconcile the rival forces for a more effective anti-Japanese war effort† (2011). â€Å"Toward the end of the war, United States Marines were used to hold Beiping and Tianjin against a possible Soviet incursion, and logistic support was given to Nationalist forces in north and northeast China: (2011). American strategists debated amongst themselves on whether or not the United States should intervene in an attempt to prevent a Communist victory, which would be following the policy of containment (2011). In December 1945 General George Catlett Marshall arrived in China with the thoughts of more-so bringing the KMT and CPC together to build a  coalition government that would consist of all the contending political and military groups in China (2011). â€Å"Under Marshalls guidance, the Nationalist and Communist factions established an Executive H eadquarters at Peiping, China (also known as Beijing), in January 1946† (2011). The United States Army appointed military personnel into headquarters trying to help administer the cease-fire negotiations (2011). United State forces were still held accountable towards incidents of violence between the Communist and Nationalist powers (2011). Furthermore, â€Å"the United States also helped repatriate Japanese army personnel who were stranded in China after World War II† (2011). Unfortunately for General Marshall, both the Nationalist’s and Communist’s representatives could not compromise or come to an agreement on certain fundamental issues or relinquish the territories they had gained in the time of the Japanese surrender (2011). Because of these miscommunications and bad negotiating between both of the Nationalist and Communist powers, the cease-fire attempts failed after several months resulting in battles resuming on once again (2011). The truce upheld between both forces soon fell apart in the spring of 1946 (2011). â€Å"Negotiations still continued† (2011). â€Å"On 08 January 1947 Marshall was recalled, having realized that American efforts short of large-scale armed intervention could not stop the war† (2011). â€Å"Marshall was then commissioned as Secretary of State in President Trumans Cabinet† (2011). After this General George Catlett Marshall convinced Congress to give Europe $13 billion to help rebuild, this became known as the â€Å"Marshall Plan† (2011). â€Å"Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953† (2011). The United States still strongly aided the Nationalists with massive economic loans, but no military support (2011). The Chinese Civil War battles became more raged between the two forces (2011). The two forces now not only fought for territory but also for the allegiance of cross sections of the population (2011). â€Å"By using Manchuria as a base of supply and manpower and by accelerating the stages of Maos theory, Communists field c ommanders defeated Kuomintang forces in a series of conventional engagements in the late 1940s and established the Peoples Republic of China in October 1949† (2011). After numerous operational set-backs in Manchuria the Communists were able to take over the region and put more focus towards the war south of the Great Wall (2011). â€Å"Stalin actually tried to restrain Mao on several occasions while he gauged  American responses to developments in China† (2011). The crossing of the Yangtze River culminated in the collapse of the KMT resistance (2011). This led directly to Chiang Kai-shek’s retreat to Taiwan and the formation of the People’s Republic of China on October 1st, 1949 (2011). â€Å"The Mandate of Heaven had been withdrawn from Chiang Kai-shek† (2011). This resulted in the final victory of the Communist forces led by Mao Zedong in the Chinese Civil War; this casted an ominous pall over world affairs (2011). Within the same year, Russia detonated its first atomic bomb, ending the United States commanding control over nuclear weapons (2011). The arms race had begun with the nuclear war threat always being a major constant concern in the Cold War (2011). The overall impact of the Chinese Civil War ended in favor for the Soviet Union and going against the United States. This is because the United States were practicing a policy of containment. â€Å"The strategy, containment, is the strategy that the USA had of stopping the spread of Communism right in its tracks at the start of the Cold War† –Mr. Crow. Considering the United States did not stop the spread of Communism to China, they can count this event as a loss in the Cold War. On the other hand, the Soviet Union (USSR) could consider this a victory in the Cold War considering they aided the Communist Party and force in China, helping them win the Chinese Civil War and spread the concept and belief of Communism. The concept or belief of Communism: â€Å"a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state† (Dictionary.com, 2012). â€Å"Communism has ten essential planks, which are the Abolition of Private Property, Heavy Progressive Income Tax, Abolition of Rights of Inheritance, Confiscation of Property Rights, Central Bank, Government Ownership of Communication and Transportation, Government Ownership of Factories and Agriculture, Government Control of Labor, Corporate Farms and Regional Planning, Government Control of Education† (Communism Amorality, 2012). References â€Å"Chinese Civil War.† GlobalSecurity.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2012. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/chinese-civil-war.htm. â€Å"Chinese Civil War.† New World Encyclopedia . N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2012. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Chinese_Civil_War. â€Å"Chinese Civil War.† Wikipedia.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Civil_War. â€Å"Cold War.† New World Encyclodpedia . N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2012. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Cold_war#.22End.22_of_the_Cold_War. â€Å"Communism Amorality .† All About Philosophy. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2012. http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/communism.htm. â€Å"Definition of Communism.† Dictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2012. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/communism.

