Sunday, April 12, 2020
How to Write a Sample of Explanation Essay
How to Write a Sample of Explanation EssayIf you are interested in doing a sample of explanation essay, make sure you first know what you are looking for. Have you started doing one because you want to improve your grades in school? Or, do you think you have a good idea of what you want to write, but just need a little guidance on what kind of essay to write? Whatever your reason, getting help from an experienced writing teacher can be valuable, especially if you are new to the essay writing field.Here is a common example of how a sample of explanation essay is written. Let's say that you are working with your class as their teacher on a new learning strategy, and the question you want to ask them is this: 'How will we become more successful in our classroom?' There are several ways that you could go about making this question.One way you could ask it is: 'What we would like to know is how can we become more successful in our classroom. What specific steps do we need to take to achie ve success? Is there anything else we can do to make the classroom more successful?'Or, you could look at it from another angle. Let's say that you have had a bit of a rocky experience with your boss, and you need to build the relationship up again. Your question might be: 'How can we both build this relationship? Where do we start? What do we have to do to get to where we want to be? How can we best build a rapport?'In all these examples, you are asking questions about how we can make progress. You are looking for specific things that we can do to better ourselves, or to develop relationships. In the next article in this series, we will examine how to write a sample of explanation essay that is not based on these examples.The most common questions that people write in the sample of explanation essay are those that are focused on actions, accomplishments, and specific behaviors that we want to change. In this way, the explanation is more like a conversation.To recap, in this article , we looked at three important elements in any sample explanation essay. As we see, each of these elements is critical for creating a helpful essay, and a great way to learn how to write a good one.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Hiv Pathophysiology Essay Example
Hiv Pathophysiology Essay Pathophysiology of the human immunodeficiency virus Nancy R. Calles, MSN, RN, PNP, ACRN, MPH Desiree Evans, MD, MPH DeLouis Terlonge, MD Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Provide an overview of the healthy immune system. Describe the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Describe the major components of the HIV life cycle. Identify the various HIV types and subtypes. Discuss HIVââ¬â¢s effects on the immune system. Overview The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus belonging to the family of lentiviruses. Retroviruses can use their RNA and host DNA to make viral DNA and are known for their long incubation periods. Like other retroviruses, HIV infects the body, has a long incubation period (clinical latency), and ultimately causes the signs and symptoms of disease, here AIDS. HIV causes severe damage to the immune system and eventually destroys it by using the DNA of CD4+ cells to replicate itself. In that process, the virus eventually destroys the CD4+ cells. Key Points 1. The immune system protects the body by recognizing invading antigens on pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites) and reacting to them. 2. T lymphocytes, or T cells, regulate the immune system and destroy antigens. . HIV continuously uses new host cells to replicate itself. 4. The HIV life cycle includes six phases: binding and entry, reverse transcription, integration, replication, budding, and maturation. 5. Once HIV is in the circulatory system, it targets the CD4+ lymphocyte. 6. Two types of HIV cause AIDS: HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV-2. 7. Primary infection refers to the time when HIV first enters the body. 8. Clinical latency refers to the time before onset of symptoms and complications in the HIV-infected individual. In HIV-infected adults, this phase may last 8-10 years. 9. We will write a custom essay sample on Hiv Pathophysiology specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Hiv Pathophysiology specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Hiv Pathophysiology specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Early signs and symptoms of HIV can include candidiasis, lymphadenopathy, cervical carcinoma, herpes zoster, and peripheral neuropathy. 10. Late signs and symptoms of HIV and AIDS-defining illnesses can include the development of lifethreatening infections and malignancies. The Healthy Immune System The immune system protects the body by recognizing antigens on invading bacteria and viruses and reacting to them. An antigen is any substance that induces a state of sensitivity and immune responsiveness. These antigens interact with antibodies and immune cells, initiating an immune response. This process destroys the antigen, allowing the body to be free of infections. Types of antigens include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. When the immune system is weakened or destroyed by a virus such as HIV, the body is left vulnerable to infections. The immune system consists of lymphoid organs and tissues, including the bone marrow, thymus gland, lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils, adenoids, appendix, blood, and lymphatic vessels (Figure 1). All components of the immune system are vital in the production and development of lymphocytes, or white blood cells. B lymphocytes (or B cells) and T lymphocytes (or T cells) are produced from stem cells in the bone marrow. B cells stay in the bone marrow to complete the maturation process, but T lymphocytes travel to the thymus gland to complete their maturation. There T lymphocytes become immunocompetent, multiply, and become more differentiated. 7 HIV Curriculum for the Health Professional cells, T-suppressor cells, inhibits or suppresses immune responses. Normal CD8+ cell count is between 300 and 1,000 cells in adults and children. The normal CD4+:CD8+ ratio is between 1. 0 and 2. . T cells can secrete cytokines (chemicals that kill cells), such as interferon. Cytokines can bind to target cells and activate the inflammatory process. They also promote cell growth, activate phagocytes, and destroy target cells. Interleukins are cytokines that serve as messengers between white blood cells. Recombinant (laboratory synthesized) interleukins are currently being studied in clinical trials for patients with HIV infection. Tonsils and Adenoids Thymus Lymph Nodes Spleen Peyerââ¬â¢s Patches Appendix Bone Marrow Lymph Nodes Lymphatic Vessels Phagocytes Phagocytes include monocytes and macrophages, large white blood cells that engulf and digest cells carrying antigenic particles. Found throughout the body, phagocytes rid the body of worn-out cells, initiate the immune response by presenting antigens to lymphocytes, are important in immune response regulation and inflammation, and carry receptors for cytokines. Dendritic cells, another type of phagocyte, also are antigen-presenting cells. They have long, threadlike extensions that help trap lymphocytes and antigens and are found in the spleen and lymph nodes. Neutrophils are granulocytic phagocytes that are important in the inflammatory response. Figure 1. Organs of the Immune System B Lymphocytes The main function of B lymphocytes is humoral (antibody) immunity. Each B cell can recognize specific antigen targets and can secrete specific antibodies. Antibodies function by coating antigens, which makes the antigens more vulnerable to phagocytosis (engulfing and ingestion of invading organisms by leukocytes and/ or macrophages), or by triggering the complement system, leading to an inflammatory response. Antibodies are highly specialized serum protein molecules. They are grouped into five classes, each having a specialized function: immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, IgM, IgE, and IgD. Complement The complement system consists of 25 proteins. Complement can induce an inflammatory response when it functions with antibodies to facilitate phagocytosis or weaken the bacterial cell membrane. The complement proteins interact with one another in a sequential activation cascade, promoting the inflammatory process. Despite the heavy artillery that the immune system has against foreign predators (Figures 2 and 3), HIV defeats it over time. T Lymphocytes T lymphocytes have two major functions: regulation of the immune system and killing of cells that bear specific target antigens. Each T cell has a surface marker, such as CD4+, CD8+, and CD3+, that distinguishes it from other cells. CD4+ cells are helper cells that activate B cells, killer cells, and macrophages when a specific target antigen is present. There are two main types of CD8+ cells. The first type, cytotoxic CD8+ cells, kills cells infected by viruses or bacteria, as well as cancer cells. The second type of CD8+ 8 HIVââ¬â¢s Structure HIV consists of a cylindrical center surrounded by a sphere-shaped lipid bilayer envelope. There are two major viral glycoproteins in this lipid bilayer, gp120 and gp41. The major function of these proteins is to mediate recognition of CD4+ cells and chemokine receptors, thereby enabling the virus to attach to and invade CD4+ cells. The