Microecnomics Exam

Intermediate Microeconomics Fall 2005 Midterm Exam Direction: This is a close book, close notes exam; there is 100 points possible, please pay attention to the weights as you allocate your time; the exam starts at 3:30 and ends at 5:00 sharp. Good luck! 1. (25 points) Consider the utility function[pic]. 1) Is the assumption that ‘more is better’ satisfied for both goods? 2) What is [pic] for this utility function? 3) Is the [pic] diminishing, constant, or increasing as the consumer substitutes [pic] for [pic] along an indifference curve? . (25 points) A consumer purchases two goods, food [pic] and clothing [pic]. Her utility function is given by [pic]. The price of food is [pic] , the price of clothing is [pic], and the consumer’s income is [pic]. 1) What is the demand function for clothing? 2) Is clothing a normal good in this case? 3. (25 points) Suppose that Natasha’s utility function is given by u(I) = I0. 5, where I represents annual income in thousand s of dollars. 1) Is Natasha risk loving, risk neutral, or risk averse? Explain. ) Suppose that Natasha is currently earning an income of $10,000 (I = 10) and can earn that income next year with certainty. She is offered a chance to take a new job that offers a . 5 probability of earning $16,000, and a . 5 probability of earning $5,000. Should she take the new job? 3) In (2), would Natasha be willing to buy insurance to protect against the variable income associated with the new job? If so, how much would she be willing to pay for that insurance? 4. (25 points) Suppose a consumer has the two period utility function: [pic][pic] here [pic]represent the amount of consumption in period 1 and 2 respectively. The consumer’s income consists just of inherited assets A in period 1, and there is no income in second period. If the remaining income is invested in an asset, it can earn a rate of interest r. 1) Interpret the economic meaning of the parameter [pic] in the utility function. 2 ) Obtain the optimal allocation of[pic], and illustrate it with the graph. 3) Explain how the optimal consumptions in periods 1 and 2 vary with A, r, and[pic].

Angels and Demons †Dan Brown Essay

The novel, â€Å"Angels And Demons† by Dan Brown, is a story of when a world renowned scientist was found butally murdered and a proffessor named Robert Langdon is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol scared into his chest. His conclusion is it was the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood presumed extinct for nearly four hundred years and is now reborn to continue their fight againgst their sworn enemy, the Catholic Church. One of the themes in the book seems to be that science and religion are two sides of the same story. The bible talks about God who created good and evil, warmth and coldness etc. It is not clear whether the book tells us that science proves God, or that science is God, or if the author is just trying to create debate and propose a different point of view on religion. In another book by Dan Brown, â€Å"The Da Vinci Code†, he shows that he is open for new theories on Christianity. The greatest example of devotion is from the Camerlengo, who although was misguided, acts because he believes that he is doing God’s will. The camerlengo masterminds the whole situation, from the antimatter in the Vatican to poisoning the Pope to the deaths of the four cardinals. He believes that if people think the Illuminati has reemerged and is threatening the church, they will return to their faith to the Catholic Church. He truly believes that everything he does has been for the good of the church and that he has been chosen to lead people back to religion and faith. This kind of devotion and determination is also shown in the movie, â€Å"Remember The Titans†, as Coach Boone is determined to unite the races as he believes that the ongoing hatred between the different ethnic groups should stop.