Business Plan To Achieve Funding And Growth Goals Marketing Essay

Business Plan To Achieve Funding And Growth Goals Marketing Essay Business plans can help perform a number of tasks for those who write and read them. Theyre used by investment-seeking entrepreneurs to convey their vision to potential investors. They may also be used by firms that are trying to attract key employees, prospect for new business, deal with suppliers or simply to understand how to manage their companies better. Putting you goals and ideas down on paper helps you organize your thinking. Your employees and other stakeholders understand what you plan for the business and it helps keep the organization focused on the big picture. Simply stated, a business plan conveys your business goals, the strategies youll use to meet them, potential problems that may confront your business and ways to solve them, the organizational structure of your business (including titles and responsibilities), and finally, the amount of capital required to finance your venture. Preparing a business plan can be a time-consuming and daunting task. However, the impor tance of a business plan to achieve funding and growth goals cannot be ignored. So one should get down to it and start composing a business plan. Planning is important to managers within an organization due to following reasons: 1) It will provide the future direction and path to the managers 2) It will help in optimal utilization of the resources 3) It will help in controlling the action  Ã‚  and thereby helps to take the corrective action. 4) It helps in coordination between different departments 5) It acts as a training to the managers 6) It compels managers to think ahead There can be some limitations of planning: 1)  Ã‚  It may lead to rigidity in the organization 2) It may be too costly and time consuming Hence planning provides a blueprint to the organization telling about the actions to be taken in future. Business Plan and strategy Strategy provides long term direction to the organization. It helps the organization in achieving the competitive advantage to the organization. It also tells about the organization about its market, values and the way to handle the resources in order to meet the objectives of the organization. As per tutor2u.net Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectations. In other words, strategy is about: * Where is the business trying to get to in the long-term (direction) * Which markets should a business compete in and what kind of activities are involved in such markets? (markets; scope) * How can the business perform better than the competition in those markets? (advantage)? * What resources (skills, assets, finance, relationships, technical competence, facilities) are required in order to be able to compete? (resources)? * What external, environmental factors affect the businesses ability to compete? (environment)? * What are the values and expectations of those who have power in and around the business? (stakeholders) Process of strategic management is as follows: 1) Screening of Ideas 2) Development of Mission and Setting of Objectives 3) SWOT analysis 4) Selection of Best alternative 5) Strategy Formulation 6) Implementation 7) Control Example of Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is one of the top most companies in this globe dealing in consumer electronics and computer software products. It has got popular products such as Macintosh computers, the iPod and the iPhone, Mac OS X operating system, the iTunes media browser, the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software, the iWork suite of productivity software, and Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software products. Apple has about 35,000 employees worldwide and had worldwide annual sales of US$32.48 billion in its fiscal year ending September 29, 2008. Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008 and in the world in 2009. (Wikipedia, 2009) Successful Business strategy- Good Business model iTunes Music Store is a good source of revenue, especially with the iPod, iPhone and its availability on Windows platform. Apples success is built on its product offerings such as: iTunes Music Store, iTunes, I Phone and the iPod. (Sampublishing) Apples strategy has been two fold skimming and discriminatory with respect to Ipod and Itunes. The skimming pricing strategy is presented at two levels. First, the price of the same model is diminishing with time, especially when Apple is issuing the newest version of theiPod. Second, the price of every next generation model launched on the market is less expensive than its predecessor. (christophe.benavent) Apple seems to reduce its prices in order to make it affordable and popular among other competitive products.  Ã‚  Apples iPhone and iPod prices change according to its customers as well as geographical locations.  Ã‚  Also Apple has been reducing price of iTunes, As its  decision to offer a new pricing strategy is welcome news by the record labels, who are trying everything to boost revenues.  Ã‚  CD sales were down dramatically again in 2007, and the sale of online music was much slower in 2008 than in 2007.  Ã‚  Three new price levels were announced, ranging from .69 to .99 to $1.29 in 2009 . (GlgGroup) Moreover Apple has continuously launched superior products to remain ahead in the market. Recently it introduced Apple iPad and yesterday it has launched Apple iPhone 4. Response to i-Pad has been excellent and has led to increase its sales and profits.  Ã‚  Its Pricing has been reasonable as the entry-level 16GB Wi-Fi-only iPad costs $499. (Review,cnet.com) This is done to capture higher market share and to beat high priced competitors like Plastic Logic Que proReader, which starts at $649 and to take on the big competitors like Amazon and Sony. . Components of Planning Strategic plan is the blueprint for an organizations work: Mission: A mission statement answers the questions: Why does our organization exist? What business are we in? What values will guide us? A Mission statement tells you the fundamental purpose of the organization. It defines the customer and the critical processes. It informs you of the desired level of performance. (Answers Corporation, 2010).Hence Factors influencing Mission statement are: Stakeholders Internal resources and Power Values of top management Past development of firm Mission statement should clearly define the organizations products, markets and function (Technology and Processes. ) A Vision statement outlines what the organization wants to be, or how it wants the world in which it operates to