inner sphere contains two single-stranded Pathophysiology of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Stem Cell Lymphoid Precursor Platelets Myeloid Precursor Helper T-Cell Eosinophil Monocyte H-Cell Cytotoxic T-Cell Suppressor T-Cell Neutrophil Mast Cell Basophil Macrophage Plasma Cell Figure 2. Cells of the immune system White Blood Cells Neutrophils Lymphocytes Eosinophils Basophils B-Cells T-Cells CD4+ CD8+ In charge of the army Summons B-cells, natural killer (NK) cells, macrophages Plans for a direct attack Binds directly to antigen and kills it Figure 3. Immune response by white blood cells 9 HIV Curriculum for the Health Professional copies of the genomic material, RNA, as well as multiple proteins and enzymes necessary for HIV replication and maturation: p24, p17, reverse transcriptase, integrase, and protease (Figure 4). Unlike other retroviruses, HIV uses nine genes to code for the necessary proteins and enzymes. The three principal genes are gag, pol, and env. The gag gene encodes core proteins. The pol gene encodes the enzymes reverse transcriptase, protease, and integrase. The env gene encodes the HIV structural components known as glycoproteins. The rest of the genesââ¬ârev, nef, vif, vpu, vpr, and tatââ¬âare important for viral replication and enhancing HIVââ¬â¢s infectivity rate. cells make their way to the lymph nodes and eventually to the peripheral blood, where viral replication becomes rapid. CD4+ lymphocytes that are recruited to respond to viral antigen migrate to the lymph nodes. These become activated and then proliferate via complex interaction of cytokines released in the microenvironment of the lymph nodes. This sequence of events makes the CD4+ cells more susceptible to HIV infection, and it explains the generalized lymphadenopathy characteristic of the acute retroviral syndrome seen in adults and adolescents. In contrast, HIV-infected monocytes allow viral replication but resist killing. Thus, monocytes act as reservoirs of HIV and as effectors of tissue damage in organs such as the brain. The HIV life cycle includes six phases: binding and entry, reverse transcription, integration, replication, budding, and maturation (Figure 5). HIVââ¬â¢s Life Cycle Host cells infected with HIV have a shortened life span as a result of the virusââ¬â¢s using them as ââ¬Å"factoriesâ⬠to produce multiple copies of new HIV. Thus, HIV continuously uses new host cells to replicate itself. As many as 10 million to 10 billion virions (individual viruses) are produced daily. In the first 24 h after exposure, HIV attacks or is captured by dendritic cells in the mucous membranes and skin. Within 5 days after exposure, these infected Binding and Entry The envelope proteins gp120 and gp41 bind to CD4+ cell receptors and coreceptors on the outside of CD4+ cells HIV Structure Envelope Envelope Proteins gp120 gp41 Matrix Proteins p17 Core Proteins p14 RT RNA Integrase Protease Figure 4. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus 10 Pathophysiology of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus sCD4 CD4-lgG Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors Zidovudine Didanosine Zalcitabine Stavudine Lamivudine Nevirapine Reverse transcription Protease Inhibitors Saquinavir Indinavir Ritonavir Nelfinavir Tat Antagonists Penetration Uncoating Trans- TransIntegration cription lation Assembly Release HIV HIV Double-stranded unintegrated DNA cDNA Host chormosome Proviral DNA CD4 and chemokine receptors Genomic RNA Viral mRNA Nucleus Cytoplasm Figure 5. The HIV life cycle This depiction of the HIV life cycle shows the sites of action of some antiretroviral agents. and macrophages. The chemokine receptors CCR5 and CXCR4 facilitate viral entry. T-cell tropic viruses require CXCR4 to bind, and macrotropic strains of the virus require CCR5. R5 is the most common virus transmitted during acute infection, and later during infection X4 is the virus that is most common. The presence of a homozygous inactive mutation of the CCR5 allele has caused resistance to infection by the R5 virus. The joining of the proteins and the receptors and coreceptors fuses the HIV membrane with the CD4+ cell membrane, and the virus enters the CD4+ cell and macrophage. The HIV membrane and the envelope proteins remain outside of the CD4+ cell, whereas the core of the virus enters the CD4+ cell. CD4+ cell enzymes interact with the viral core and stimulate the release of viral RNA and the viral enzymes reverse transcriptase, integrase, and protease. incorporation must occur for the virus to multiply. The conversion of HIV RNA to DNA is known as reverse transcription and is mediated by the HIV enzyme reverse transcriptase. The result is the production of a single strand of DNA from the viral RNA. The single strand of this new DNA then undergoes replication into doublestranded HIV DNA. Integration Once reverse transcription has occurred, the viral DNA can enter the nucleus of the CD4+ cell. The viral enzyme integrase then inserts the viral DNA into the CD4+ cellââ¬â¢s DNA. This process is known as integration. The CD4+ cell has now been changed into a factory used to produce more HIV. Replication The new DNA, which has been formed by the integration of the viral DNA into the CD4+ cell, causes the production of messenger DNA that initiates the synthesis of HIV proteins. Reverse Transcription The HIV RNA must be converted to DNA before it can be incorporated into the DNA of the CD4+ cell. This 11 HIV Curriculum for the Health Professional Budding The HIV proteins and viral RNA, all the components needed to make a new virus, gather at the CD4+ cell membrane to form new viruses. These new viruses push through the different parts of the cell wall by budding. Many viruses can push through the wall of one CD4+ cell. These new viruses leave the CD4+ cell and contain all the components necessary to infect other CD4+ cells. Subtypes are unevenly distributed throughout the world. Subtype C currently accounts for more than half of all new HIV infections worldwide. Africa has most subtypes, although subtype B is less prevalent. There are no known subtypes of HIV-2. Effects on the Immune System The pathogenesis of HIV is basically a struggle between HIV replication and the immune responses of the patient, via cell-mediated and immune-mediated reactions. The HIV viral burden directly and indirectly mediates CD4+ T-cell destruction. There is destruction of mature CD4+ cells; CD4+ progenitor cells in bone marrow, the thymus, and peripheral lymphoid organs; as well as CD4+ cells within the nervous system, such as microglia. The result of this destruction is failure of T-cell production and eventual immune suppression. There are many mechanisms of CD4+ cell depletion by HIV infection. Direct HIV-mediated cytopathic effects include single-cell killing as well as cell fusion, or syncytium formation. The syncytium is a fusion of multiple uninfected CD4+ cells with one HIV-infected CD4+ cell via CD4ââ¬âgp120 interaction. This fusion results in a multinucleated syncytium, or giant cell, which may ultimately serve as a means to produce many virions. The hostââ¬â¢s natural immune responses also play a role in CD4+ cell depletion, mainly through cytotoxic CD8+ T-cells, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, and natural killer cells. Other mechanisms include autoimmune responses, anergy, superantigen-mediated activation of T cells, and programmed cell death (apoptosis). HIV can infect many types of cells. The spread of HIV outside lymphoid organs to the brain, spinal cord, lung, colon, liver, and kidney usually occurs late during illness. Table 1 gives a partial list of cells susceptible to HIV infection. The immune systems of HIV-infected children undergo changes that are similar to those in adults. B-cell activation occurs in most children early in the infection, evidenced by the presence of hypergammaglobulinemia (gt;1. 750 g/L) with high levels of antiââ¬âHIV-1 antibody. This reflects both dysregulation of T-cell suppression of B-cell antibody synthesis as well as active CD4+ enhancement of B-lymphocyte humoral response. Also, as HIV disease progresses through more severe immunosuppression and depletion of CD4+ cells, the CD8+ count increases, yielding an overall decrease in the CD4+:CD8+ ratio. Maturation The new virus has all the components necessary to infect other CD4+ cells but cannot do so until it has matured. During this process, the HIV protease enzyme cuts the long HIV proteins of the virus into smaller functional units that then reassemble to form a mature virus. The virus is now ready to infect other cells. HIV Types There are two types of HIV that cause AIDS: HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV-2. We know little about HIV-2. Studies have shown striking similarities but also important differences between HIV-1 and HIV-2. They have the same modes of transmission and are associated with the same opportunistic infections, but HIV-2 appears to progress more slowly. Most HIV-2 cases are found in western Africa and in countries related to western Africa in some way such as Portugal, France, Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, and India. Various subtypes of HIV-1 have been found in specific geographic areas and in specific high-risk groups. A person can be coinfected with different subtypes. The following are HIV-1 subtypes and their geographic distributions: Subtype A: Central Africa, sub-Saharan Africa Subtype B: South America, Brazil, United