Behavioural Science and its Contribution to Organizational Behavior Essay

Chapter 1 Introduction: Behavioural science is the systematic analysis and investigation of human behaviour through controlled and naturalistic observation, and disciplined scientific experimentation. It attempts to accomplish legitimate, objective conclusions through rigorous formulations and observation. Behavioral sciences could be categorized into three main forms psychology, sociology and anthropology. Insights from several pure disciplines across behavioural sciences are explored by various applied disciplines and practiced in the context of everyday life and business. These applied disciplines of behavioural science include: organizational behavior, operations research, consumer behaviour and media psychology. Behavioural sciences abstract empirical data to investigate the decision processes and communication strategies within and between organisms in a social system. Behavioural sciences abstract empirical data to investigate the decision processes and communication strategies within and between org anisms in a social system. Scientists in this field looks at individuals and their behavior along with the behavior of societies, groups, and cultures, as well as processes that can contribute to specific behaviors. There is a great deal of overlap between this field and the social sciences, which can sometimes lead to confusion. The social sciences tend to focus more on structural systems and cultures, while behavioral science tends to look at the reactions within and between organisms that dictate behavioral trends Organizational Behavior is the study of individuals and their behavior within the context of the organization in a workplace setting. It is an interdisciplinary field that includes sociology, psychology, communication and management Statement of the problem Many modern organizations are faced with numerous challenges such as illegal and unethical behaviour in a number of business transactions. Managers are also faced with the challenge of evaluating the effect of this critical behaviour on the performance of such organizations. Again, many business managers operate their activities today, without keen interest of bothering whether their actions are right or wrong and the extent of employees  understanding of the term ethics while the level of compliance is highly infinitesimal, (Oladunni 2002).The way Nigerian society cares little about the welfare of the employees tend to make some of these business operators to begin to wonder about the necessity of behavioural science in an organization. Objective of research The objectives of this research among others are to:[a]critically x-ray the effects of behavioral science on organizational performance.[b]establish whether behavioural science has any relationship with organizational performance.[c]show-case the necessity of behavioural science to the success and eventual institutionalization of an organization Chapter 2 Literature review Behavioral science is any of various disciplines dealing with the subject of human actions, usually including the fields of sociology, social and cultural anthropology, psychology, and behavioral aspects of biology, economics, geography, law, psychiatry, and political science. The term gained currency in the 1950s in the United States; it is often used synonymously with â€Å"social sciences,† although some writers distinguish between them. The term behavioral sciences suggests an approach that is more experimental than that connoted by the older term social sciences. Behavioral and social sciences research is a large, multifaceted field, encompassing a wide array of disciplines. The field employs a variety of methodological approaches including: surveys and questionnaires, interviews, randomized clinical trials, direct observation, physiological manipulations and recording, descriptive methods, laboratory and field experiments, standardized tests, economic a nalyses, statistical modeling, ethnography, and evaluation. Yet, behavioral and social sciences research is not restricted to a set of disciplines or methodological approaches. Instead, the field is defined by substantive areas of research that transcend disciplinary and methodological boundaries. In addition, several key cross-cutting themes characterize social and behavioral sciences research. These include: an emphasis on  theory-driven research; the search for general principles of behavioral and social functioning; the importance ascribed to a developmental, lifespan perspective; an emphasis on individual variation, and variation across sociodemographic categories such as gender, age, and sociocultural status; and a focus on both the social and biological contexts of behavior. The core areas of behavioral and social sciences research are divided into basic or fundamental research and applied research. The basic and applied research distinction serves more of an organizational function for purposes of this definition, rather than representing firm boundaries within the field. Indeed, many studies have both basic and applied components. Moreover, basic and applied research is often complementary. Basic research frequently provides the foundation for subsequent applied research, and applied research often influences the direction of basic research. Definition of â€Å"behavioral†Ã¢â‚¬  For purposes of this definition, the term â€Å"behavioral† refers to overt actions; to underlying psychological processes such as cognition, emotion, temperament, and motivation; and to biobehavioral interactions. Behavioral science a science or branch of learning, as psychology or sociology that derives its concepts from observation of the behavior of living organism.according to â€Å"prof B J Inyang 2008 behavioural sciences is the scientific study of human behaviour Behavioral Sciences Literature A considerable literature on individual behavior and public health has developed in the second half of the twentieth century. The general failure of public health to pick up and nurture the more macro social science perspectives to the same degree has limited the full potential of the impact of the social and behavioral sciences on public health, particularly because the historical roots of public health in the latter half of the nineteenth century included a strong social structural viewpoint. Since that time, the theoretical development of economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology has accelerated, but it was often not brought to bear on contemporary public health issues because these issues were often defined in terms of the characteristics of individuals rather than as characteristics  of social structure. The argument is, then, that public health picked up the wrong end of the social science stick—the individual (micro) end rather than the sociocultural ( macro) end. This assertion is supported by any perusal of public health journals or literature on social and behavioral science in public health in the second half of the twentieth century. Nonetheless, as the end of the twentieth century in public health witnessed increasing concern with social concepts such as social inequity, inequality, and community interventions, the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, economics, and political science had a more important role in public health, for the determinants of health were being defined in terms of a social and behavioral perspective. For example, many individual behaviors were recognized as risk factors for poor health, but were also seen as embedded in a wider social context. In addition, a social science–informed healthful public policy was seen by many as a key to the development of public health strategies to improve health. Behavioral science research is a large, multifaceted field, encompassing a wide array of disciplines. The field employs a variety of methodological approaches including: surveys and questionnaires, interviews, randomized clinical trials, direct observation, physiological manipulations an d recording, descriptive methods, laboratory and field experiments, standardized tests, economic analyses, statistical modeling, ethnography, and evaluation. Yet, behavioral sciences research is not restricted to a set of disciplines or methodological approaches. Instead, the field is defined by substantive areas of research that transcend disciplinary and methodological boundaries. In addition, several key cross-cutting themes characterize social and behavioral sciences research. These include: an emphasis on theory-driven research; the search for general principles of behavioral and social functioning; the importance ascribed to a developmental, lifespan perspective; an emphasis on individual variation, and variation across sociodemographic categories such as gender, age, and sociocultural status; and a focus on both the social and biological contexts of behavior. The core areas of behavioral and social sciences research are divided into basic or fundamental research and applied research. The basic and applied research distinction serves more of an organizational function for purposes  of this definition, rather than representing firm boundaries within the field. Indeed, many studies have both basic and applied components. Moreover, basic and applied research is often complementary. Basic research frequently provides the foundation for subsequent applied research, and applied research often influences the direction of basic research. The social sciences are concerned with the study of human society and with the relationship of individuals in, and to, society. The chief academic disciplines of the social sciences are anthropology, economics, history, political science, and sociology. The behavioral sciences, particularly psychology, are concerned with the study of the actions of humans and animals. The key effort of the behavioral sciences is to understand, predict, and influence behavior. The chief academic disciplines of the behavioral sciences are anthropology, psychology, and sociology, with the distinction between social and behavioral science often blurred when these disciplines are applied in public health research and practice, particularly in schools of public health and governmental agencies. Many, if not most, public health approaches are problem focused and lead to a multidiscipline solution encompassing several social and behavioral science disciplines and combinations of them (such as social psychology), in addition to other public health disciplines such as epidemiology and biostatistics. Anthropology. Anthropology is a broad social science concerned with the study of humans from a social, biological and cultural perspective. Historically it is a Western-based social science with roots in Europe and North America. It includes two broad areas of physical and sociocultural anthropology; both are relevant to public health. Physical anthropology divides into two areas, one related to tracing human evolution and the study of primates, and the other concerned with contemporary human characteristics stemming from the mixture of genetic adaptations and culture. Medical anthropologists with this perspective are often concerned with the relationships between culture, illness, health, and nutrition. Sociocultural anthropology is concerned with broad aspects of the adaptation of humans to their cultures— with social organization, language, ethnographic details, and, in general, the understanding of culturally mitigated patterns of behavior. In recent decades this perspective has taken a more ecologically focused view of the human species. From a public health perspective, this  approach to anthropology is probably most salient in terms of the methodological approaches used by anthropologists. They have a critical concern with understanding communities through participant observation. Indeed, participat ion is probably the key concept linking modern-day anthropological approaches to twentieth-century concepts of public health community interventions. Although the methodology of rapport-based structured interviews and observation is a highly developed methodology among anthropologists, it has had limited application in public health. More recent efforts in public health to address issues of inequity at the community level have created more attention to anthropological approaches. Economics. Economics is perhaps the oldest of the social sciences, with its concern with wealth and poverty, trade and industry. However, current economic thinking generally dates from the last three centuries and is associated with the great names in economic thinking, such as Adam Smith, Robert Malthus, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx. Present-day economics is an advanced study of production, employment, exchange, and consumption driven by sophisticated mathematical models. Basically, the field breaks into two distinctive areas: microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics is largely concerned with issues such as competitive markets, wage rates, and profit margins. Macroeconomics deals with broader issues, such as national income, employment, and economic systems. The relationship between economics and health is obv ious because in developed countries the percentage of gross national product consumed by the health care industry is significant, generally ranging from 5 to 15 percent of the gross national product. In the poorer countries, the cost of disease to the overall economy can prohibit the sound economic development of the country. In recent years there has been a concern with both the global economic burden of disease as well as with investment in health. That poverty is highly related to poor public health is a widely accepted tenet of modernday thinking in public health. However, economic systems ranging from free enterprise through liberal socialism and communism offer quite differing alternatives to the reduction of poverty and the distribution of economic resources. Psychology. Psychology is probably the most common disciplinary background found in the application of the social and behavioral sciences to public health. Modern psychology is a large field that encompasses physiological psychology,  concerned with the nervous and circulatory systems, as well as social psychology, and concerned with the behavior of individuals as influenced by social stimuli. In general, psychology is concerned with the relationship of living organisms to their environment. In addition to studies focused on physiological mechanisms, psychology is concerned with the broad area of human cognition, including learning, memory, and concept formation. The subfield of abnormal psychology is concerned with mental disorders, ranging from psychoses to neuroses. The subfield of clinical psychology offers direct patient-care mechanisms to treat mental problems in individuals. Thus the application of psychological approaches to health is quite apparent. However, the most salient branch of psychology for public health practice, and particularly for the task of understanding the determinants of health, is probably social psychology. A major focus of social psychology is on attitudes, opinions, and behaviors. Thus, there is an emphasis on understanding how groups and individuals interact with one another. The degree to which many interactions are easy or difficult can play a major role in determining the stability of groups and individuals. Therefore, broad concepts su ch as stress, social cohesion, peer influence, civic trust, and others derive strong theoretical and research support from social psychology. Sociology. Sociology is perhaps the broadest of the social science fields applied to public health. It is also characterized by being eclectic in its borrowing from the other social sciences. Thus, sociology is also concerned with organizations, economics, and political issues, as well as individual behaviors in relation to the broader social milieu. A key concept in sociology, however, is an emphasis on society rather than the individual. The individual is viewed as an actor within a larger social process. This distinguishes the field from psychology. Thus the emphasis is on units of analysis at the collective level such as the family, the group, the neighborhood, the city, the organization, the state, and the world. Sociology is concerned with how the social fabric or social structure is maintained, and how social processes, such as conflict and resolution, relate to the maintenance and change of social structures. A sociologist studies processes that create, maintain, and sustain a social system, such as a health care system in a country. The scientific component of this study w ould be the concern with the processes regulating and shaping the health  care system. Sociology assumes that social structure and social processes are very complex. Definition of organizational behaviour Organizational behavior is a field of study that investigates the impact of individuals, groups and structures upon behavior within an organization. It is an interdisciplinary field that includes sociology, psychology, communication, and management; and it complements the academic studies of organizational theory (which is focused on organizational and intra-organizational topics) and human resource studies (which is more applied and business-oriented). It may also be referred to as organizational science. The field has its roots in industrial and organizational psychology a Organizational studies encompass the study of organizations from multiple viewpoints, methods, and levels of analysis. For instance, one textbook divides these multiple viewpoints into three perspectives: modern, symbolic, and postmodern. Another traditional distinction, present especially in American academia, is between the study of â€Å"micro† organizational behaviour — which refers to individual and group dynamics in an organizational setting — and â€Å"macro† strategic management and organizational theory which studies whole organizations and industries, how they adapt, and the strategies, structures and contingencies that guide them. To this distinction, some scholars have added an interest in â€Å"meso† scale structures – power, culture, and the networks of individuals and i.e. ronit units in organizations — and â€Å"field† level analysis which study how whole populations of organizations interact. Whenever people interact in organizations, many factors come into play. Modern organizational studies attempt to understand and model these factors. Like all modernist social sciences, organizational studies seek to control, predict, and explain. There is some controversy over the ethics of controlling workers’ behavior, as well as the manner in which workers are treated (see Taylor’s scientific management approach compared to the human relations movement of the 1940s). As such, organizational behaviour or OB (and its cousin, Industrial psychology) have at times been accused of being the scientific tool of the powerful.[citation needed] Those accusations notwithstanding, OB can play a major role in organizational development, enhancing organizational performance, as well as individual and group  performance/satisfaction/commitment. One of the main goals of organizational theorists is, according to Simms (1994) â€Å"to revitalize organizational theory and develop a better conceptualization of organizational life.†[2] An organizational theorist should carefully consider levels assumptions being made in theor y,[3] and is concerned to help managers and administrators Behavioral science and organizational behaviour both interrelate and interdepend on each other thou the mean total different things. Chapter3 Finding This study shows that behavioural science does affect organizational behaviour negatively and positively, it could affect one negatively if one had a rough upbringing such as the environment, genetic treats, the person interpersonal relations skill would be poor thus reducing the persons productivity, it can affect positively if one is a good person at heart and is always happy to do the job then the organization may blossom. Recommendation It is highly recommended that managers observe and practice behavioral science amongst his employs so as to balance the organizational behaviour. Chief Executives should encourage behavioral consciousness in their organizations from the top down showing the support and care about ethical behaviour. There is the need for organizations to help their employees in dealings with ethical challenged by adhering to the following steps. [a] Recognize and Clarify the Dilemma. [b] Get all the possible facts [c] List your options, all of them. [d] Test each option by asking: †Is it legal? Is it right? Is it beneficial?† [e] Make your decision. [f] Double check your decision by asking: ‘how would I feel if my family found out about this? How would I feel if my decision was printed in a local newspaper? [g] Implement your action. [h] Make a research and collect feedback on your implementation. [I] Evaluation and control of the whole steps Conclusion It must be emphasized that the challenge of behavioural science must be met by organizations if they are truly concerned about survival uprightness, integrity, and competitiveness. What is needed in today’s complicated times is for more organization to step forward and operate with strong, positive and good organizational behaviours. Organizations must ensure that their employees know how to deal with behavioural issues in their everyday work lives. As a result, when the behavioural climate is clear and positive, everyone will know what is expected of him or her when the inevitable behavioural dilemmas occur. This will definitely give employees the confidence to be on the lookout for unwanted behaviours and act with the understanding that what they are doing is correct and will be supported by top management of the organization REFERENCE ageeg, e. j. (2004). behavioural science. spain: Rmb. B, m. J. (1980). THEORIES OF ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR. HINSDALE: dryden press. brum, h. (1978). how behaviourial science affects our day to day life. ney york: luft press. burry, c. (2006). behavioural sience. a journal of sciences , 64: 93-98. collins, m. (2009). behavioural science and social science. journal of sciences , 4. h, m. (1985). the organisation as political arena. journal of management studies , 12. Inyang, p. B. (2008). oganizational behaviour. calabar: merb publishers,calabar, nigeria. leez, J. (2009). organizational behaviour. japan: CABS. luthans, F. (1989). Organizational bahaviour. newyork: mc-graw hill. research, o. o. (2013). behavioural science. oaklahoma: marutime. S, t. (2005). finding form looking at the feild of the organization. joournal of management , 42(6):1211-1231. S.P, r. (2009). Organizational beviour:global and southern africa. capetown: prentice-hall. stanford, c. a. (2013). Retrieved february 20, 2014, from casb: www.casb.org W, d. d. (2006). Whento little or too much hurt; evidence for a curvilineaer relationship between fast conflict and innovation in team. journal of management , 34. wikipedia. (2014, febraury 20). the free encyclopedia. Retrieved feb 20, 2014, from www.en.wikipedia.org