be. It concentrates on the future. It is a source of inspiration. It provides clear decision-making criteria. (Answers Corporation, 2010). A vision is more encompassing. It answers the question, What will success look like? It is the pursuit of this image of success that really motivates people to work together. Values are hypothetical thought of what we think is good or important. They direct the way we feel and act about certain ideas, things, situations, and people. They are principles which lead us decisions and actions. Organizational values define the acceptable standards which govern the behavior of individuals within the organization. (Teal, 2010) Vision answers this question: What aspirations does the organization have for the world in which it operates and has some influence over. Mision answers this question What can (and /or does) the organization do or contribute to fulfill those aspirations?. Values help in aligning the behavior of individuals with organization. Without values, individuals will pursue behaviours that are in line with their own individual value systems, which may lead to behaviours that the organization doesnt wish to encourage. Example of Star Bucks: Starbucks Mission: To inspire and nurture the human spirit- one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time. Starbucks Values: Here are the principles of how we live that every day: Our Coffee It has always been, and will always be, about quality. Were passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care, and improving the lives of people who grow them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done. Our Partners Were called partners, because its not just a job, its our passion. Together, we embrace diversity to create a place where each of us can be ourselves. We always treat each other with respect and dignity. And we hold each other to that standard. Our Customers When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers- even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. Its really about human connection. Our Stores When our customers feel this sense of belonging, our stores become a haven, a break from the worries outside, a place where you can meet with friends. Its about enjoyment at the speed of life-sometimes slow and savored, sometimes faster. Always full of humanity. Our Neighborhood Every store is part of a community, and we take our responsibility to be good neighbors seriously. We want to be invited in wherever we do business. We can be a force for positive action- bringing together our partners, customers, and the community to contribute every day. Now we see that our responsibility-and our potential for good-is even larger. The world is looking to Starbucks to set the new standard, yet again. We will lead. Starbucks Vision According to the companys profile, (2006) its vision is to make Starbucks coffee the most recognized and respected brand in the world by using high quality roast beans to make coffee beverages along with other products. The company wants to develop enthusiastically satisfied customers at all times. They want to make positive contributions to their communities and their environment. Vision, Mission and Values has helped the Starbucks to formulate its Strategy and also give it a clear road map. Objectives: These refine the mission and address key issues like market standing, innovation, productivity, physical and financial resources, profitability, management and work force performance and efficiency. Goals: are defined as statements that are formulated and lack of specificity while objectives are likely to appear in exact form (Strategic Planning). Goals statements compose of five elements: task, what, who, timeframe and deadline (Lukaszewski, 1990)These are rational estimates of anticipated results. The goals are usually Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Rewarding, and Timed (SMART). Planning as a Process As per tutor2u.net, Planning is the process of * Setting objectives * Determining what should be done to accomplish them * Implementing the plan * Evaluating A plan is a statement of intended means to accomplish a goal. Hence planning provides a blueprint to the organization telling about the actions to be taken in future. Organizing helps in allocating the resources, power and responsibilities in the organization. It creates organization structure, span of control and organization culture. Leading is about motivating the employees to work for the organizational objectives. Leadership is the process by which one person provides direction, implements the plans or strategies and motivates people. Strategic control is concerned with the monitoring progress in accomplishing the strategic goals of the organization. It is very critical to any organization, because without it the results could be chaotic. Organization have to improve their operational performance by proper evaluation and control mechanisms. http://www.2gc.co.uk/pdf/2GC-FAQP02.pdf Organizing Organizing focuses on division, coordination, and control of tasks and the flow of information within the organization Organizational structure is the formal decision-making framework by which job tasks are divided, grouped, and coordinated. Organizational structure determines the role and responsibilities within the organization. Organizational structure depends on the product to be developed. Wheelwright and Clark define a continuum of organizational structures between two extremes, functional organizations and project organizations. Functional organizations are organized according to technological disciplines. Directing Leadership is defined as the ability to lead and inspire people towards a common goal.  This quality is very important because it can determine the success or failure of an organization.  If the objectives and goals of the people are not aligned with the companys mission and vision, this will have detrimental impact on the financial bottom-line and eventual survivability of the company.  Ã‚   There are various leadership styles, each stemming out from the leaders personality and the culture of the organization.  It is also dependent on the circumstances relating to the people and the organizations goals.  Here is a description of each leadership style: Authoritarian (autocratic) here, the leader uses his authority and power position to direct people in doing the right things, regardless of their opinions.  This style is useful when there is urgency and the people are not really motivated to participate.   Participative (democratic) when the leader asks for input from his subordinates, he recognizes the fact that each one has something special to contribute for the task on hand.  