States, Thailand, Europe, Caribbean, India, Japan Subtype C: Brazil, India, South Africa Subtype D: Central Africa, sub-Saharan Africa Subtype E: Thailand, Central African Republic, Southeast Asia Subtype F: Brazil, Romania, Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) Subtype G: Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Gabon, Thailand, Russia, Central Africa Subtype H: Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Gabon, Russia, Central Africa Subtype I: Cyprus Subtype O: Cameroon, Gabon 12 Pathophysiology of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Table 1. Cells Susceptible to HIV Infection System Hematopoietic Cell â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ T-cells (CD4+ OR CD 8+) Macrophages/monocytes Dendritic cells Fetal thymocytes and thymic epithelium B-cells NK cells Megakaryotic cells Stem cells Microglia Capillary endothelial cells Astrocytes Oligodendrocytes differentiating symptom that is often absent is the presence of a runny nose or nasal congestion. During primary infection, the CD4+ count in the blood decreases remarkably but rarely drops to less than 200 cells/? L. The virus targets CD4+ cells in the lymph nodes and the thymus during this time, making the HIV-infected person vulnerable to opportunistic infections and limiting the thymusââ¬â¢s ability to produce T lymphocytes. HIV antibody testing using an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay or enzyme immunoassay may yield positive or negative results depending on the time of seroconversion. DNA PCR and RNA PCR will be positive, but confirmation with Western blot analysis may yield an indeterminate result because seroconversion can take up to 2ââ¬â8 weeks to occur. The average time to seroconversion is 25 days. Central Nervous Large Intestine Other â⬠¢ Columnar epithelium â⬠¢ Kupfer cells (liver â⬠¢ Synovial cells â⬠¢ Placental tophoblast cells Clinical Latency/Asymptomatic Disease (Clinical Stage 1) Although patients recently infected with HIV usually experience a ââ¬Å"clinically latentâ⬠period of years between HIV infection and clinical signs and symptoms of AIDS, evidence of HIV replication and host immune system destruction exists from the onset of infection. Early during this time, referred to as Clinical Stage 1 , the immune system produces antibodies in an attempt to protect itself from HIV. This is when the ââ¬Å"viral set pointâ⬠is established. The viral load of the set point can be used to predict how quickly disease progression will occur. People with higher viral load set points tend to exhibit more rapid disease progression than those with lower viral load set points. During latency, HIV-infected patients may or may not have signs and symptoms of HIV infection though persistent lymphadenopathy is common. In HIVinfected adults, this phase may last 8ââ¬â10 years. The HIV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot or immunofluorescence assay will be positive. The CD4+ count is greater than 500 cells/? L in children over 5 years of age. Adapted from Levy L. A. Microbiological Reviews, 57:183-289, March 1993 Clinical Categories of HIV Infection Children infected with HIV often have severe disease when first evaluated, or they may develop AIDS over time, much like adults infected with HIV. Infants and young children normally have higher CD4+ counts than those of adults. The normal CD4+ count in children varies with age, but it is equal to the adult value by the time the child is 6 years old. Immunologic and clinical categories are used to evaluate the HIV disease status in children and to make treatment decisions. Primary Infection, or Acute Retroviral Syndrome Primary infection refers to the time when HIV first enters the body. At the time of primary infection with HIV, a personââ¬â¢s blood carries a high viral load, meaning that there are many individual viruses in the blood. The number of copies of virus per milliliter of plasma or blood can exceed 1 million. Newly infected adults often experience an acute retroviral syndrome. Signs and symptoms of acute retroviral syndrome include fever, myalgia (muscle pain), headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, night sweats, weight loss, and rash. These signs and symptoms usually occur 2ââ¬â4 weeks after infection, subside after a few days, and often are misdiagnosed as influenza or infectious mononucleosis. An important Mild Signs and Symptoms of HIV (Clinical Stage 2) HIV-infected people may appear to be healthy for years, and then minor signs and symptoms of HIV infection begin to appear. They may develop candidiasis, lymphadenopathy, molluscom contagiosum, persistent 13 HIV Curriculum for the Health Professional hepatosplenomegaly, popular pruritic eruptions, herpes zoster, and/or peripheral neuropathy. The viral load increases, and the CD4+ count falls is between 350-499/ uL in children older than 5 years. Once patients are in this stage they remain in stage 2. They can be reassigned stage 3 or 4 if a condition from one of those occurs, but they cannot be reassigned to Clinical Stage 1 or 2 if they become asymptomatic. References 1. Behrman RE, Kliegman RM, Jenson HB. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders; 2004. 2. Bullock BL, Rosendahl PP. Immunity: Pathophysiology Adaptations and Alterations in Function. Philadelphia: Lippincott; 1992. . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1994). 1994 revised classification system for human immunodeficiency virus infection in children less than 13 years of age. MMWR Recomm. Rep. 1994;43(RR-12):1ââ¬â10. 4. Lusso P. (2006). HIV and the chemokine system: 10 years later. EMBO J. 2006;25:447ââ¬â456. 5. Montero J, Nadler JP. Pathophysiology of HIV Infection. In HIV/AIDS Primary Care Guide. Crown House Publishing L imited; 2005:1ââ¬â14. 6. Noble R. Introduction to HIV types, groups and subtypes. http://www. avert. org/hiv-types. htm. Accessed June 24, 2009. 7. Azevedo-Pereira JM, Moniz-Pereira J, Santos-Costa Q. HIV-2 infection and chemokine receptor usageââ¬â clues to reduced virulence of HIV-2. Curr. HIV Res. 2005;3:3ââ¬â16. 8. Klatt EC. Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Pathology of AIDS. University of Utah; 1999. 9. Ungvarske PJ, Flasderud HJ. Overview and Update of HIV/AIDS: A Guide to Primary Care and Management. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders; 1999. 10. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. Understanding the Immune System and How It Works. Bethesda, MD; 2007. Advanced Signs and Symptoms of HIV (Clinical Stage 3) HIV-infected patients with weakened immune systems can develop life-threatening infections. The development of cryptosporidiosis, pulmonary and lymph node tuberculosis, wasting, persistent fever (longer than one month), persistent candidasis, recurrent bacterial pneumonia, and other opportunistic infections is common. These patients may be wasting, or losing weight. Their viral load continues to increase, and the CD4+ count falls to less than 200-349 cells/? L in children older than 5 years. Clinical Stage 4 Patients with advanced HIV disease, or AIDS, can continue to develop new opportunistic infections, such as Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (formerly Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia), cytomegalovirus infection, toxoplasmosis, Mycobacterium avium complex, cryptococcal meningitis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, Kaposi sarcoma and other infections that commonly occur with a severely depressed immune system. The viral load is very high, and the CD4+ count is less than 200 cells/? L in children older than 5 years. At this point in the disease course death can be imminent. 14
Friday, March 6, 2020
Marketing Project Essay Example
Marketing Project Essay Example Marketing Project Essay Marketing Project Essay Executive Summary Wentworth Industrial Cleaning Supplies is an organization whose potential is currently clouded by their lack of competitive strategy. Through analysis of their current situation, several key issues were identified: * Market Research is ineffective and unimplemented * Product line ignores majority of market * Roles of key personnel are illogical and inefficient * Relations with distributors are hostile and unsustainable * Profits and growth is stagnant in an advancing industry * Communication mechanism is fragmented After evaluation of the alternative courses WICS has for consideration, recommendations to address and rectify each issue were chosen. Through assigning specific tasks to the marketing department and enabling a communication mechanism along the personnel chain, objectives and opportunities can be shared. By making strategic role changes to the territorial and area managers, redundancies can be eliminated and the goal of developing and maintaining a unified network can be achieved. Through the addition of a big-tickets sales team and the outsourcing of economy chemical for use in private labels, WICS can gain a larger market share and sustain increased profits for years to come. In combination, these actions provide the basis for the development of a large-scale, well-branded organization with responsiveness to growth and opportunities in the market. Issues with Current Operations Market Research WICS lacks the marketing insight to target clients appropriately. As a solely premium brand, market research is crucial to customer perception and increasing the 40% share of customers willing to pay premium prices for WICS products. Moreover, new