Management Training and Development Coaching Essay

Management Training and Development Coaching - Essay Example In the same vein, they were supposed to be the image of one serene and calm on the outside, "despite paddling like hell underneath."2 This paper looks into coaching, particularly executive coaching as a management training and development tool, considers its strengths and weaknesses, and presents the organisational context in which it is most appropriate and effective. Real examples of best practice are also provided through four cases. Coaching initially referred to remedial situations where one gets to be coached because of under-performance or unsatisfactory behaviour. Now, coaching usually refers to developing people within an organisation to be able to become effective workers.3 It uses a variety of tools and techniques from a wide range of theoretical backgrounds including organisational theory, occupational psychology and psychometrics, learning and counselling. Depending on the needs of the client, these tools are used in different situations and with different clients. Common tools, models and techniques used in coaching include Kolb's learning cycle, the GROW model, 360 degree feedback, psychometric instruments, goal setting and emotional intelligence models.4 Executive coaching is onl... Executive coaching is a process through which executives are helped to improve their performance and personal effectiveness while reducing stress. It facilitates the identification of inner resources, reveals the need to learn new behaviors to enhance performance, and challenges underlying beliefs and values.7 A leader who develops a coaching mindset and skills is believed capable of unlocking the potential of his or her people, and therefore of creating the next generation of inspirational leaders.8 Participation then in an executive coaching program would offer the rare opportunity for an executive to stand back and to take a fresh look at his experiences and assumptions of a lifetime.9 Carol.Braddick10 would call coaching one of the many practices that can reasonably be linked to high performing companies in terms of raising standards. In fact, executive coaching draws out individual potential by raising self-awareness and understanding, and facilitates learning and performance development that create excellent leaders.11 Executive coaching is now a widespread development tool being used by organisations across the United Kingdom and the United States.12 To John Mason, 13 executive coaching as a professional intervention will save very significant amounts of money because one may not have to remove an under-performing executive, or recruit, and then train a replacement. Its popularity nowadays is based on its strength as a management development tool. First, it gives direct one-to-one assistance and attention that fits into timeframes and schedules of those participating in coaching where they get to see quick results.

How a Person should be Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How a Person should be - Essay Example Since, what is practical for our group is in turn useful for each of us. We observe that people in flourishing, euphoric neighborhoods are usually more blissful themselves, there is a path in which giving returns to profit the provider. This reaction circle is eminent; however I accept that people's cause to give is attached in their longing to find importance through environs, not the trust that completing so will profit them. Â  As of late, much research has kept tabs on how our brains are hardwired to synthetically remunerate us for demonstrations of giving. To some, the thought that giving might trigger this kind of reaction intimates a level of narrow-mindedness behind the demonstration of philanthropy. Anyway this rationale certainly proposes that breathing, consuming, and falling in love is all "narrow minded" too, since our mind science compensates us in comparative courses for these movements (Giving USA, 2005). As opposed to inferring that giving is self centered, I suppos e the examination indicates that giving is a focal need/desire for people. This is in actuality truly noteworthy, since rationale might manage that giving is something we accomplish for others, and that we should lose something for others to augment. Rather, the examination infers that giving is a cause much like consuming and relaxing. It is something we should do to survive and flourish. The causes of every particular supplier are obviously novel. Anyhow, exactly as we consume to fulfill our longing to live., we give to fulfill our yearning for meaning. Observation and Analysis Singer observes that on the planet today, there are numerous individuals facing a great number of hardships, heading towards complete hopelessness, prone to catastrophe at whatever point common debacles or wars or other destructive emergencies strike. Numerous individuals lead a miserable life, living well below the poverty line and not being able to afford or have access to even the most basic amenities of life. Singer presents a moral solution and says that, if we can anticipate and prevent something dire from happening, without as a result relinquishing anything of similar ethical essentialness, we should, ethically and morally, to do it. He illustrates that this ought to be done without relinquishing anything of similar ethical vivacity, without bringing about other possibilities equivalently awful to happen, or doing something that is wrong in itself, or neglecting to advertise some ethical debacle, practically identical in worthiness to the awful thing that

Cost of Dying and effects of healthcare delivery system Thesis

Cost of Dying and effects of healthcare delivery system - Thesis Example These can mostly be achieved by designing long-term care facilities or homes to suit their mental and physical requirements. Hospice care is another major facility which caters to the dying during their last few months of life when they are in any terminal or chronic illness and when curative treatment is not feasible. However hospice care has not been accepted by all the people in their dying days. Barriers exist which prevent their opting for this facility. The phenomena of interest in this study lie in the care for the dying and various situations including the budgets allocated in present day circumstances for the terminal patients. The budgets involved in caring for the dying are now booming so much that finances are increasingly being channeled into it. A comparison of the total health expenditures in relationship to GDP shows an immense difference in the increase in the US when considered against other countries (See Appendix B). The intention of hospice care is to provide int ensive care for the dying in their last days. A good team of doctors and nurses, drugs and the latest technology together have made the terminal care expensive. However, in spite of the arrangements, people are opting to spend their last days in nursing homes rather than in hospice care. This paper intends to demonstrate the underutilization of hospice care, why there is resistance to hospice care from physicians and families, and how hospice care can be integrated into the continuity of care. Dr.Cicely Saunders founded the modern hospice concept (Biskupiak, 2005). The study aims to search for the various literature available on the cost of dying and the services of the healthcare system for the dying in the terminal stages. It would be interesting to explore how much of the invested amount is actually availed of during the dying phase. Statistics show that much of this amount is not

Vectors and Statics Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Vectors and Statics - Lab Report Example Experimentally, T3 required to balance the ring was found to be 1.6072N. From this, the x compontent and y components of the force were calculated. In comparison, the theoretical value for T3 was found to be 1.84N. This indicates disparity between the theoretical and experimental value, especially after calculating the percentage error that gave out 12.6%. however, this is a slight deviation and can be contribute to the experimental errors. Source of these could be attributed to the non-accurate nature of experimental apparatus since this makes an individual to give a slightly deviating reading from that expected. Further, this could also cumulate to imprecision of the measurements done therein. However, the percentage error should not only be laid solely on the experimental errors but also on the errors arising from using the theoretical value. For example, the theoretical value given are meant for a pulley with frictionless wheels and strings without weight. But in this case, while moving friction is inevitable and weight of the string should also be accounted for the errors. Consequently, this insinuate that there is overestimation of percentage error calculated for the pulley system. Through the above experiment, the application of vector and statics in real life scenarios come out succinctly. For instance, the case of implementing pulley and the inclined plane can be taken as simple machines. For the component of simple machines, the pulley can be applied in lifting a particular load by allowing for application of relatively less force than in a scenarios of direct pulling. In conclusion, the experiment was successful in meeting the major objective of the lab. As can be evident, the percentage error falls within a small margin. Further, the causes of this deviation have been attributed to imprecision of the apparatus and the assumption about non-frictionless pulley. From the

The culture and social impact of YOU TUBE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The culture and social impact of YOU TUBE - Essay Example They watch it for their knowledge as well as informational expansion. YouTube has recordings from different sources. It keeps one glued to its aura. YouTube has the power to change perceptions by showing all the sides of a concept or story. The world of Internet has helped YouTube to expand in an exponential way. It has viewers from all over the world. YouTube has made available all past recordings of TV programs, short films and documentaries. It has in its archives the historical content too. The amateur videos are also present within YouTube. It makes YouTube a very fun-loving experience. Viewers enjoy spending time on YouTube. Writers and directors watch it to understand different cultural divides. Some watch clippings on YouTube to plagiarize which is a wrongful deed. However the incentives and drawbacks are there when one talks of YouTube. YouTube has cut through barriers. It has invited creative content to be available in a free flowing way. YouTube is interesting as it paves way for creative expansion. It gives the youngsters a feel that they are closely associated with each other. The societal aspects are also given significance. The people-to-people linkage on the Web is made possible. The cultural exchanges come into the play as well. There is interaction within the different cultures. Mass media has suffered due to the presence of YouTube. The media fraternity believes it is a direct attack on their content. However proponents of free speech think the exact opposite. There are a number of different viewpoints in entirety. Some see it as a cultural and social bonding phenomenon. Others view it as a place where ideas get stolen. There could be a host of options for the viewers. This makes them remain glued to YouTube for a number of reasons. In addition, mass media has issues in the name of copyrights. There are infringement issues as well. The need is to balance all these aspects. The end user must benefit at the end. He should not be made to pay