The traditional view of a leader is someone who can think and do better than others.  However, the specialization of skills allow for the possibility that some people may actually be better than him.  Thus, its important to allow each staff to participate in the decision-making process. Delegative (free reign) when the leaders subordinates have very specialized skills, he may allow them to assume full control and responsibility of certain tasks.  This doesnt mean that the leader is shunning his own responsibilities, but rather delegating specialized tasks to experts within his group.  This leadership style is used when the leader has a high level of trust of his staff, or if delegation is really needed in order for him to do other important things. This perhaps is the most important function of all management functions. It has been said that the nature of a man is to avoid work. A manager influences the behavior of an employee through motivation, communication, education, group dynamics, leadership and discipline. Thus we will have participative leadership and we will guide the employees accordingly. Good communication between leaders and workers to ensure that everyone interprets their intent the same and every one works together in harmony can be the basis for a very successful endeavor. The purpose of direction is to channel the behavior of all personnel to accomplish the mission while helping them accomplish personal goal as well prepare them to take your position. Controlling It is a process of comparing the standards with the actual results to find out variation and then to take corrective action. control programs are critical to any organization, because without it the results could be chaotic. It helps: In maximizing efficiency and minimize waste. To facilitate management and control. In Effectiveness and efficiency of operations include the use of the entitys resources. Help in strategy implementation Control activities occur at all levels and functions of the entity. We will include a wide range of diverse activities . Top level reviews of actual performance, Reviews by management at the functional or activity level, Management of human capital, Controls over information processing, Physical control over vulnerable assets, Establishment and review of performance measures and indicators, Segregation of duties, Proper execution of transactions and events, Accurate and timely recording of transactions and events, Access restrictions to and accountability for resources and records, and CONTENT OF BUSINESS PLAN 1. Executive summary 2. Business description 3. Environmental analysis 4. Marketing Plan 5. Design and Operational plan 6. Management plan 7. Financial factors Common Pitfalls of a Business Plan Only a summary of a project and its potential Wait for all analysis to be completed Become a prisoner of the plans and the contents therein Difficulty in deviating from the plan Push with the plan, hiding weaknesses under the carpet Make unrealistic assumptions Quality of a strategy is as good as its implementation Typical mental attitude of promoters I have a good product / service; others will buy Everybody is waiting to help me Their priorities are same as mine Others (all stakeholders) will stick to their promises Customer will pay and give me feedback for me to improve the product / service Environment / government policies will remain the same (blinkers of an entrepreneur) Lack of contingency plans for time and cost overrun Blind faith in consultants Not clearly understanding regulatory requirements Optimistic assessment of project cost and funding Lack of budgeting of trial production trial production expenses, incidental and invisible expenses Not taking fully into account the cost implications of the business activities and operating plans Not including cost implications of regulatory compliance Improper assessment of components of working capital The gap between sanction and disbursement Lack of efforts in confidence building with investors Lack of contingency plans for time and cost overruns Business Plan- Risk Evaluation Prepare best-case and worst-case scenarios with key parameters of the business to help assess Market risks Competition risks Technology risks Regulatory risks Financial risks Management risks What measures are proposed to counter these risks Sensitivity analysis of key factors to simulate the impact of changes Exercise 1 Business Planning Review the following business plan: Anywhere Remodeling Corporation http://www.bplans.com/residential_remodeling_business_plan/executive_s ummary_fc.cfm After carefully reviewing this business plan discuss following issues: 1. The industry that this venture is in 2. The riskiness of this venture 3. The potential for growths 4. Your long-term plan for this company Exercise 2 Shahnaz Husain Contributed by: Rajeev Roy, Professor of Entrepreneurship XIM B, India (Adapted from NEN) Shahnaz Husain is acknowledged as one of the most successful women entrepreneurs in India. Her company, Shahnaz Husain Herbals, is one of the leading manufacturers of herbal products in the world. The company sells over 350 herbal products and operates over 200 salons in more than 130 countries. The brand, Shahnaz Husain, was valued at over $100 million in 1996 and now it is likely to be worth much more. Shehnaz is from an aristocratic Muslim family and her father was a Chief Justice. Her upbringing was both traditional and modern. At the age of 15, she was married and she became a mother at the age of 16. When her husband was posted in Tehran, she became interested in beauty treatments and she decided to formally study cosmetology. After an introduction to the subject in Tehran, she wanted to know more and over the next ten years, she studied the subject extensively in London, Paris and other parts of Europe. On returning to India in 1977, she started her first salon in Delhi with a capital investment of Rs.35,000. She had also studied Ayurveda and her interest in that field has kept growing. She started formulating her own products and these were very successful. The company was able to grow systematically and currently operates three major complementary businesses Herbal products: Shehnaz Husain has an extensive range of over 350 herbal cosmetic products. These are divided into 15 distinct categories for skin, hair and body care. The distribution of these products is carried out in a fashion similar to that of other consumer goods. The products are available in all leading stores around the world like Harrods (London), Bloomingdale (New Yory) and Galleries Lafayette (Paris). Recently, the company has decided to launch four skin care products in partnership with Elder Pharma. Beauty Salons: Mostly operated on a franchise basis, there are over 200 Shehnaz Husain spas and salons worldwide. The company provides support in setting up and training and provides ongoing support too. The franchisee pays an initial fee but there are no ongoing royalty payments. The company is able to get a revenue stream from sale of their products through the salon. Training: Shahnaz Husain also operates training institutes where students can obtain professional qualifications in beauty therapy. The institutes also operate a number of short term vocational courses. The institutes provide a steady flow of people trained in the use of Shehnaz Husain products, in addition to contributing to profits of the group. Shehnaz Husain Herbals is still a privately held company even after 30 years of its formation but that has not hampered its growth. Shehnaz Husain continues to look ahead and her story is an inspiration for many others. For her contribution to business and in promoting Ayurveda, Shahnaz Husain was conferred the Padmashree. She has also won numerous other awards from all over the world. Q- What are the critical success factors of Shahnaz Husain. Give reasons. References: All year 2011 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-importance-of-strategic-planning-in-business.html. http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/what_is_strategy.htm. http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/strategic-planning/ http://www.answers.com/topic/strategic-planning James E. Lukaszewski, APR. Focus on Success: Choosing Corporate Goals You Can Actually Achieve. http://www.e911.com/exacts/EA021.htmls http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc. http://www.glgroup.com/News/New-Pricing-Strategy-by-Apple-a-Hope-to-Boost-Sales-31248.html http://www.samspublishing.com/articles/article.asp?p=602978seqNum=1rl=1 christophe.benavent.free.fr//AINI_2008_Apple_s_Pricing_Strategy.pdf http://www.answers.com/topic/strategic-planning   http://www.teal.org.uk/mat/page6.htm. http://www.starbucks.com/mission/default.asp . Business Plan Template Important: Select file then Save As to first save this document to your desktop. If you make edits to this document without doing this you may not be able to save your changes. Business Plan Enter your business name Enter your name May 6, 2013 Section 1: The Business Profile Description of My Business (Session 1): Describe your product or service. Targeted Market and Customers (Session 1): Describe your customer profile and why customers want or need your product or service. Growth Trends In This Business (Session 1): Is the market for your product or service growing or shrinking? Pricing Power (Session 1): Explain the unique qualities or circumstances concerning your product or service that will enable you to maintain profitable pricing. Section 2: The Vision and the People (Session 2): Describe convincingly that you are passionately committed to your new business and have the realism to make inevitable hard choices. The People Work Experience Related to My Intended Business (Session 2): Describe your work experience in the business you plan to start including a list of your skills and knowledge, which will be required in your business. Personal Background and Education Credentials (Session 2): Describe yourself, including your education. Section 3: Communications Computer and Communications Tools (Session 3): Furnish a tabulation of each piece of equipment you intend to use including a description and the budget for each. You can use the following as a guide. Resource Requirements: Communications Enter a description and budget of all communications equipment. Telephones Enter a description and budget for all telephone equipment. Pagers Enter a description and budget for pagers. Facsimile Enter a description and budget for all fax equipment. Computers Enter a description and budget for all computer equipment. Internet Enter a description and budget for necessary Internet access and providers. Section 4: Organization Business Organization (Session 4): Explain the form of business organization you intend to use and why it is best for your business. Professional Consultants (Session 4): List the names of your lawyer, accountant, insurance agent and any other professionals. Licenses (Session 4): List what licenses you will require to go into business. Section 5: Licenses, Permits and Business Names Due Diligence Procedures for Licenses, Permits and Business Names (Session 14): List the following: DBA: List the name you intend to do business as. Zoning: Indicate if the zoning if appropriate for your intended office location. Licenses: List the appropriate licenses you will need at the local, state, and federal level. Local: State: Central: Trademark: Indicate your trademark intentions if any exist. Sellers Permit: List any sellers permits that you may need. EIN: Indicate if you will obtain an employers identification number. Section 6: Insurance Insurance (Session 6): List the forms of insurance coverage including costs are anticipated. Section 7: Premises Location Criteria (Session 7): Outline your location criteria. space requirements. future requirements. site analysis study if needed (attach). demographic study if needed (attach). lease check-off list (attach). estimated occupancy cost as a % of sales. zoning and use approvals. Section 8: Accounting and Cash Flow Accounting (Session 8): Furnish, as a separate exhibit of your starting balance sheet and projected income statements for the first six months to one year. Cash Flow Planning (Session 8): Provide a separate exhibit of your one year cash flow analysis including estimated sales, all costs and capital investments. Provide a checklist of all expense items for input into your cash flow projection. Analysis of Costs (Session 8): What are all of my costs: fixed, variable, product, delivery, etc. Internal Controls (Session 8): Explain your: Intended internal controls and cash controls, check signing policy, strategy for controlling shrinkage and dishonesty and control of incoming merchandise. Section 9: Financing Financing Strategy (Session 9): Provide a chart or spreadsheet showing all of the sources of your start-up capital. Explain any government assistance or loan guarantee programs you intend to apply for. If your business is for use with potential lenders, include a cash flow projection and projected income statements to show sources of repayment of loans. Be