lines or line extensions are difficult to launch when there is no market research. In an evidently growing industry, the inability to provide an appealing value proposition to 60% of the customers has caused WICS to halt sales growth and struggle to keep its current market share. Furthermore, the justified frustrations of the area managers cannot be resolved until WICS is able to give them appropriate job descriptions and requirements contingent on the nature and changing behaviour the industry derived from market research. Product Line ââ¬Å"Only 8 percent of customers describe their experience as superior, yet 80 prevent of companies believe the experience they provide is indeed superiorâ⬠Roger J. Best Current Segments Opportunity for Growth Distributors claim ââ¬Å"WICS products are basically no better than anyone else. This is a dangerous mentality when they are currently responsible for actively promoting and marketing WICS products. Their products, priced in the premium category, are reliant on promotion to build a strong perceived value. Furthermore, only 40% of consumers are willing to pay premium prices, leaving 60% of end users uninterested in WICS. This presents a unique marketing challenge for WICS- the need to expand to reach a greater s hare of the market while upholding their image as a premium manufacturer. Role Distribution For managers, a lack of job autonomy creates a feeling of resentment towards superiors and inhibits productivity. (Quote OB Book). Furthermore, the current incentive program stresses disproportionate selling techniques by placing heavy emphasis on hunting at the expense of neglecting farming attained accounts. This focus on hunting new accounts has resulted in acquiring unprofitable accounts that do not allocate a sufficient amount of their total purchases to WICS products. It is expensive and frustrating for distributors to maintain these clients, and they ultimately add little value to the corporation. Finally, the allocation of area manager duties (exhibit 6) results in low productivity by emphasizing ineffective selling techniques and needlessly excessive time spent on demonstrations Communication Discrepancies Internal communication is crucial for any functioning business competing in any industry. The marketing vice president de-motivates his staff members by projecting low confidence in their abilities and using threatening tactics to scare employees into scrambling to do their work for the sake of maintaining their jobs (OB BOOK). Moreover, SSDs feel neglected in the sense that they lack direct communication to management level WICS employees and/or the ability to relay their concerns/recommendations via area managers. Distributor Relations The perceived subjection to ââ¬Å"pressure tacticsâ⬠and the lack of belief in WICS products amongst distributors is an ongoing promotional issue that must be immediately addressed. As well, the combination of WICS current high minimum buy-ins and lack of communication between SSDs and management level WICS staff has yielded an environment retardant to growth for WICS products. WICSââ¬â¢ refusal to grow geographically with its respective SSDs is limiting both to SSD relations and company growth. Requiring SSDs to beta test WICS products is detrimental to both WICS brand image and once again, SSD relations. Because the products currently require timely demonstrations, high sales costs for SSDs have occurred. Recommendations Additional Duties for Territorial Managers The territory managers will be responsible for hunting new distributor clients that would work with WICS and assigning them to an area manager. The territory manager will allocate the new distributor to a manager in accordance with the ratio that we have in place: 1 Territory Manager: Area Managers ââ¬â 4:1 Area Manager: SSDââ¬â¢s 2-4:1, based on size of SSD 1 Territory Managers: Area Manager ââ¬â 4:1 4 2-4 Teea Manager ââ¬â 4:1 Maintaining this ratio will allow territory managers to operate more effectively. Reallocation of Area Managersââ¬â¢ Duties Currently, the Area Managersââ¬â¢ roles and expectations are outdated and ineffective. Their duties need to be reallocated to give more autonomy to the Area Managers when hunting new clients. In this way, they can use their discretion when choosing which methods they prefer to use with their clients, based on their skills and what they feel is most effective. We propose they no longer push the demonstrations onto the SSDs, and instead offer sample Kits that the SSDs would give out to customers to sample the product before making their buying decision. Consequently, the Area Manager will cut this time in half and instead give information sessions for SSD staff about the DIY Sample Kits, negotiate lowering margins, and implement new products. Another 20% of the Area Managersââ¬â¢ time will be spent on the relationship with the SSDââ¬â¢s. Creating and Motivating Personnel Network WICSââ¬â¢ distributor network will be more interactive, fostering communication amongst all three key players- SSDââ¬â¢s, Territorial and Area managers. The Area managers will visit distributors on a weekly basis to receive feedback, address concerns, and discuss routine business logistics. In addition, distributors will receive a bi-monthly visit from their allocated territory manager, who will ensure that any feedback on the effectiveness of the area manager is heard and acted upon. Similarly, there will be weekly communication between territory managers and area managers. This will allow any corporate objectives to be reached, and to share ideas on tactics for reaching sales goal. The evaluation of the SSDââ¬â¢s roles will be done by area managers, with autonomy to create and execute incentive programs within a given budget. Although area managers will have the ability to identify the measurement tactics and rewards for managers, the general incentive drivers will be determined based on sales goals by the marketing department and manager. This will allow the company to emphasize sales of particular products, balance goals for growth with those of customer maintenance, and deliver a customizable incentive program to distributors that will ensure a strong partnership. For Area Managers, incentive programs will be designed and measured by Territorial managers. In a similar fashion to the distributor incentive structure, this method will allow WICS to balance their need for resonant, customized rewards with their efforts to align progress with corporate objectives. Drivers for measuring area manager success may include looking at feedback from SSDââ¬â¢s to evaluate communication and negotiation skills, looking at results in efforts to attract new customers, and evaluating their ability to foster an effective and profitable network through working with their subordinates and superiors on the WICS personnel chain. As area managers are a key link between WICS management and their front-line sales force, it will be essential to harness the competitive nature of the individuals working as area managers through recognition and reward. As a result, winners of incentives and titles will be well-publicized with the corporation, and the objectives by which measurement and designation of winners are achieved will be constantly re-evaluated to ensure that it is meaningful. Providing Raw Materials for Private Labels Only 40% of end users are willing to pay premium prices leaving the majority of customers within the janitorial cleaning supplies industry unaddressed by WICS. In order to maintain active growth, WICS needs to address the unserved 60% of the market. There are two typical ways to approach this problem ) create economy product lines 2) create a flanker brand The first solution not only poses the problem of diluting WICS premium brand image, but also presents the problem of cannibalization. The second approach, although separating WICS from the name of its economy brand, still faces strong opposition as SSDs will be hesitant to hold products that are directly competitive with their private labels. A more innovat ive and successful approach is to being providing SSDs with competitive incentives to sign over their private label outsourcing to WICS. In doing so, WICS will promise to match or provide SSDs a lower price for the raw core materials required to create their private labels. WICS will not pursue/take over any private label outsourcing activities if the prospects prove to be unprofitable, however it will strive to reap economies of scale in the production their raw chemicals, and to strengthen their vested interest in the market segments by sharing in the growth and profitability of the economy lines of the distributors. Hunting and Farming Tactics for Market Share Development WICS will be most successful in its business development efforts if it targets customers using the most successful tactics. For new, high-end customers willing to pay premium prices, tactics such as spotters, use of personal network, research and cold-calling can be used. This will allow WICS to identify potential large-contract clients and either reach out to them via connections or cold-call and pitch their value proposition. Examples of events in which WICS can capitalize on the need for industrial cleaning products include: * Sporting Events- 1992-1996 is the most concentrated time in history for the Olympic games- with two games in 1992, and two more in 1994 and 1996, WICS has the opportunity to capture huge contracts and expand into other