America's Court Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

America's Court - Essay Example As observed in the preface, Supreme Court justices and all other holders of positions under the federal judiciary are tenured to serve for as long as they live and can only be ousted from office by impeachment, a process which has not dismissed yet from the service any justice of the United States Supreme Court. The justices are not as particular as with the high officials in the executive and legislative branches of the United States government as far as concerning media releases. They are of the contention that what is more important is that the public, the lawyers and the judges, both in the federal and state levels, know and understand the rationale and wisdom in their decisions and the opinions stated therein. That explains why the high court did not have formal office for more than a hundred years that would supposedly attend to media matters. However, Chief Justice Warren Burger, with his activist stance, was personally of the view that the press sector could not just be simpl y disregarded. The Supreme Court was provided with its own building in 1935. It was only during this time that the judicial highness hired a Press Clerk in the person of one Banning Whittington, once a reporter of the United Press. The move was intended to accommodate the resident press people. Ultimately, it was deemed necessary to have a Public Information Officer who would connect and relate with and between the judiciary branch, the press, the public and, at times, the people from the movie industry. The justices then believed that the person to fill up the position should not be a lawyer in order to avoid a situation where the latter might venture into giving opinions to the inquiring public with regards to a decision or pending resolution of the high court. Along that line, a situation where the personal interpretation of the office holder might pose

Exile and Suffering Essay Example for Free

Exile and Suffering Essay Early scholars of Anglo-Saxon literature believed that â€Å"The Seafarer† represented an early pagan poem that had been adapted for Christian audiences by the insertion of pious formulas throughout and a moral at the end; accordingly, these scholars expended considerable ingenuity in attempting to excise the Christian elements to discover the â€Å"real poem† hidden beneath these composite overlays. Pound’s famous translation, in line with this emphasis, systematically removes or downplays many explicitly Christian elements of the poem and stops before the overtly homiletic conclusion, which features some dozen direct references to God and the heavens in the last twenty-five lines. Now, however, critics seem generally to agree that the two halves of the poem are unified by a movement from earthly chaos to heavenly order and that its coherent thematic thrust is the Christian message that the afterlife is more important than life on Earth. The poem is frequently discussed in conjunction with â€Å"The Wanderer,† another Exeter Book poem that shares many themes and motifs with â€Å"The Seafarer,† including the structure in which a specific treatment of biographical subject matter—the plight of a wanderer or Seafarer—is followed by a more general homiletic section that draws a religious meaning from the earlier material. The sailor, as a man required traveling over a hostile and dangerous environment, had always seemed to Christian poets to be a naturally apt image of the believer’s life on Earth, which should be viewed as a hazardous journey to the true homeland of Heaven rather than as a destination to be valued in itself. In this poem, the speaker seems to be a religious man (or reformed sinner) who has chosen the seafaring life as much for its efficacy as a means of spiritual discipline as for any commercial gain to be derived from it. The original opposition in the poem between landsmen and Seafarers gives way to the insight that all men are, or ought to think of themselves as, Seafarers, in the sense that they are all exiles from their true home in Heaven. As lines 31-32 (previously quoted) establish, the land can be just as cold and forbidding as the sea, and the virtuous, at least, should hope that they will be sojourning in this harsh world for only a brief time. True Christian â€Å"Seafarers† must psychologically distance themselves from secular life, as the Seafarer of this poem has done both literally and figuratively. The poet appears to encapsulate his theme at the pivotal midpoint of the poem: â€Å"therefore the joys of the Lord seem warmer to me than this dead life, fleeting on land. † This recommended ascetic withdrawal from worldly interests should enable the Christian to properly reject the comforts of life on the land as transient and seek spiritual rather than physical comforts.