conservative in your forecasts. List your sources of referrals to lending institutions. (Your accountant, etc.) Section 10: E-Commerce E-Commerce Plans (Session 10): Describe in detail how you plan to use the Internet in marketing your product or service. E-Commerce Budgeting (Session 10): Provide a detailed breakdown of the costs involved in creating, operating and maintaining your e-commerce activities. E-Commerce Competition (Session 10): Describe how your best competitors utilize e-commerce and your strategy to improve on their practices. Section 11: Acquisitions Due Diligence Procedures for Acquisitions (Session 11): List the following: Your consulting team: Attorney, accountant, banker, broker, etc. Verification of sellers revenues: how you plan to authenticate. Sellers records to be inspected: Financial statements, income tax returns, sales backlog, cash deposit records, utility bills, accounts payable and receivable, backlog, financial comparisons of similar businesses, etc. Inspections and approval of leases and contracts. Appraisals, as appropriate. If a franchise, interview with randomly selected franchisees. Finance plan for acquisitions: include sources including seller financing. Market conditions. Value of goodwill. Method of purchase: stock, assets, etc. Section 12: Marketing Marketing Plan (Session 12): Describe your overall marketing and sales strategy including how you plan to get and retain customers. Advertising and Promotion Plans (Session 12): Describe your plans and budgets for advertising and promotions. Purchasing and Inventory Control (Session 12): See how to buy checklist. Training Policies (Session 12): Describe your plans for hiring and training your sales associates. The Competition (Session 12): Describe your strongest competitors and how you intend to compete. How I Plan to Take Advantage of Competitors Weak Points (Session 12): List your competitors shortcomings and how you can capitalize on them. Section 13: Growth Program Expansion (Session 13): Describe your growth: You might include

Insulin and Erythropoietin Production

Insulin and Erythropoietin Production Insulin is a protein (polypeptide) discovered in 1921 by Banting with the pancreas being the site of its production. It is made up of 51 amino acids, divided into 2 chains; A and B, bonded by disulfide linkages. Chain A is made up of 21 amino acids with an intra-disulphide linkage, while chain B is made up of 30 amino acids (4). Why Insulin? Insulin is important in glucose metabolism, and is being used for the treatment of Diabetes mellitus; a metabolic disorder of glucose in the body. Initially, Insulin from animals was used to treat this disorder however nowadays synthesized human Insulin is being used, this is because; it is fast absorbed by the body, it has less allergic reactions, it contains less impurities, and it produces good results (3). Recombinant process of producing Insulin Synthetic Insulin was first produced in 1983 through genetic Engineering, which involve extraction of the human DNA (1), once extracted, the gene for Insulin is isolated, and enzymes are used to cut it. The gene is then cut using enzymes and put into the plasmid of a vector, where in most cases E. coli plasmid is used. Since Insulin contains two chains, two pieces of DNA are extracted, and the genes for the two chains are linked to ÃŽ ² galactosidase enzyme of the bacteria. The plasmids formed are then inserted into a host cell E. coli and sealed using another enzyme called ligase. And the host on replicating produces the enzymes each containing one of the two chains each. Production is followed by extracting and purifying the chains which are mixed in a reaction to reconstitute the disulphide bridges (1). ESCHERICHIA COLI AS RECOMBINANT INSULIN HOST Entero-bacillus, gram-negative E. coli is about 1 2ÃŽ ¼m, it can survive in the presence/absence of oxygen, and it also grows in an optimum pH and temperature of 7.0 and 37oC respectively. It utilizes glucose as its major carbon source and can also use other carbon sources like pyruvate, glycerol, acetate, and other sugars. K-12 and B strains are mostly used in the laboratory (20) Reasons for choosing E. coli Genetic Engineering technologies were developed using E. coli as a role organism, and so, the genetics of E. coli are well known among other microorganisms, as such its the most used organism for the production of different proteins (14). Moreover E. coli has a well known safety and production abilities, stable plasmid, controllable promoter, cheaper and easily cultured (6), E. coli also has fast growth rate, its easy to handle, and has well known fermentation skills and the ability to produce high protein content (14). That is why most of the proteins licensed recently by FDA and EMEA, were produced in E. coli (5). With these, and the fact that Insulin is a simple polypeptide (protein) which does not require glycosylation for its bioactivity and stability, E. coli carrying the plasmids for production of insulin will be used as the host for the production of Insulin Strain and plasmids: BL21 strain containing the pMYW-A and pMYW-B plasmids and temperature repressor ÃŽ »-c1857, will be used for insulin production (21). Growth strategy The various growth strategies that will be used to grow E. coli in order to make it happy and produce the desired product (11) include: Medium: E. coli needs nutrients like carbon, nitrogen and others; thus a carbon source; glycerol will be provided since its cheaper and more soluble than glucose (12), a source of nitrogen in the form of ammonium sulphate will also be provided. However such nutrients in large quantities can inhibit the growth of E. coli, as such a defined medium that contain optimum concentrations 20gl-1 glycerol and 2gl-1 ammonium sulphate will be used (11). The medium will also consist of the following; 3gl-1 KH2PO4, 1gl-1 MgSO4.7H2O, 0.8gl-1 citrate, and 6gl-1 K2HPO4 (23). Some trace elements will also be added to the medium. (23) Process and culture-strategies: E. coli will be grown submerged in a sterile controlled stirred tank reactor, and fed-batch will be used as the growth strategy so as to avoid accumulation of acetate which can be inhibits its growth, and reduce the production of the insulin (18). The growth strategy will be divided into two; initially batch mode will be used to initiate growth, after which the fed-batch exponential feeding will be used to produce the insulin (21). After adapting the medium and feeding method, oxygen transfer rates (OTRs) had to be increased through a suitable bioreactor design and over-head pressure (16). Large scale