sporting event clients * Airlines- in 1992 alone, 86 new airlines were launched. WICS should aim to approach start-up companies in travel and high-growth tech segments for potential contracts * Malls- with Mall of America opening in 1992, WICS should capitalize on the opportunity to develop a sales pitch aligned specifically with the needs of retail malls. Through the sale of chemicals to distributors private labels, Wentworth now holds a vested interest in 100% of the industry. As a result, they have the opportunity to pair with SSDs to farm current customers and pitch a full-package contract in which the SSD private line and WICS products cover all the needs of the client. Special Sales Force Big Ticket Clients With the aforementioned large-scale contract opportunities, WICS needs to devote highly effective salespeople specifically to the attainment of big-ticket sales. The strategy behind acquiring such ââ¬Å"big-ticketâ⬠clients involves partnership with market leaders from the other three segments in the institutional maintenance chemical market (EXHIBIT 1). Through partnership, it becomes possible to offer such big clients with massive cleaning requirements in every segment with relatively cheap product bundles. Product bundles are able to be priced as low as necessary to entice clients to pursue them exclusively because of economies of scale. Market research would determine viable market leaders that suit WICS brand image to be pursued by WICS Special Sales Force. The Special Sales Force would initially comprise of two management- level staff members (SEE NEW ORG. CHART) who strictly work towards pursuing the logistics of ââ¬Å"big-ticketâ⬠clients. This number can expand as WICS grows contracts and profitability in new sales segments. Further advantages of creating product bundles with the other three respective segments in the institutional maintenance chemical market is utilizing partners as spotters. Spotter perks involves exchanging market research, customer information, and referring prospective customers. Furthermore, some big tickets clients may present unprecedented marketing opportunities for WICS. For example, if the product bundles are successful in attaining most of the purchasing of one or both of the Olympic games, WICS could always offer further discounts in exchange for soft advertising such product placement. Implementation of Strategic Recommendations: * Within the next 6 months: The measures taken during the next six months are going to lay the groundwork for WICS to become more efficient, reduce costs, forge better relations with SSDs and staff, and increase market share. Firstly, area and territory managers need to be retrained into their new roles with in the company. This training needs to be carefully implemented, and WICS needs to ensure that the staff are happy with the changes and behind the revamped corporate strategy. Once staff understand their new roles, the infrastructure and products must be ready. The chemical products need to be available for sale as soon as possible for the area managers to start sales. Area managers need to get to work on private label sales as quickly as they can in order to begin penetrating the market. As well, the do-it-yourself kits need to be made and sent out to distributors so that customers can begin testing WICS products without the distributors and area managers having to worry about the timely demonstrations. With the new roles in place, the feedback mechanism will immediately begin so that the distributors begin to feel the shift in customer focus that WICS will be adopting. With the increased support from all WICS staff, and the lower cost of sale, this will motivate the distributors to push WICS products more, without the pressure from area managers, and will grow market share and sales for WICS. * Long term goals: As adoption rates of WICS raw chemicals increase, the company should work towards an objective of serving products in 100% of the industrial cleaning marketââ¬â¢s segments. This will be achieved by a combination of increased sales in the WICS line, representing 75% of the market, and the addition of private label products which serve the remaining 25%. This goal should be attained within the next three years, and the mechanism for its realization is the ability of area managers to negotiate and finalize outsourcing contracts with their distributors.
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Human Resource Management Case Assignment Essay
Human Resource Management Case Assignment - Essay Example This is based on the fact that the organization is acknowledging their superior contributions or services. The rewards are aimed at motivating them towards sustaining or even improving their superior performances. ii. Employees with average performances get substantially smaller rewards or bonuses. This is aimed at encouraging them to improve their efforts by working harder so as to achieve greater rewards in the succeeding periods. iii. Employees with poor performances do not receive any increase in pay or bonus. This is to indicate that they need to improve their performance or seek alternative positions by leaving the organizations. Pay for performance strategy has been noted as one of the best motivating strategies for organizations that seek to enhance their overall performance. However, experts warn that organizations should support such a strategy using other alternative options because money is not the ultimate motivating factor. For instance, organizations are advised to als o include promotions, improvements in working environments or even involve employees in making decisions in addition to the pay for performance system (Chen & Hsieh, 2006). This will ensure that an organization addresses all the factors that motivate employees. Alternative Payment Approaches to Pay for Performance Lockstep pay The most common payment approach among legal firms is the lockstep pay. The payment approach involves an organization using the length of time on the job when determining the ultimate level of compensation for its employees. As noted earlier on, the payment system is common among law firms where lawyers are paid based on the amount of billable hours spent serving clients. Research studies indicate that lawyers earn their income as if they were independent contractors. What this means is that their level of payment varies depending on the amount of revenue generated from the clients that they have served at person levels. However, the lock step payment system i nvolves attorneys with the same level of seniority receive the same level of income. The level of income is entirely determined by the overall performance of the organization. There are exceptions to the system whereby the organization may make adjustments as an exception rather than a rule. Total Reward Compensation The total rewards system of compensation involves more than just the basic pay and benefits. It involves the entire remuneration system that consists of all the direct and indirect payment packages (Reynolds, 2005). The system incorporates pay with all the necessary factors that motivate and are valued by employees. The system also offers numerous approaches to reward other than pay and benefits. It does not rely on a single method of rewarding employees. The system closely resembles the pay for performance system in the sense that the total reward system is based on the level of competency and performance of staff. Reward is solely based on merit rather than experience or job position (Berger & Berger, 2008). The higher the performance the higher the reward and low performance is highly condemned. However, total reward is different from pay for performance because it incorporates all the elements of employee motivation rather than monetary rewards. In fact, research studies on employee motivation indicate that the system motivates and influences the behavior of workers to a larger extent than the pay for perfo
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
The Whole Foods Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
The Whole Foods Company - Essay Example With regard to the Company's five main classes of property and equipment, the overall balance for 2005 was $1,054, 605. A slight Depreciation and amortization costs totaled $129.8 million for the year. Accumulated accelerated depreciation and other asset impairments came to an estimated $5.9 million, and interest capitalized during the fiscal year was an estimated $3 million. Further, development costs of new stores approximated $207.8 million. In November of 2005 leases were signed for an additional 65 store developments. As to business combinations, the Company acquired assets from "Select Fish" in October 2003, and from "Fresh and Wild" in January 2004. Select Fish is a seafood processing and distribution factory based in Seattle, Washington. Fresh and Wild operates seven natural and organic food outlets in London and Bristol in England. Both stock acquisitions made use of the "purchase method" so that the purchase price was made on tangible and identifiable intangible assets, which was based on their estimated fair values at the date of acquisition. The estimated losses from Katrina justify this partial-disclosure that; informs stakeholders of the losses incurred due to the unexpected event in New Orleans; provides an estimate for insurance costs; lists losses; and highlights strategies to adapt to the change (e.g., costs written off as store expenses).