Economic Impact Of Technology Interventions Streptokinase Economics Essay

Economic Impact Of Technology Interventions Streptokinase Economics Essay About 14 million patients in India suffer from heart attacks every year. Of these, 2.8 million patients can benefit from a clot buster drug which would save the patients life and provide room for further treatment such as medical stents if so required. Coronary heart disease claims over a million lives every year in India. There is a need for a safe and affordable clot buster drug. At the turn of the century, clot buster drug formulations were either imported or based on imported bulk drug and formulated domestically. They were expensive, equivalent to eighteen months (tPA) to two months (Streptokinase) of per capita income at that time. Cost matters more in India unlike in countries with universal health insurance as most Indians spend out of own pocket for health expenses. Given Indias prowess in generic drugs, the production capacity gap in an area of health emergency with severe consequences seems an anomaly. The gap stems from the fact that clot buster drugs are biotechnology dr ugs which require competencies quite different from those of the usual drugs based on chemical synthesis. CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh made efforts to develop a process to produce clot buster drugs. Initial efforts were unsuccessful, in part due to the complex nature of the animal sources based protein drug. Subsequent teams picked up the challenge again, chose a simpler molecule and after some misses, could develop a process for natural streptokinase and then recombinant streptokinase, both harnessed from micro-organisms. The misses were important steps providing crucial learning for the process development. Streptokinase technology was transferred to industry partners, natural Streptokinase to Cadila Pharma and recombinant Streptokinase to Shasun Pharma. Implementing the technology on the shopfloor faced difficulties. In the case of recombinant streptokinase, regulatory approvals took time to obtain. The knowing-doing gap was bridged by closing the competency gap through sustained engagement between the CSIR-IMTECH scientists and the managers and technology staff of the licensees. Persevera nce, team perseverance, allowing mistakes, dynamic learning from disciplined failure, give-and-take by both the scientists team and the industrial practitioners team, and a can-do, must-do, done mind-set were the keys to success. Leadership steering at both the Lab and the Industry with a commitment to collaborate and continual collaborating was crucial. This led the transition from the lab scale to industrial scale. The respective products were launched in 2001 and 2009. The results are quite encouraging. Prices have dropped (by 65 percent, to less than one month of per capita income), availability has increased, access to a life-saving medicine has risen, and patients have realized a worth of over Rs. 16,000 crores due to the CSIR-IMTECH/licensees Streptokinase. The economic impact, or the additional benefit that would be lost if this CSIR-IMTECH Streptokinase technology intervention had not been there, is assessed based on medical impact of Streptokinase and using per capita income to be Rs. 2180 crores. The Lab itself accomplished net earnings valued at Rs.1.8 crores and the Industry partners together realized value addition of Rs. 17 crores. Innovating for affordable healthcare is inclusive innovation. The benefits to patients eclipse the benefits to those who generated the technology intervention. This pursuit of innovation continues. CSIR-IMTECH has taken the science of clot-buster drugs to a level where improved Streptokinase (smarter streptokinase) molecules will have the advantages of the far more expensive animal cell line based tPA but will be much more affordable. Similarly, while access has expanded (about 120,000 standard doses), there remain millions of patients in need of this life-saving drug. More needs to be done. Introduction Heart attacks, strokes, respiratory and cardiac failure have a common enemy in blood clots in the bloodstream that can block blood supply to the heart muscle, any part of the brain or the lungs. The consequence of blockage is damage to the heart muscle, the brain cells, or the lung tissue which is usually irreversible and debilitating, if not fatal. Extreme consequences can arise if the treatment is not administered within a window of few hours (3-4.5 hours, Klabunde (2007), Hacke et. al. (2008)). Then, the heart or brain tissue, as the case may be, gets damaged which is mostly irreversible. Treatments range from clot-dissolving medication to surgical intervention such as angioplasty or insertion of stents and open chest bypass surgery. Clot busters, as clot dissolving drugs are called, attack the clot itself to dissolve it and restore blood supply. Angioplasty is an invasive and expensive procedure where blocked arteries are opened up using medical stents thus making more space for the blood supply to be restored. Similarly, bypass surgery is invasive and very expensive (see appendix 1). Prevention in high-risk patients (hardened and narrowed/blocked arteries) is via blood thinner drugs that reduce blood density allowing blood to flow through the reduced space. Despite preventive treatment, clots can form and occlusion in blood vessels can occur. Then, clot buster drugs are life saviours. In India, more than a million patients die due to coronary heart disease every year (appendix 1). Until the year 2001, no domestic production of clot-busters existed. The formulations were imported: among others, the lead formulations of Streptokinase Kabinase by Kabi Pharmacia, Sweden and Streptase by Hoechst Marion Roussel, Germany were priced then between Rs. 3000 to Rs. 4000 per vial (Krishnan (2000)). The dominant drug in this class of drugs, Tissue Plasminogen Asctivator (tPA) cost more than Rs. 30,000 per vial. Thus, clot buster drugs were expensive and the supply was short of requirement. In terms of per capita income at that time, this amounted to eighteen months of income for tPA and about two months of income for Streptokinase. The Streptokinase market was about 21 thousand vials of standard dose of 1.5 miu  [1]  . Lack of affordability could have restricted access. Given Indian pharmaceutical industrys prowess in generic drugs, realized through strengths in organic chemicals synthesis and process engineering, this raises the question about the obstacles. The Indian pharmaceutical industry was essentially based on chemical entities whereas clot buster drugs are based on biotechnology  [2]  which was almost non-existent in India around the turn of the century. Thus, access to affordable life-saving clot buster drugs was limited domestically. To make it affordable, it had to be produced domestically. To produce it domestically, a suitable technology had to be developed. The technology had then to be transitioned from a laboratory scale to an industrial scale. As in the case of affordable chemical drugs, the impetus of finding solutions and creating domestic capacity also came from CSIR Labs. In the case of generic chemical drugs, the core scientists came from Labs such as the NCL, Pune, IICT, Hyderabad and CDRI, Lucknow. These scientists and their industry contemporaries developed and implemented safe and cost effective technologies in a short time span. In the case of biotechnology, processes are being developed by IMTECH, Chandigarh and IICB, Kolkata among others. A program at IMTECH tapped into finding a solution to the problem of an affordable clot buster drug. The program has roots in projects dating back to 1989. The scientists examined the prevalent clot buster drug tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) but then chose instead an alternate less complex protein Streptokinase for development. This study examines the benefits realized from the Streptokinase project, specifically, the natural Streptokinase biotechnology drug licensed to Cadila Pharma and the recombinant Streptokinase drug technology licensed to Shasun Pharma Limited, to quantify the value creation and to assess the economic impact. The Industry The Indian pharmaceutical industry is among the top science based industries and focused on quality affordable drugs. It is estimated to be USD 21 billion or about Rs. 105,000 crores with exports accounting for about 40 percent (USD 8.7 billion) in 2009-10 (DOP (2011, 2012)). The industry is growing at over 10 percent per year. It is the sixth largest industry in India ranked by contribution to GDP (CSO (2011)). Globally, it ranks 3rd in terms of volume of production (10 percent of global share) and 14th largest in terms of value (1.5 percent of global share). A reason for the low value share is the lower cost of drugs in India 5 to 50 percent less than in developed countries. Thus, the Indian drugs and pharmaceutical industry is focused on affordable drugs. The Indian pharmaceutical industry is diverse. The number of units is quoted at over 20,000. However, the actual number of drug manufacturing licenses issued is about 5877 (GOI (2003))  [3]  . Registered factories are about 3500 (CSO (2011)), the rest being smaller unregistered units. The units are spread across India and provide depth that accounts for the 10 percent global volume share. Apart from MNCs such as Glaxo Smithkline, Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, several Indian companies Ranbaxy, Dr. Reddys, Cipla, Lupin and others have global operations. Biotechnology based drugs have taken root and are growing. Companies such as Biocon, Serum Institute of India, Panacea Biotec, and Reliance Life Sciences have adopted biotechnology. The biotechnology industry value exceeds Rs. 20,000 crores in 2011-12 (BioSpectrum-ABLE Biotech Survey 2012). Many Indian companies maintain the highest standards in purity, stability and international safety, health and environmental protection in production and supply of bulk drugs to buyer companies, who in turn are subject to stringent assessment by regulatory authorities in importing countries. These companies have secured regulatory approvals from USFDA, MHRA-UK, TGA-Australia, MCC-South Africa for their plants. Quality with certification is also a feature among many Indian pharmaceutical companies. During the last decade, the industry has embraced new technologies and adapted to regulatory regimes more aligned to international regulatory regimes. New business models have emerged to cope with and thrive in this environment. All of these have a bearing on the development of a domestic clot buster drug, namely, Streptokinase. With the advent of product patents in India from the 2005 amendment to the Patents Act, the focus has shifted from process engineering to drug discovery. Process engineering remains important. Several drugs will go off patent over the next few years and supply of cost effective quality generics would benefit the industry and the consumers. However, drug discovery is the new mantra. Drug discovery is a highly uncertain multi-million multi-year activity. For every one new drug molecule approved, the pipeline requires about twelve molecules for clinical trials candidacy. For every molecule reaching clinical candidacy, the pipeline of molecules is three molecules based on current success rates at each stage. The total costs spiral to over USD 600  [4]  million per new drug molecule in the USA over a span of a decade. Patent protection allows recovery of the investment but also makes the drug expensive. In India, the cost per new drug molecule can drop to less than USD 150 million due to lower costs (such as those of clinical trials). This lower cost is encouraging Indian drug enterprises to engage in drug discovery as they adapt to the product regime. However, even at the reduced cost in India, the drug would still be expensive and out of reach of many Indians. Drugs capacity building in India appears to be addressing reduction in costs and so also in the time span for drug discovery. Specialization along the chain of drug discovery via outsourcing is one emerging business model. Thus, RD is being shaped by Contract Research Organizations (CROs), Drug Discovery Development (DDD) and Clinical Trials Organizations (CTO). Manufacturing is by large integrated companies as also by Contract Manufacturers. Marketing is also by Contract Marketers and co-marketing alliances (IBEF (2010), KPMG (2006)). While regulatory changes may be the trigger for drug discovery, demand for drugs for Indian diseases is also an impetus. Chief among these are drugs for infective diseases found in India but not much in developed countries such as tuberculosis, malaria, typhoid, cholera etc. These diseases are far more prevalent in developing countries such as India where affordability is a key issue. Profits from patented multi-billion drug molecules will be tough to realize for these diseases. Thus, effective new molecules for these diseases would have to be developed within India. A major initiative underway in this regard is the Open Source Drug Discovery (OSDD) project of CSIR which seeks to harness talent across boundaries, cutting costs and hopes to reduce drug discovery time. It is open source and thus drug molecules found will be distributed without the higher price due to profits associated with patents. Costs will be cut down to the collaborative nature of the initiative. Incentives to col laborators are based on contributing to drug discovery for debilitating diseases and the recognition among peers. Also important are drugs for the so called lifestyle diseases such as diabetes (about 50 million diabetics in India as per Ramachandran et. al. (2010)) and hypertension (65 million hypertension patients in India as per Gupta (2004)), both high risk factors for emergencies such as heart attacks, strokes and respiratory failure. India is estimated to have about 14 million patients that suffer from myocardial infarction or heart attacks every year, of which 80 percent patients may not be receiving proper medical care (Financial Express (2002)). About 20 percent (2.8 million) of the cardiac patients population in India could use a clot buster drug. Only a fraction (about 200, 000 or under 10 percent) of these patients undergo bypass surgeries or angioplasty. The rest of the patients (2.6 million) could be treated with clot buster drugs administered within a window of 3-4.5 hours to the patient. Recall that there are over a million deaths every year due to coronary heart disease in India. With a growing number of diabetes and hypertension patients in India, and so increasing chances of blood vessel occlusion related deaths, having access to an affordable clot buster drug is going to be increasingly more important. An added advantage is the possibility of exports of these drugs since the diseases addressed are prevalent globally. The Technology Gap, Development and Commercialization A domestic clot buster drug was missing, as discussed earlier. The choice among three prevalent drugs narrowed to Streptokinase. Streptokinase is a 47kD  [5]  protein composed of 414 amino acids produced by several strains of beta hemolytic streptococci. It dissolves a clot occluding blood supply through a 3-step process. First, Streptokinase forms a complex with plasminogen (Pg). This 1:1 complex (the Partner Pg) rapidly becomes proteolytically active. Second, the Partner Pg complex acts on substrate Pg molecules in circulation to convert them to plasmin (Pn), the active form of the pro-enzyme Pg. Plasmin is a protease that is capable of breaking apart cross-links between fibrin molecules, which provide the structural integrity of blood clots. So, third, the plasmin rapidly dissolves the pathological clot occluding blood supply to the heart muscle in case of myocardial infarction, to brain tissue in case of stroke or to the lungs in case of respiratory failure. The Lab, Research Capacity and Technology Development Technology development has been enabled by science research and ongoing (and predecessor) projects at CSIR-IMTECH. The focus is science and technology related to microbial products. A key area is recombinant gene technology based products. One initiative relates to developing a domestic clot buster drug. The initial attempt in late 1980s focused on the prevalent drug tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) which is naturally found in the human body in small quantities. Through recombinant gene technology, a pioneer of the field, Professor Collen and his organization Genentech USA produced tPA from animal cell lines in the early 1980s. Attempts to replicate tPA production in IMTECH did not fructify partly due to the volatile external environment prevalent at that time and so the lack of enough scientists to execute the task. During the early 1990s, subsequently, another team of scientists at IMTECH chose an alternative to tPA, namely, Streptokinase for development due to its simpler structure and higher probability of success in developing a novel process for domestic production. The process involved two key competencies protein science and cloning science among others. Technical problems arose again in implementing the recombinant gene technology. The scientists decided to down-shift to developing a process for producing Streptokinase from natural sources. It involves two main processes fermentation (protein production) and purification (separating the protein from the broth, purified to an extent that it is admissible to humans). This effort was successful lending both credibility to the process and boosting the morale of the scientists concerned. The first success helped to delineate the tasks possible from the tasks not possible (appendix 2). This paved the way for producing Streptokinase using re combinant gene technology increasing yield many times over. The key process innovation was the use of 2-step chromatography for purification. Leadership Throughout the years of development spanning 1989 onward, the scientists at CSIR-IMTECH were supported by the science leadership and management comprising four different institute directors and two different director-generals  [6]  . Leadership and institutional continuity combined with scientific ingenuity and perseverance to produce first natural and then recombinant streptokinase. The agenda continues and smart Streptokinase is under development which could be a life-saving and life-enhancing product not only for India and the developing nations but also for the developed countries. The Technology Transfer, Technology Embedding and Commercialization The lab scale success has to be transitioned to industrial scale and commercial success. Subsequent to the transfer of know-how on fermentation and purification processes and the strain, implementation at an industrial scale also faced many hurdles. While the science was established at the Lab with lab scale production, the transition to industrial scale volumes threw up challenges (see appendix 2). As at the Lab level, informed hit and trial, learning from failure, delineating what not to do from what to do helped to transition the technology to industrial scale. Standardization of the industrial biotechnology process entailed initial training, repeated training and embedding the technology in the licensees premises. IMTECH engaged with the licensees and remained engaged thereby providing a lot of handholding in the journey from the lab to factory production. This case is an example of disciplined failure where learning from initial failure led to a course change, technological succ ess, commercial success, and then again picking up the more difficult task and taking it to fruition. CSIR-IMTECH first developed a technology to produce natural Streptokinase from Streptococci. It was developed in 4 years by 1998-99, licensed and transferred in 1999-2000 and launched commercially in 2001-2002. The recombinant Streptokinase was developed in 5 years by the year 2001-2002, licensed and transferred in 2002-2003 and commercially launched in 2009-10. Natural Streptokinase know-how was licensed to Cadila Limited for fees of Rs. 20 lakhs and royalty based on ex-factory sales for 5 years. This drug was launched as STPASE injection in year 2001-02. Subsequently, recombinant gene technology was licensed by CSIR-IMTECH to Shasun Pharmaceuticals Limited, Chennai for a fee of Rs. 1 crore and royalty payments based on ex-factory sales for 5 years. The drug was launched in July 2009 and marketed by Lupin Pharma as LUPIFLO. Comparison with prevalent alternate treatments Prior to adoption of Streptokinase for clot-blockade led heart attacks, the treatments were generalized and included oxygenation and intensive care (appendix 1). Subsequent to studies of randomized controlled trials establishing efficacy and superiority of Streptokinase, it was adopted widely specially in Europe. Later, other clot busting drugs were developed. Still later, open heart bypass surgery and then angioplasty using medical stents were developed. Clot buster drugs are more affordable than surgical treatments. Within the class of clot buster drugs, Streptokinase remains the most affordable. Its costs are lower since its production is micro-organism based unlike the others derived from animal cell lines. Comparison with prevalent competing technologies clot-busters Clot-buster drugs in use are tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), Streptokinase, and Urokinase. Streptokinase competes with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) which is the prevalent clot buster drug. tPA is preferred for its target (blood clot causing blockade) specificity. The advantage of tPA over Streptokinase is in the extent of systemic fibrinogenolysis generated by each. The resultant side effect of bleeding (due to suppression of clot formation by plasmin) can be higher for Streptokinase. However, studies have established that streptokinase is as effective in saving lives in mycocardial infarction as is tPA, despite the nearly ten-fold higher price of the latter. tPA is expensive enough to be inaccessible to most patients for this life threatening condition. Recombinant tPA reduced prices but the cost remains many times over that of Streptokinase. Cost of treatment is of utmost importance as most Indians health expenditure is out of own pocket. Appendix 1 clearly indicates that while the treatments for myocardial infarction vary from Streptokinase to tPA to angioplasty and bypass surgery, for a vast majority of Indians (with annual income about and below the current per capita annual income of Rs. 60,000), the treatment affordable and so possible is administering of Streptokinase. The alternative to Streptokinase would be a mix of morphine, oxygenation, intensive-care. Comparison with prevalent manufacturers Producers of natural Streptokinase, for several years, were only MNCs such as Behring-werke (Germany) and Lederle (USA). In India, before CSIR-IMTECHs intervention, Streptokinase was imported, Streptokinase injections were sold by MNCs Kabinase by Kabi Pharmacia, Sweden and Streptase by Hoechst Marion Roussel, Germany and priced then between Rs. 3000 to Rs. 4000 per vial in year 2000 (Krishnan(2000)). tPA prices varied from Rs. 30,000 per vial in year 2000-01 to about Rs. 19,000 per vial in 2010-11. In India, CSIR-IMTECH licensee Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. manufactured Streptokinase as STPASE at an ex-factory price of Rs. 900 per vial (standard 1.5 miu dose) in 2001-02. The recombinant Streptokinase which has the same biological properties of natural Streptokinase (but much higher yields) was produced by CSIR-IMTECH licensee Shasun Chemicals and Drugs Limited, Chennai at an ex-factory price of Rs. 465 per vial in year 2009-10. This is the bulk drug price. It is marketed as LUPIFLO by Lupin Pharmaceuticals Limited and as STUKINASE by Samarth Pharma among other formulators. Non-CSIR licensee entry also occurred after the first CSIR licensee entered. There were three entrants, two of whom have already exited. The third entrant, Biocon, is successfully producing recombinant Streptokinase and marketing it as Myokinase. Data and Methodology Lab data are obtained from CSIR-IMTECH. Industry data are obtained through questionnaires and interviews. Market data such as sales value and quantity numbers for Streptokinase formulations/brands along with data on company characteristics such as MNC/Indian, date of launch, size of formulation are from the IMS Health India database on Streptokinase. The data are collected at the stockist level and are representative of the Indian pharmaceuticals market with the exception of sales directly from producers/formulators to the hospitals. Given the retrospective nature of this economic impact study, and the difficulties in collecting past data, the initial methodology proposed was a contemporaneous difference analysis between CSIR licensees and comparable enterprises. However, Streptokinase producer data could not be collected despite mailed questionnaires followed up with interviews  [7]  . Instead, for the industry analysis, market sales and volume data for a panel of 20 years are used to estimate a demand function with pooled OLS regressions. The pooled regressions permit segregation of estimates for CSIR licensees from others, and, of estimates over time  [8]  . Benefits of the Technology Intervention Creating Value Benefits to the Lab CSIR-IMTECH developed a technology and plugged a production capacity gap for a life-saving drug. The first of the series of streptokinase molecules established the credibility of CSIR as a solutions provider based on their science rooted program for technology. IMTECH scientists successfully integrated science and application producing more improved molecules and earned fees and royalty in the process. The total value of fees and royalty received is about Rs. 2.5 crores and the investment in terms of salaries and cost of patents is about Rs. 65 lakhs in 2011-12 prices. The internal rate of return on the Labs cash flows for Streptokinase works out to 36 percent  [9]  . Thus, the technology program is quite cost effective for CSIR. Benefits to CSIR Licensees and the Industry The direct benefit to the licensees in terms of value addition thus far (from 2001-02 to 2011-12) is about Rs. 17 crores in 2011-12 prices, the bulk of it, Rs. 16.5 crores, arising from the first licensee Cadila Pharma Limited. The second CSIR licensee Shasun Limited has limited value added from its two years of Streptokinase operations. The first molecule served as a proof-of-concept for the industry and even more as a proof-of-value creation. It was followed by another successful molecule variant and commercial success with that also. From no producer of Streptokinase in year 2000, there are now at least three producers domestically. The third producer Biocon, a non-CSIR licensee, is among three entrants, the other two having exited already. In 2001, before entry of the first domestic producer, CSIR-IMTECH licensee Cadila Pharma, there were about four Streptokinase brands and sales value was about Rs. 6 crores with about 20 thousand vials of standard dose. The value of the Streptokinase industry is over Rs. 20  [10]  crores in 2011 with about 118 thousand vials in terms of the standard dose of 1.5 miu and about thirty brands (including different vial sizes) marketed. While many factors are responsible for this value increase, demonstration of the proof- of-concept (technology works) and the proof-of-value (commercial success) by CSIR-IMTECH scientists and licensees may have been crucial. Without these, the country may still have been importing the drug at much higher prices. To that extent, the country is also saving foreign exchange. The current market price of STPASE is reported to be about Rs. 1000 per vial and the prices of Streptokinase vials from Shasuns bulk drug vary from Rs.715 to Rs. 2300. Myokinase, the third non-CSIR entrant Biocons product, is reportedly selling at a price of about Rs. 2000 per vial. The average market price is about Rs. 1700 per vial (standard 1.5 miu dose). Prices of streptokinase by CSIR-IMTECH licensees are among the lowest in the industry, where over 30 versions of formulations are now being marketed domestically. Industry Competition With increasing market competition, prices drop and sales increase. Competition can be enhanced more by entry of producers. A pioneering paper (Bresnahan and Reiss 1991) developed an empirical framework for measuring the effects of entry in concentrated markets by studying the relationship between the number of firms in the market, market size, and competition. Their analysis suggests that competitive conduct changes quickly as the number of incumbents increases. In markets with five or fewer incumbents, almost all variation in competitive conduct occurs with the entry of the second or third firm. Surprisingly, once the market has between three and five firms, the next entrant has little effect on competitive conduct. In the absence of data on price-cost margins, they develop another key metric the ratio of break-even sales Sn+1/Sn where n refers to the last incumbent producer and n+1 refers to the entrant. This threshold is equal to one in perfectly competitive markets where the minimum efficient scale of production is quite low relative to the market size and there are no entry barriers. In concentrated markets, the threshold of break-even sales ratio is higher than one due to substantial fixed costs as well as entry barriers. A new entrant could incur higher fixed capital cost and/or higher variable costs (such as marketing costs to establish their product and realize sales). With increasing entry, this threshold break-even sales ratio should decline and approach the value of one as in perfect competition. While we do not observe price-cost margins for all three domestic producers of Streptokinase Cadila (entry in year 2001), Biocon (entry in 2008) and Shasun (entry in 2009) we do have information on sales  [11]  and company provided break-even years. Using the Bresnahan and Reiss (1991) framework, the calculation of break-even sales (quantity of vials) ratio is found to be 2.8 for the second entrant (Biocon, relative to first producer Cadila Pharma) and 1.6 for the third entrant (Shasun Pharma, relative to Biocon)  [12]  . This quick examination points to a decreasing value of the break-even sales ratio and fast increasing competition with just three entrants, much in line with the findings of the Bresnahan and Reiss paper. Benefits to the People and the Economy Price Reduction, Affordability and Access