reactors usually reach high ORTs using air and normal aeration pressure, and so the oxygen partial pressure (pO2) will be increased by adding pure oxygen to the air-stream entering the reactor, thus increasing its oxygen transfer rates (16) DO will be maintained at 40% of air saturation and aeration rate at 1vvm. Foaming arising due to large number of cells and high aeration-rates will be solved by use of impellers for stirring simultaneously at 300rpm and the use of antifoam (ucolub N115) (16, 21). The process temperature and pH will be maintained at 30oC and 6.8 respectively so as to avoid partial proteolysis of the insulin protein. Bioreactor Design: Bioreactor vessel is usually cylindrical and made up of stainless steel. It is composed of impeller for stirring, Air sparger is placed at the bottom of the vessel for introduction of air, it has some inlets for introduction of acid/alkali for pH control and also for introduction of antifoams, nutrients and inoculum; It is also has pH, DO and temperature probes for sensing (22), Microbial activity during fermentation usually produces heat, so the bioreactor design must allow for removal of heat, and this can be achieved by cooling with jackets and coils (16) Bioreactors must also be designed in a way that it can withstand high temperature and pressure and to allow cleaning-up and sterilizing (22). Growth analysis Temperature, pH, DO, foam, partial oxygen and carbon dioxide pressures, will be analysed on-line, other parameters like biomass, will be analysed by using optical density (OD600) and dry cell weight (offline). Cell viability will be analysed by using flow cytometry, the concentrations of substrates and metabolites by enzymatic methods while insulin will be analysed using electrophoresis methods like SDS-PAGE, and ELISA, while its purity will be determined by HPLC (8). Limitations/Problems There are several problems that may arise during processing and can limit the use of this organism for Insulin production, these are; Poor secretion because of the structure of its membrane (and tough cell wall), small amount of foldases, chaperones and increased concentrations of proteases, leading to low productivity (7). Solutions to this problem include all measures taken to increase quality of secretion and production such as: Use of secretion systems like the system of ÃŽ ±-haemolysin (7) co-expression after co-cloning of foldases and chaperones (13) Improving the rates of gene-expression and using proteases deficient mutants like BL21 (18). use of E. coli mutants that are deficient of cell-wall (12) Limited post translational-modifications; including disulfide-linkage formation, which is important for the insulin stability and biological activity (9). Solutions to this problem include; Production of insulin with altered amino acid sequences through genetic engineering (9) Using E. coli mutants to enhance the formation of disulfide linkages e.g. Origami (15) iii. Exporting proteins into the periplasm which has disulphide bonding mechanisms (19). Codon biases; due to large quantities of exact transfer-RNAs found in E. coli, the codons in the human-genes are often different from those that are found in this organism. This results in inefficient expression of some of these rare codons by the organism resulting in an unexpected protein synthesis termination or wrong incorporation of the amino acids (12). This problem can be solved by replacing codons that are rare in the desired gene by codons that are often found in the E. coli and by co-expressing the rare transfer-RNAs (15). Acetate is usually formed as a by-product, and is inhibitory to growth of the cells (20). Solution is by using a fed-batch feeding method and by limiting DO level (11). Another problem is that large proteins are often obtained in an insoluble form (5); forming aggregates called inclusion bodies; IBs (20). This can be solved by adjustment of temperature, increasing the strength of the promoter, adjusting the number of plasmids, concentrations of the inducer, and the composition of the media (9). Erythropoietin EPO EPO is a glycoprotein that is produced in the renal cortex of the kidney (10, 11). It has also being shown to be present in the brain, spleen, liver and the lungs (7, 17). It is made up of 165 amino acids of about 18kDa (25), with a number of carbohydrates linked to the polypeptide through O and N glycosidic-bonds giving the glycoprotein a total weight of 34kDa.Two disulphide linkages hold the molecule together (15) and the carbohydrates are responsible for the stability of the glycoprotein in-vivo,and increasing its half-life in the body (24). Why EPO? EPO functions to regulate the amount of red blood cells (RBC) in the blood by controlling the proliferation and differentiation of its immature cells to mature cells (1, 2, 22,). It is also involved in the growth and formation of blood vessels, and healing of wounds (6), it functions in the brain is not clear, but studies showed the glycoprotein to have some protective effects (18). Because of these functions EPO has being used in the treatment of anaemia caused by kidney failure and other causes (25). Recombinant production of EPO Despite its importance, EPO in body is found in very small amounts and mostly in the urine (4), as such there is the requirement to produce EPO in large amounts, this leads to the work of isolating the glycoprotein from the urine (12, 21), and was used to identify its amino acid sequences, and synthesis of its DNA (9, 12), furthermore the human erythropoietin genes were cloned by Lin et al. (17), and consequently recombinant human EPO (rhuEPO) was produced in 1985 using CHO cells (14, 16). Chinese -Hamster- Ovary (CHO-Cells) as rhuEPO host: These are epithelial cells derived from the ovary of Chinese hamster (a mammal). They grow well in culture and looks like cobble stones. The cells usually attach to a surface available but can be grown in suspension (20). CHO cells are grown best at 37oC and at pH 7.4; they are cultured in a suitable complex medium which can support their growth for many generations (20). CHO cell lines are now available from cell culture collections like the American type culture collection; ATCC. Moreover human EPO expression plasmids are now also commercially available, and are usually used for production of EPO using the CHO cells (27). Reasons for choosing CHO-cells Karthik et al. (13) showed that CHO-cells are being used extensively in the industries for the production of many proteins, because they have demonstrated, to possess some qualities like: They can modify biological products post-translationally; Proteins