Monday, January 27, 2020
Biological And Psychological Theories Of Crime Criminology Essay
Biological And Psychological Theories Of Crime Criminology Essay As the famous English playwright and poet, William Congreve, said in his play titled; The Mourning Bride: a tragedy;Heavn has no rage, like love to hatred turnd, Nor hell a fury, like a woman scornd. This famous quote is nowadays more known as Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and I believe, shows the hidden power within a woman; the power to deceive the conventional image of a woman, that is to neglect all the characteristics often associated to a woman, and to commit crime. This in turn, I believe, is the reason why so many people are intrigued with learning about why women do what they do. Often enough, we tend to look at a woman as a gentle being, capable of bearing and taking care of children, someone who is calm and low tempered, as well as, capable of holding a family together. This, however, is the conventional portrayal of a woman and is highly associated with the Sex-role theory by the Functionalists which explains the socialisation of females and males. This claim states that males are inclined to be tough, risk taking and to be aggressive, but females, on the other hand are socialised to be gentle. Hence, according to the functionalists, males are more likely to be criminals. Sociologist Frances Heidensohn also argues that women are less involved in crime because crime is gendered as a male activity whereas females exhibit soft characteristics. Nonetheless, many women around the world have committed crimes, as can be seen in the case studies and statistics in the sections below. Women have loitered, stolen, stalked, and even murdered. This functionalist theory does not, in any way, explain why a woman, in the first place would commit crime, however, it does somewhat relate to a theory by Cesar Lombroso (1835-1909). Lombroso believed that all crime was a Biological Atavism. This involved the examination of the cranial capacity as well as the facial features which in turn could identify biological criminal traits. Lombroso concluded that females who committed crime had more masculine traits whereby the brain capacity and difference in skull was more inclined to that of a male. In his studies, results showed that female criminals also carried the worst possible female characteristics which include; a lack of sensitivity to pain as well as a lack for compassion which are generally controlled in women by what he called feminine weakness and underdeveloped intelligence. This in turn, could mildly explain the vicious and dangerous personality of a female criminal. According to Lombrosos study, criminal women had deficient moral sensibilities, unstable characters, excessive vanity, irritability, revengefulness, and an uncontrolled sexual desire. Lombroso went on to say that the only way to end female c riminality was to prohibit criminal meaning so as to avoid the biological traits from passing onto another generation genetically. More recent explanations look at hormones such as testosterone which is proven to control levels of aggression and anger. A certain James M. Dabbs, Jr, from the department of psychology at Georgia State University in Atlanta, conducted a lot of research on how high testosterone levels are linked to crimes. He noted that high testosterone levels were strongly linked to more violent crimes, and violations. This was also proven in women, whereby high testosterone levels were related to crimes of unprovoked violence, increased numbers of prior charges, and decisions against parole. Dalton (1964) studied the effects of menstruation cycles upon female behaviour. Parker (1960) concluded that sixty-two per cent of the crimes of violence committed by female prison inmates were committed in the premenstrual week. Parker claimed that hormonal or menstrual factors can influence women to commit crime in certain circumstances. Although biology seems to produce a convincing starting point as to why women commit crime and is nowadays more commonly used as an explanation, sociologists often dismiss biological factors as they take a deeper look into the environmental background of women who commit crime and the society which they live in. Feminist Sociologist Carol Smart was a very important figure within the Feminist Criminology world. In her 1977 writing she stated; Our knowledge is still in its infancy. In comparison with the massive documentation on all aspects of male delinquency and criminality, the amount of work carried out on the area of women and crime is extremely limited Since her writing, one may actually find more theories and ideas related to female criminality, yet a few broad theories related to this aspect of sociology continuously overlook the idea that gender may indeed be a factor influencing criminality. This is despite the fact that official figures suggest that gender is perhaps the most significant single factor in whether an individual is convicted of crime (Smart, 1977). Women, due to the social portrayal of roles as already mentioned above, is depicted as someone who is unable to commit crime. This in turn leads us to the Mad not bad theory (Lloyd, 1995: xvii). This is the idea that a woman who commits crime must indeed be mad as opposed to bad since she dared to go against [her] natural biological givens such as passivity and a weakness of compliance' (Lloyd, 1995). As a theory, this may, in turn, reflect the low number of female prisoners, however, if we had to apply this theory to Malta, research has shown that by the end of December 2011, Mount Carmel had 268 males and 252 females who formed part of the sleeping-in population. Although I am not able to say if any of these patients actually had anything to do with any sort of criminal behaviour, by simply looking at the numbers, one can conclude that the theory is inefficient in explaining the Maltese situation because the numbers of females to males is less. Another theory is the Liberation Theory also known as Freda Adlers theory of Emancipation. This theory deals with the idea that ever since the liberation of women, the rate of female criminality has increased. Research, however, shows that female criminality was on a rise before the liberation of women. James and Thornton studied women prisoners and from their studies revealed that the women who were imprisoned originally came from poor and uneducated backgrounds. When asked for a reason as to why they offended, the responses received did not appear to be linked to liberation (1980). Upon looking for Sociological theories, I realised that Carol Smart was actually right in her accusation. Not a lot of sociological theories are in fact linked solely to female criminality. Sociological theories try to find a reason as to why people in general commit crime and rarely focus solely on female criminals. However, when looking for biological theories many were actually found and these seemed to focus a lot upon why females commit crime and what brings them to commit it. Could this mean that female criminality is largely linked to biology as opposed to environment, since research seems to direct us to this conclusion? Could female criminality be the perfect answer to the Nature vs. Nurture argument, again due to the theories found and how they are mainly linked to biology? The nature vs. nurture argument is one that has been discussed for years, and continues to be discussed. This argument tries to figure out as to whether crime is something which is controlled genetically or environmentally. The Nativists take on the extreme heredity Position whereby they assume that the features together with the characteristics of a human being are a result of evolution and individual differences evolve from our unique genetic code. In other words, they take on the nature approach, whereby our biology and genetic code can determine as to whether we are more likely to commit crime or not. For example, if my mother is a criminal, this theory believes that I too am very likely to become a criminal as was my grandmother. On the other hand we find the Empiricists (not to be confused with the scientific Empiricists). These are the environmentalists whom take up the nurture approach. They believe that at birth, everyones mind is a tabula rasa which means a blank slate (a t erm often used by John Locke). Over time this tabula rasa is filled as a consequence of experience (e.g. Behaviourism). In other words it is through experience that one might become a criminal and another may not. Personally, I believe that no matter how much we try to wrack our brains to ultimately figure out the reason as to why females commit crime, it is not one that as such can be answered. We can continue trying to come up with theories, which will eventually always be criticized by someone who thinks otherwise. The truth is that every human being has their own way of thinking, and trying to come up with a universal explanation as to how people think or why they do