Di (2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) Hormone Levels in Males

Di (2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP) Hormone Levels in Males Introduction Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is one of phthalate ester and endocrine- disrupting chemical. It is used as plasticizer in Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics tubing to make PVC plastic tubing more soft and flexible. Animal data show that target organs of exposure to DEHP are the liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system. DEHP may cause adverse effects of animal’s reproductive system such as reduced fertility, decreased spermatogenesis in males (Rais-Bahrami, 2004). Phthalate monoesters including mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) is the DEHP metabolites. The primary targets of Phthalate monoesters toxicity are Leydig cells (LCs) and sertoli cells (SCs). The function of LCs and SCs is spermatogenesis and testosterone production. The toxicant will damage the LCs to decrease the secretion of testosterone, which will affect spermatogenesis and decrease the sperm count. Food is one of the sources of exposure to DEHP for public (U.S. EPA, 2013). DEHP has been detected in many foods such as meat, cheese, milk, eggs, cereal products and fish. There is more and more evidence showing that DEHP induce many adverse effects on the reproductive system such as reproductive hormones included luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and free testosterone (Giuliana G. 2009). As DEHP can cause birth defects or reproductive harm, the government of California listed DEHP as reproductive toxin in 2003 (Chemical Market Reporter, 2003). In addition to the food intake exposure to DEHP, occupational and environmental are the another sources of exposure to DEHP (Guowei Pan et.al., 2006). It is essential to concern whether high levels of DEHP exposure would affect reproductive hormone levels in male. According to the studies of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, they have found that DEHP can cause birth defects in laboratory rodents (Chemical Market Reporter, 2003). However, only limited studies focus on the relationship between human reproductive hormone and DEHP exposure (J. Mendiola et.al., 2011). Hence, there are limited evidences to conclude a correlation between human reproductive hormone and exposure to DEHP. It is important to find out what chemicals will influence human reproductive hormone because it decides the total number of our offspring. Therefore, based on the related human studies, the effects of DEHP exposure on reproductive hormone levels in male would be discussed. Method The aim of the literature search was to find the associations between Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and reproductive hormone levels in male. A board research was first conducted by Medline (EBSCO HOST), Web of Science and ProQuest. The search term â€Å"Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate/ DEHP† AND â€Å"reproductive hormones† was used and excluded the term â€Å"animal.† The criteria used to select the studies were as follows: The Studies were primary sources and published within 10 years, 2004-2014. The Studies must be human study for adult and NOT animal study. The Studies should address the associations between DEHP and reproductive hormone levels in male. The studies were in good quality, such as in high impact factors of 2013. 3 main studies met the above criteria for the topic examination. The impact factor on the 3 studies are 3.206 (G. Pan et.al, 2011), 3.206 (J. Mendiola et.al, 2010) and 7.029 (Guowei Pan et.al, 2006). Totally 3 main studies at the end of literature has been searched. The three chosen studies were Cross-sectional study since there are limited long-term studies such as cohort studies and randomized controlled trial (RCT) fulfilled the above criteria. Result G. Pan et.al. (2011) carried a cross-sectional study to find the dose-response relationship between dose-response relationships between cumulative phthalate exposure and reproductive hormones in human. 74 male workers occupationally exposed to high levels of DEHP and 63 male construction workers as comparison group matched for age and smoking status. The urine and blood were collected from each patient on the same day. The authors of study observed a significantly negative correlated between hazard indices (HI) and serum concentrations of free testosterone (fT) in exposed workers (r = -0.195, p = 0.096), but not in unexposed workers. J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) carried a cross-sectional study to find the association between exposures to Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and reproductive hormone levels in men. 425 men were partners of pregnant women who were selected to participant in the study for Future Families (SFF). All men completed a questionnaire and received a physical examination. The questionnaire included the question about demographics, recent fever, history of sexually transmitted disease, diet and as well as lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol and caffeine consumption. The urine sample was collected within 15 min after the blood was collected. The result was found that Free Androgen Index (FAI) was significantly associated with the concentration of DEHP metabolites in urine. However, total testosterone levels were no associated with urinary concentration of DEHP metabolites. Guowei Pan et.al. (2006) carried a cross-sectional study to find the effect of occupational exposure to high levels of phthalate esters on the balance of gonadotropin and gonadal hormones, which including LH, FSH, free testosterone (fT), and estradiol. 74 male workers at a factory producing unfoamed PVC flooring exposed to di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) as exposure group and compared them with samples from 63 male workers from a construction company as comparison group matched for age and smoking status. Urine and blood samples were collected from each workers between 800 and 1100 hours on the same day, but not on the first day of the worker’s work week or the day after a night work shift. The authors of study observed there is significant reducing of serum fT in workers with higher levels of urinary MEHP (DEHP metabolites) compared with unexposed workers. fT was negative association to MEHP (r = -0.19, p = 0.095) in the exposed group. Discussion Study Design The three studies are a cross-sectional study. The limitations of cross-sectional studies are it cannot establish a temporal relationship and reflect the causal relationship between high levels of DEHP and the reproductive hormone levels in male. It only can provide a possible risk factor for reproductive hormones for further study. The three studies both have different advantages and disadvantages. The sample size of the study of Guowei Pan et.al. (2006) and G. Pan et.al. (2011) is relative small. They are all less than 100 people in exposed group and comparison group. The study of J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) has relative large sample size (N=425) but it does not contain a comparison group. The study of Guowei Pan et.al. (2006) and G. Pan et.al. (2011) only investigated the confounding effect of the influence of occupational exposure to DEHP. The study of J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) also only investigated the confounding effect of the influence of environmental exposure to DEHP. They did not considered the confounding effect of the influence of food intake exposure to DEHP. Study population Randomization is a basic and essential technique to avoid selection bias in Epidemiology Study and It can show better association between exposure and outcome is true or not. However, the participants of three studies are not strictly random. It may cause false association between high exposure of DEHP and male reproductive hormone. In the study of Guowei Pan et.al. (2006) and G. Pan et.al. (2011), the authors wanted to compare the reproductive hormone levels between exposed group and comparison group. Therefore, they selected exposed group in a factory producing unfoamed PVC flooring and using DEHP as plasticizers and comparison group in a construction company. The authors can ensure the exposed group was exposed to DEHP by dermal contact and/ or through dust inhalation in their work. A comparison group who without occupational exposure to DEHP and matched for age and smoking status to exposed group. The comparison group can help authors to exclude other factors that may influence reproductive hormone levels in male in addition to DEHP exposure. The study of J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) did not contain a comparison group. All the participants were conducted in the study for Future Families and at prenatal clinics affiliated with university hospital in five United States cities. Exposure assessment The concentration of MEHP and reproductive hormone were determined by using different methods. Both methods have advantages and limitations. Table 1: The methods used to determine the concentration of MEHP Three studies used similar method to determine the urinary concentrations of DEHP metabolites. Thus, the urinary DEHP metabolite concentration of three studies will not have significant difference. Table 2: The methods used to measure the levels of reproductive hormone The advantages of using radioimmunoassay are high sensitivity and highly specific. However, using radioimmunoassay method is very dangerous because it uses radiolabelled reagents. Thus, the labs require specially trained person and special license to handle radioactive material. The following methods have less dangerous than radioimmunoassay. Chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) is it has been applied broadly to the clinical diagnosis and environmental analysis. It can show the result quickly because it does not require long incubation time (Ayio, K. 2010). Also, CLIA has high specificity and relatively simple and inexpensive instrumentation (J.L.S. ARAÚJO-FILHO et.al 2011). An electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) procedure was based on solid-phase sandwich immunoassay method. Thus, ECLIA has the superior sensitivity to determine plasma and urine sample (Xiao-yan, C. 2013).The advantages of TR-IFMA are higher sensitivity due to lower background values, higher specificity as only intact molecules of FSH and LH can be measured. (Van Casteren JI et.al 2000) Result analysis The result of J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) in addition to showing the relationship between reproductive hormone in male and the concentration of DEHP metabolite (N=425), it also found some factors such as age, Body Mass Index (BMI) and smoking etc may influence the reproductive hormone in male. Therefore, J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) had done multivariate analysis for reproductive hormone in male and the concentration of DEHP metabolite (N=363) to control for factors such as age, BMI and smoking states etc. It can increase the accuracy of the studies. Although the study did not contain a comparison group, J. Mendiola et.al. (2011) tried consistent the factors found in the questionnaire of participants to minimize the influence of confounding factors to the data analysis. G. Pan et.al. (2011) was using hazard indices (HI) to show the result. The hazard index is the sum of hazard quotients. The ratio of hazard index is compared to 1.0. If the ratio is less than 1, then the systemic effects are assumed not to be of concern; if the hazard quotient is greater than 1, then the systemic effects are assumed to be of concern (U.S. EPA, 2012). It is more easily to show the result and indicate whether DEHP exposure as the concerned factors for reproductive hormone to public and epidemiology. In addition to showing the relationships between serums free Testosterone in workers and the exposure to high levels of DEHP, Guowei Pan et.al. (2006) also compared the demographic characteristics including age, marriage status, smoking and alcohol consumption and plastic material contact of exposed group (N=74), comparison group (N=63) and all the workers (N=137). Also, all the results of this study were compared to exposed group and comparison group. The result can be shown the different of reproductive hormone levels between exposed group and comparison group easily. Limitation of studies The data and result of the three studies were limited by using a single urine and blood/serum samples to determine the levels of DEHP and hormone. It may cause a bias in spot sampling because the result is not reflecting average hormone levels. The endogenous serum LH and FSH concentration had significant change by assessing in different time. The urine samples only reflect the recent exposure to DEHP because phthalates have short half-lives. Also, the concentration of DEHP in three studies was based on the concentration of urinary metabolites of DEHP (MEHP). Therefore, the concentration of DEHP may be not the real concentration of participants. Conclusion The result of three study indicate that there are adverse effects of high levels of DEHP exposure on reproductive hormone levels in male. However, there is no clear evidence to prove a causal relationship between high levels of DEHP and the reproductive hormone levels in male because cross-sectional studies cannot reflect the causal relationship between them. High level of DEHP can as an investigative target included in long term studies such as cohort study and randomized controlled trial of reproductive hormone levels in male. The further research is required to prove that high levels of DEHP exposure will decrease the reproductive hormone levels in human.