produce in CHO-cells have high glycosylation quality making them compatible and stable (13) Safety of the product; Studies in 1989 have shown that most viruses do not multiply in CHO-cells (13) Ability to adapt easily and be grown in suspension (13). Products can now be purified to contain less contaminant (13). CHO cells have being used for a long time; as such much data has being accumulated for regulatory reasons (13). They are easy to manipulate genetically (13). The isolation of cells deficient in Dihydrofolate-reductase enzymes leads to stable clones selection and genes amplification to increase production (13). With all these, and the fact that EPO is a glycoprotein that requires glycosylation for its stability and activity, recombinant CHO cells are chosen to produce EPO. Cell lines and plasmids: Cell lines which have the capability of glycosylating proteins (Pro-5), harboring the pGEX-HET-puro expression plasmid, will be used to produce the recombinant human erythropoietin (27). Growth strategy Medium: Complex culture medium will be provided with; Glucose as a source of carbon and energy, Amino acids as source of nitrogen, Salts will be included to make the solution isotonic Vitamins and hormones will be added as co-factors Serum is usually added to the culture medium to enhance the growth of the cell (20), but has the following disadvantages: It chemicals are not defined and can cause cell growth inconsistency between batches (20) It is very expensive (20) The serum may contain proteins which can be difficult to separate and purify from the proteins secreted by the cells during downstream processing (20) It increases foaming and can be a source of contamination by viruses. (20) Therefore a serum-free (SF) media (16) will be used for the growth of the E. coli. Process and culture-strategies: The cells will be grown adherent on micro-carriers in a sterile controlled packed bed reactor, and perfusion method of production where some amounts of the medium is removed and replaced by fresh one and the cells are grown slowly will be used (28); because it was found to improve the glycosylation of the proteins more than fed-batch where there is fast growth of cells, (8). Before, many processes were run in a simple batch method, but nowadays, Perfusion or fed-batch methods are mostly employed and higher products are now realized (22). The production will be carried out in two stages; the growth stage and the production stage. Normally stirring will be kept at 100 to 150 rpm, foaming will be avoided by adding Pluronic F68 (16).Temperature will be maintained at 37oC initially during growth and then reduced to 33oC during production, as was shown to increase the overall protein production, while maintaining the quality of the glycoprotein (3, 26). pH w ill be kept at 7.1 initially and then reduced to 6.8 (8, 26), by passing CO2 gas to the culture or by addition of concentrated sodium-bicarbonate solution in low quantities, because CO2 is also toxic to the cells and can also affect the production of EPO (20). In order to avoid the depletion of oxygen, the oxygen transfer rates (OTRs) will be increased above its utilization rate, with a constant supply of pure oxygen and air, while DO will be maintained at 20-50% of air saturation (20). Bioreactor Design: Since the cells are big and fragile, the design of the bioreactor has to be considered. Mammalian cell culture bioreactors are designed with bottoms that are round and are usually made up of glass/stainless steel (20). The impellers are usually marine or pitched blade types fitted at the end of mechanical drives shafts so that both vertical and horizontal mixing are allowed at low stirring-rates (20). Temperature is controlled through coiled pipes or open ended fermenter jacket (20). pH, DO and temperature probes are used for sensing and have both air inlet and outlet for respiration. Growth Analysis Temperature, pH and DO will be monitored on-line, because cells are immobilized, biomass formed cannot be measured directly therefore it will be monitored by measuring rate of glucose consumed daily and the rate of lactate produced (28) Cell viability by flow cytometry, Glucose, glutamine, and lactate concentrations will be analysed using multi-parameter Bio-analytical system (26); while ammonia formed as waste product of amino acid metabolism, will be analysed by colorimetric assay and by the use of detection-kit (26). EPO formed will be analysed using HPLC to determine its purity and its quality by Isoelectric focusing, SDS, and Bradford assay (26). The activity of EPO will be analysed by bioassay and by the use of protein assay-kit (27) Limitations/Problems. There are many limitations associated with CHO cells culture processes and they include; They are fragile and highly sensitive to shear stress caused by agitation and bubble because the cells are large and have only cell membrane (20). This is usually solved using a suitable bioreactor-design and use of Pluronic F68 (20). They need a complex medium including serum which can cause problems in the downstream processing and is expensive (20). Solution to this is by using serum- free media (24, 25). Low yield of proteins have been produced from these cells, the productivity using the microbes being higher than the use of these cells. They also have slow growth rates (13). The problem of low productivity and slow growth rates can be solved through selecting cell lines that are better and optimizing cultural-strategies. Ammonia and lactate are generated during growth and can inhibit growth and also affect glycosylation (8). Solution is by optimizing the strategies of feeding and by monitoring (8). Glycosylation differences may arise from the EPO produced in the CHO-cells and the human EPO as seen in the way the two are sialylated terminally, as a result that the CHO-cells are not able to express an enzyme called alpha-2,6, sialyltransferase (27). Solution is by the use of CHO-cells harboring alpha-2, 6, sialyltransferase-cDNA expression-cassettes (27). REFERENCES: 1. Alcamo, I., DNA Technology; the Awesome-Skill. Farming-dale. New York: Academic Press. (2001). 2. Banting Grolier Electronic publishing www.littletree.com.au/dna.htm accessed on 30/12/2010 3. Carbs information, www.carb-information.com/insulin-synthetic.htm accessed on 30/12/ 2010. 4. Charce, R.E., and Frank, B.H., Research, Production and Safety of Biosynthetic Human Insulin. (1993). www.littletree.com.au/dna.htm accessed on 30/12/2010. 5. Ferrer-Miralles N. Domingo-Espà ­n, J. Corchero, J.L. Và ¡zquez, E. and Villaverde, A. 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