what they do is rather impossible. The Judiciary System and Female Criminals Apart from theories regarding why women commit crime, other theories take a closer look into the judiciary system and female criminals. Many believe that female criminality and court sentencing are linked together in a very unusual manner. Some believe that the Judiciary system can ultimately be affected by such a thing as gender. In other words, some believe that females receive a different sentence than men for the sole reason that they are females. Some of these theories can be seen below. A theory which looks at female criminality and sentencing is the Chivalry Theory. This theory deals with the idea that female offenders tend to be sentenced in a more lenient manner than that of men. This theory is highly linked to the sex-role theory presented earlier by the Functionalists. Females are seen as nurturers and caregivers, and hence this theory believes that females should be given a much more merciful sentence because they are weak and fragile. According to Otto Pollak (1950) in his book The Criminality of Women men have a protective attitude towards women and hence Men hate to accuse women and thus send them to their punishment, police officers dislike to arrest them, district attorneys to prosecute them, judges and juries to find them guilty, and so on David Farrington and Alison Morris (1984) studied the sentencing of 408 theft cases in a magistrates court. All these cases happened in Cambridge that same year. Around 110 of these offences were committed by women. Through these cases, it was shown that even though the male offenders received more severe sentences than the women did, research found that this difference had disappeared when the severity of the offences was then taken into account. Furthermore, Farrington and Morris concluded that there was no independent effect of sex on sentence severity. Nagel and Hagan (1983)believe that females are treated more leniently than males as long as they are committing less serious offenses and exhibit behaviours consistent with their appropriate gender role: acting passively( Ruth T. Zaplin. Female Offenders: Critical Perspectives and Effective Interventions) This leads us to the second theory related to the criminal justice system; The Evil Woman theory. This theory deals with the idea that since women are stepping out of their social roles and actually committing crime they are treated in a harsher manner than men who commit the same crime. It is hard for one to actually pinpoint which theory, if any, is most commonly put into practice. According to Joanne Belknap and Kristi Holsinger, it is important for us to keep in mind that the hypothesis best reflecting reality may depend on the type of crime and stage of the system where the decision is made (i.e., policing, courts, and corrections). In other words, each case will have to be taken individually and each stage will need to be looked at in depth. The Maltese SituationC:UsersuserDesktopUNIVERSITYAssignementsprison StatisticsLogo.jpg C:UsersuserDesktopUntitled.jpg C:UsersuserDesktopUNIVERSITYAssignementsprison StatisticsStatistics per year.jpg C:UsersuserDesktopUNIVERSITYAssignementsAnnual CCF Population.jpg The above information has been obtained from the site http://www.crimemalta.com/prison.html. In turn, this information was provided by Corradino Correctional Facility, Valletta Road Paola, Malta, PLA 1518. The tables and charts above present us with the exact number of prisoners present in the Maltese prison and the amount of males as opposed to females who are or have carried out a prison sentence. Through the tables, one can look at the prison population over the years, the population of prisoners monthly throughout the year 2011, the amount of prisoners over the months of 2012, as well as a weekly update of the current month. The Maltese prison carrying capacity is actually meant to be 500 people. However, as one can note, the amount of prisoners actually staying in our Maltese prison adds up to over 600 people, of which only 45 are female prisoners. Looking through statistics, one can see the largest gap of prisoners between 2006 and 2007, whereby the amount of female prisoners increased by 12 whereas in the following years we can see that the number was kept rather constant. Through these statistics, one can conclude that in proportion to the total amount of prisoners present, Malta has an extremely small number of female prisons. Nonetheless, this does not mean that actual female criminality is very low. One must keep in mind that a lot of crimes go unreported or undetected. Therefore, one cannot assume that there arent many female criminals in Malta. In fact, it is known that a lot of domestic violence cases on men go unreported for several reasons, one being humiliation. As Katryna Storace stated in her article THE UNFAIR SEX; Domestic violence has traditionally been understood as a crime perpetrated by domineering men against vulnerable women. But recent data is slowly beginning to reveal a growing number of male victims. Ms. Ruth Sciberras, Manager of Domestic Violence Services at AppoÃâà ¡Ãâà ¡, the national social welfare agency, seconds the idea that a lot of domestic violence cases upon men are not the actual figures and that in actual fact there is a hidden figure concealed. Such an example proves to one how the rate of female criminality in Malta could very well be higher than what our prison is indicating. Even so, one cannot help but ask for the reasons as to why the 49 female prisoners are actually there. The following table, obtained from Formosa S., (2012) CrimeMalta, www.crimemalta.com presents us with a good idea of the offences for which women were incarcerated during the 2000s (2000-2009). Catagory Over 10 Years % Theft 43 16.8 Arson 1 0.4 Blackmail 1 0.4 Breach of Conditions 14 5.5 Court Order 1 0.4 Conversion of Fines 50 19.5 Drugs 51 19.9 Contempt of Court 3 1.2 Defilement 1 0.4 Disturbances 1 0.4 Escaped from Custody 1 0.4 Falsification 12 4.7 False Evidence 1 0.4 Fraud 15 5.9 Threats 5 2.0 Homicide 1 0.4 Loitering 14 5.5 Migration 5 2.0 Others 36 14.1 Total 256 100 Although Loitering is often the common assumption as to why women go to prison, the table above actually shows that women who have in fact ended up in prison were mainly for conversion of fines (which is when a person has received several fines, those fines are not paid, so therefore converted into a prison sentence), drugs and also theft. Through this research and statistics we are now not only able to determine the exact amount of women in the Maltese prison, but also have a clear indication of the crimes that are mostly committed by Maltese women of crime. Case Studies Here are two examples of the most Notorious female criminals; Bonnie Parker Famously known as Bonnie and Clyde, were shot to death by officers on May 23, 1934 in Louisiana. They were believed to have murdered 13 people, and involved in several robberies as well as burglaries. Aileen Wuornos A former prostitute who was executed in 2002 for killing seven men in the late 1980s and early 1990s. As can be seen from all the research, a log of people have tried to find the reason and solution for women and criminality. Through shown statistics, Malta has a very low number of female criminals. This, of course, does not include hidden statistics i.e. crimes which go undetected. The reasons as to why women end up in prison in Malta have also been shown to be safer then those abroad, whereby very little lives have been taken away by Maltese female criminals. This topic has taught me a lot regarding the female sex and social expectations upon us. Nonetheless to every rule there is an exception, and no social construct can prevent criminality.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
History Of Rock And Roll: The Beatles Essay