Essay --

Abortion. Don’t Do It Women get abortions all over the world, and there are several reason why they get them. What they don’t know is that they’re hurting themselves. They’re hurting another human being. Scientist did a study and it shows that the fetus can feel pain while being aborted. A women should not get an abortion, because they are killing a being that didn’t ask to be here,the fetus can feel pain , it can cause post traumatic stress disorder, and other bodily issues. The fetus that is being aborted had no choice on whether or not it wanted to be here or not. Since it’s not right to murder someone outside of the womb, how is murdering an infant, a person inside the womb any different? The fact of the matter is it’s not. Abortion is murder that goes unnoticed by the law. It takes away a defenseless life that probably could’ve been a great asset to the world. Alot of people don’t know that the fetus can feel pain. Some doctors tell the patient that the fetus can’t feel anything.Truth is the fetus can feel every bit of it, and getting an abortion causes a violent a...

George C. Marshall :: essays research papers

	George C. Marshall was born on December 31, 1880, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1901 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. During World War I he was stationed in France and won acclaim for his direction of the Meuse-Argonne offensive. Before the offensive, Marshall was responsible for; the withdrawal of 200,000 men, and replacing them with 600,000 American soldiers, making sure that there were hospitals to treat the sick and wounded, moving more than 3,000 cannons and 40,000 tons of ammunition, all the while hiding these movements from the Germans by moving only at night. 	After World War I he was a high-level aide to General John J. Pershing. Prior to the outbreak of World War II he progressed steadily from assistant chief-of-staff of the U.S. Army (July, 1938) to deputy chief of staff (October, 1938), to chief of staff the following year. In 1944, Marshall was promoted to General of the Army. He spent a year in China in 1945-46 as President Truman's representative, attempting to bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict between the nationalists and the communists. 	As Secretary of State from 1947 to 1949, he developed an economic program, the Marshall Plan, to help bring relief to war torn nations in Europe. The plan stipulated that the United States war prepared to assist Europe on certain terms. The European countries were to (1) Confer and Determine their needs on a continental basis; (2) show what resources they could put into a common pool for economic rebuilding; (3) stabilize their currencies; and (4) try to remove trade barriers so that goods could flow freely throughout the continent. With the assistance of the Marshall Plan, Western Europe began to recover from the ravages of war. Marshall's effort to include the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in this grand design was rejected by Moscow. As Western Europe rebuilt, Europe was divided both economically and ideologically, and conflicting politics soon laid the ground for "The Cold War". When it became evident that the gap between Eastern and Western Europe would not be bridged, and that the Western European states feared for their safety, Marshall was one of the leaders who created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization which has ensured the security of the West. The establishment of NATO in 1949 achieved a balance of power in Europe that endured until the end of the Cold War.

United Kingdom – Cultural Leadership Style

A wise Professor named Geert Hofstede established one of the best studies that put into account a countries culture and how values in the workplace can affect them. Today I will look at a particular country that is quite similar to the United States. The country I have chosen is the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom encompasses England, Wales, and Scotland (which combined make up Great Britain) and Northern Ireland. Before looking at how United Kingdom numbers there first needs to be a description of what is in fact being numbered. Hofstede created five cultural dimensions. In each dimension whether it marked high or low can help a business determine how it should operate in that specific country. The first Hofstede dimension is the Power Distance Index. The Power Distance Index has to do with the inequality that not only is accepted but the inequality in existence between individuals of power and also to those without it. There will always be some kind of level of power in all societies and although some may be very unequal this measure simply shows the level of inequality they really are. A low Power Distance Index would mean that power and equality are shared. Society may view them as being a society where power is well dispersed among each other. In a high Power Distance Index however there is an unequal distribution of power and people simply understand their place in the society. When it comes to the United Kingdom though the Power Distance Index is relatively low and has a thirty PDI. This number is an indicator that the ranking of a person or the status in conjunction with their inequalities are low. When relating to more of the office structure this can be more illustrated when looking at the relationship between the superiors and the subordinates. The relationship is more casual like and not as structured and strict as in a high power distance would have been. The second Hofstede dimension is Individualism. Individualism refers to the community and all the ties that link people to them. If there is a high individualism score than there is a loose connection which only means that sharing of responsibilities are low and a lack of interpersonal connection nless of course it is between family and a few close friends. It also means that an individual’s rights are quite dominant. If there is a low individualism score than there is a strong group bond in which there is much respect and loyalty for all members of that group. The group itself would be much larger in comparison to a high score and would take more responsibility for each person making it more collective. In the Uni ted Kingdom they score a quite high one with eighty nine being there IDV number. Therefore there is a need of people’s freedoms and the valuation of their time. They enjoy challenges and expect some sort of reward for their accomplishments. There is also more of a respect for their privacy. In this sense the United Kingdom has a nuclear family that is the more leading form of basic social structure. When you think of this on more of a business aspect having a high score would also mean that individuals would be thinking about themselves more instead of the group. High scores would promote individual success but may affect the group which should be monitored. The third Hofstede dimension is Masculinity. Masculinity refers to the traditional roles of a male and female and how much they are valued and stuck to within a society. Having a high Masculinity score would mean that these countries have males that have high expectations to being tough and being the provider for the family as well as being assertive and strong. When pertaining to females in a high context score if they worked would be doing a profession that men did not. There would also be a distinction between men and women’s work. In a low masculinity score for a country you would see more of a balance when it came to jobs and skills. Women would be able to have success doing the exact same thing as a man. The role of both genders just becomes a bit blur where women work equal across professions with men. Men are also allowed to be sensitive. The United Kingdom had a score of about sixty two. Therefore they try to be somewhere in the middle. Men and women can work equally with each other although a bit of gender bias may still exist. This bias may not be as apparent if the score was a fifty but because it exceeds a little more than fifty it shows that it is an underlying bias maybe just below the surfaces. When relating this to a more business aspect in a high masculinity score the leader of the team should be a male if you wanted to obtain greater success however in a low masculinity score the team should be more balanced with a greater emphasis on skill instead of on gender. The fourth Hofstede dimension is Uncertainty/Avoidance Index. Uncertainty/ Avoidance Index refer to the degree that society members may feel while being in an anxious or uncertain situation. This can also relate to whether or not a person is comfortable or uncomfortable within a certain situation. In a high uncertainty/avoidance index country avoidance of ambiguous situations is a must with the creations of lots of rules and regulations. There is much order with a collective type of truth that is held. Business is also very formal with the need for structure and differences are highly avoided. If there is any level of nervousness it creates high levels of emotion mixed with high levels of expression. In a lower uncertainty/avoidance index the society will enjoy surprises and the differences between individuals are highly valued. They are actually encouraged to seek for their own truth. The United Kingdom has an Uncertainty/Avoidance index of about thirty which means in a more business aspect that they have a more informal business attitude. There is also a more concern on the long term goals and strategies instead in comparison to the more daily happenings. There is a far greater acceptance of change and this society is more prone to taking a few risks unlike a high UAI group which would avoid risk taking. Conflicts and disagreements would also be seen as a healthy relationship amongst workers even at times superiors with different views taken into account to conclude with a better outcome. The last Hofstede dimension is Long Term Orientation. Long Term Orientation refers to how society views the long term standing of traditions and values in comparison to the short term traditions and values. In a high long term orientation score the individuals in a society would refrain from losing face and have social obligations. Traditions are valued to the extreme and family is the basis of the society. Parents and men are seen in these societies to have far more authority than women and young adults. There are very strong work ethics and a high value is placed on the education that is obtained as well as any training. The United Kingdom has a long term orientation score of about twenty. Being that it is very low in comparison to Asian cultures this just means that much can be expected when discussing the creative expression that is in the United Kingdom’s culture. Traditions may not be valued here as much as they would be valued in other societies. This then ust sums that they would be more likely to help when it came to the business aspect of innovating any sought out plans. There would be an execution of those plans as well with the compromise that there will be full participation. In a low long term orientation there is also promotion of equality. Creativity and individualism is also a definition of a low long term orientation where what is strived for is self actualizati on. Although some may see the United Kingdom as being more traditional with all its associations it still promotes equality which in the end makes it different from other cultures or societies. The five dimensions that Geert Hofstede established were one being Power Distance Index (PDI), two being Individualism (IDV), three being Masculinity (MAS), four being Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), and five being Long Term Orientation (LTO). Each one looked at in pertaining to the United Kingdom gives more of an insight on how the societies culture is and how a business can benefit better if in the United Kingdom. Although many cultural norms play a huge part in the procedure and interpersonal associations at work all these things may seem to just be. Each and every norm just comes natural to the society that you live in. However, when you move outside your norms and are found in a new society knowing what to do or how to run a business may be very intimidating without knowing how that society’s culture may behave. Once you step foot in a foreign place everything may seem different with completely different norms that are followed. Hofstede’s five dimensions can thus be a starting position for one to use in determining how to act when comparing what the reactions might be and how that society might think about how you just acted. It would also help in evaluating your approach and the decisions that you make in an organization or business. There may be other deviations from all the norms that may make up a society but having a guide like Geert Hofstede’s five dimensions will help to not feel completely off guard when encountering new societies. Sometimes not knowing what to expect can be very threatening and not knowing how to act or not knowing how your actions will be perceived can be scary. However, using Hofstede’s five dimensions can bring new light on any society. When looking at the United Kingdom it is quite similar to the United States so intimidations can be a little lower but taking into account every dimension will help in creating a successful business.