If there were would be one band that achieved fame more than any other else, this band is on the top of the list. This band reached the pinnacle and forever left their mark not just in the Rock and Roll scene but in the whole music industry. Not only did they made a lasting impact on music, but they also served as one of the most unforgettable people or group in the history of the world. Their music served influential and created a social impact as well. Composed of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, this group is arguably the most popular band of all time, the Beatles. THE BEATLES A group that originated in the small bars of Liverpool, the Beatles started off as one and only band who led the ââ¬Å"British Invasionâ⬠into the United States. Their musical style can be easily attributed to the 1950s early rock and roll but eventually they grew into different genres that ranged from pop to psychedelic rock. They became trend-setters and their clothes, statements and styles became widely popular during that era. They even became a major influence in the 1960sââ¬â¢ social and cultural revolutions. ââ¬Å"Their arrival in the United States marked such a wide recognition and frenzy. Like an approaching thunderstorm, the Beatlesââ¬â¢ arrival in America was preceded by a few low rumbles and flashes of light, none of them giving more than the slightest hint of the potency to follow. Noting the saturation coverage in England of the Beatlesââ¬â¢ Royal Command Performance two weeks earlier, Newsweek magazine offered one of the first American impressions of the band and its music. The tone of condescension and contempt in an article in the issue of November 18, 1963, would set a standard that virtually all American media would follow for monthsâ⬠(Goldsmith, 2004, p. 115) They have been one of the most successful bands commercially and has been noted as a critically acclaimed band that ruled the entire music scene. The Beatles has become the band that tops the charts among the best selling musical groups of all time. They had made almost more than 40 different songs that reached the top of the charts. And not were they only famous in the United States and the United Kingdom, but they were famous in almost every continent of the world. It has been estimated that they have already sold a billion records. The music of The Beatles displayed an array of songs depicting various messages and lyrics that ranged from different emotions. They were just made up of 2 guitars, 1 bass guitar and 1 drum set, though sometimes they use other musical instruments to create variations with their music. They also incorporated the Piano in some of their songs. The Beatles were influenced by R&B music and they kept on continuing to take different influences even if they have received initial success. Most of the time, they find new lyrical and musical ideas by listening to contemporary music. Some of these influences include Bob Dylan, who made an influence on songs as ââ¬Å"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)â⬠, and ââ¬Å"Youââ¬â¢ve Got to Hide Your Love Awayâ⬠. There are many other influential contemporary bands that made an impact on the Beatles, some of them are the Beach boys and the Byrds. The album of the Beach Boysââ¬â¢ named ââ¬Å"Pet Soundsâ⬠was strongly liked by Paul McCartney and the bandââ¬â¢s producer claimed that without that album, the album of the Beatlesââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"Sgt. Pepperâ⬠wonââ¬â¢t even exist as good as it did. While McCartney loved the Beach Boys, John Lennon gave high praise to the King of Rock, Elvis Presley. Lennon claimed that Elvis inspired him to buy records. He thought that the early music of Elvis was just phenomenal. John Lennon got hooked on Elvisââ¬â¢ beat music and when he hear the song ââ¬Å"Heartbreak Hotelâ⬠, he wanted to fall in love with music and wanted to have something to do with it. The Beatles created variations with their music. They used sound effects but ââ¬Å"Along with studio tricks such as sound effects, unconventional microphone placements, tape loops, double tracking and vari-speed recording, The Beatles began to augment their recordings with instruments that were unconventional for rock music at the time. These included string and brass ensembles as well as Indian instruments such as the sitar as in ââ¬Å"Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)â⬠and the swarmandel as in ââ¬Å"Strawberry Fields Foreverâ⬠. They also used early electronic instruments such as the Mellotron, with which McCartney supplied the flute voices on the intro to ââ¬Å"Strawberry Fields Foreverâ⬠, and the ondioline, an electronic keyboard that created the unusual oboe-like sound on ââ¬Å"Baby Youââ¬â¢re a Rich Manâ⬠. Starting off with the utilization of a string quartet organized by George Martin with ideas form Paul McCartney on ââ¬Å"Yesterdayâ⬠during the year 1965, the Beatles spearheaded a modern kind of art song, represented by the arrangement of a double-quartet string on the song ââ¬Å"Eleanor Rugbyâ⬠, ââ¬Å"Sheââ¬â¢s Leaving Homeâ⬠, and ââ¬Å"Here There and Everywhereâ⬠during the year 1966. McCartney was also inspired by the television performance of Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 by Bach which in turn influenced him to utilize a piccolo trumpet on ââ¬Å"Penny Laneââ¬â¢sâ⬠arrangement. Moving towards psychedelia with the songs ââ¬Å"Tomorrow Never Knowsâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Rainâ⬠in the year 1966, while ââ¬Å"Strawberry Fields Foreverâ⬠, ââ¬Å"Lucy in the Sky with Diamondsâ⬠, and ââ¬Å"I Am the Walrusâ⬠during 1967, the Beatles turned on a new leaf. Each member of the band provided almost an equal contribution. Due to the numerous songs, each member of the Beatles have created their own impact on songs whether be it heard with the rifts, the vocals, the beat or just simply by the over-all presence of the song. John Lennon and Paul McCartney provided the added lift with regards to ingenuity with their songs. Their capability to adapt with the times and even produce music that seems ahead of their time has made the Beatles as one of the best bands of all time in the world. Their performance style during the 60sââ¬â¢ somehow are just simple but very catchy. The crowds roar and women drool over the band member while listening to them rocking the stage. There are times where the Beatles are just performing at TV stations and most of the time they are also performing in huge stadiums, which is a first in the Rock and Roll scene. They spearheaded the stadium-performances which hosted magnanimous number of people, which by the way were all sold-out right from the get go. During the 70s, the Beatles somehow showed a correlation with art and even intertwined pop culture with mass media. Also, during one time in the 70s, they performed on one of the rooftops of a building. The crowd below listened and stopped and even caused mayhem. Police had to get up and fetch the Beatles while they were still singing ââ¬Å"Get Backâ⬠. This is one of the most awesome performances that they have done. As the Beatles have mentioned themselves, the Beatles have been influenced by American music. One of the notable inspirations that they always mention is Elvis Presley. Thereââ¬â¢s no better influence other than the king of rock. Their music somehow professed a mixture of style and tempo of Gospel music and also a little bit of jazz. But all in all, they created a different and seemingly diverse music, a result of different influences. The Beatles reinvented social values in their music. Their style of Rock and Roll and Pop changed the social landscape. It is widely regarded that the Beatles were influenced by jack Kerouac. This American poet, writer and artist somehow made an impact on the band. ââ¬Å"One of the key myths surrounding the Beatlesââ¬â¢ is that their music was so artistically strong it could not fail to get to number one. This belief fails to take into account their huge ambition for fame and its rewards. In todayââ¬â¢s usual reckoning of the Beatles as pop `artistsââ¬â¢, we tend not to examine any of their baser motives, preferring to see them as purely motivated by a love of music and a need to communicate with the world. The Beatles themselves, it should be noted, have attempted to point out that not all their motives were pure. John in particular wielded the biggest attack against the Beatles myth ââ¬â as he himself referred to it ââ¬â in his 1970 Rolling Stone interview. To make it to the top he said you had to be a `bastardââ¬â¢ and the Beatles were in such a context the `biggest bastards on earthââ¬â¢. Albert Goldmanââ¬â¢s The Lives Of John Lennon seems to have taken this remark to heart and pursued it relentlessly, missing the point of what John was trying to achieve with this comment. By making such knowingly sensational remarks, he sought to counter what he saw as widely held misconceptions of the Beatles. His remarks also served to emphasise that the Beatles were not gods, but ordinary human beings. It is from the last perspective that I have written this book ââ¬â the Beatles not as four gods, but as four highly motivated, but otherwise normal, Liverpool lads. â⬠(Rowley, 2002, p. 11). CONCLUSION If there would be one band that have made such a magnanimous impact all over the world, it has got to be the Beatles. Their musical style that ranged from variations of different genres displayed their flexibility. Their ability to adapt with the times and influence contemporary bands and the bands of today has been unmatched. Not only were they successful in the field of music but they also gained a huge following with regards to the trends that they have utilized. No other band sold more concerts or at least satisfied more people other than the Beatles. Their music has been a wonder of the world and still has that impact until today. The Beatles, unparalleled, unbeatable, unforgettable. They are just simply phenomenal. REFERENCES Goldsmith, M. (2004). The Beatles Come to America. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Rowley, D. (2002). Beatles for Sale: The Musical Secrets of the Greatest Rock ââ¬Ënââ¬â¢ Roll Band
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