Philosophy Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Philosophy Research Paper - Essay Example It is also grand and gives one the feel of timelessness and awe. Could this feel of awe have something to do with the design of the building It inspires the passer by with a certain longing to enter and take a look inside. But the building has a larger purpose. It fulfils this purpose by accommodating people, furniture and machines. Moreover, it graces the environment with its aesthetic presence. It seeks to be pleasing to the eye. The BMW building is primarily a piece of art because it has been made with some aesthetics. The building has elegance and grace. Apart from fulfilling its accommodating role, it also fulfills another role as an object that satisfies. It has a shape and form that appears pleasing to the person who sees it. And when the person who sees it and enters it, he finds satisfaction in the building's interior as much as he has found satisfaction in the building's exterior when he observed it from the outside. The BMW structure is also a piece of art for the simple reason that it is stately and robust. It is built with the long term view of withstanding the vagaries of nature to the maximum scale. Perhaps it may not be able to withstand an intensive earthquake. Or it may be able to withstand an intensive earthquake, if it is so designed. Nonetheless, the building is made to last for a significant period of time. Perhaps it is made to last for over 40 or 50 years. ... Perhaps it is made to last for over 40 or 50 years. However, this is a difficult proposition in the present times where buildings are routinely demolished to erect bigger and better ones. The idea is to commercially exploit demand with additional space and attractiveness. The building must look beautiful in order to attract money and enterprises. The building's attraction The BMW monolith is primarily made with a certain objective. It may, perhaps, appear beautiful to one person. But it may not appear beautiful to another. To some people, no matter how elegant, this building is just a piece of block! Hence, we may rather say that the building is sublime. It exudes force. It is made to be primarily strong and robust. However, does this building appeal to the imagination Impressive as it is, maybe there is someone who does not take this building to heart! An object of beauty appeals immediately to the imagination. It does need a reason for an object to appear beautiful. An object of beauty is judged by the sensory faculties of the beholder. A building, by and large, does not make such a fast and conclusive appeal. It may win attention or respect owing to its outward attraction and form. However, beauty is another dimension! Beauty wins immediate attention of the beholder. An object of beauty strikes the beholder at once in depth without any reason. In the case of a building, it may or may not strike the beholder with the same inexplicable suddenness. That is why the BMW building could not be termed as beautiful (Immanuel Kant). The purpose of the building This building has been designed for a specific purpose. It was designed so as to herald its attractive and elegant position. It was designed to abide with the natural

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 345

Assignment Example Ford’s financials for the fiscal year that ended December 2003 addressed foreign exchange risk management. The company first understands and measures its exposure to various risks. For example, Ford is exposed to foreign currency risks. The firm utilizes cash flow hedges to prevent and minimize the risks. However, Ford hedges only between 25% and 30% of its foreign exchange risks. The firm hedges various currencies including Swedish krone, Mexico pesos, British sterling pounds, Brazilian reals, and Japanese yen (Hyman 32). Ford uses various hedging techniques to minimize the risks. These methods include value-at-risk (VaR) analysis. VaR assists the organization to assess its exposure to variations in foreign currency exchange rates. The VaR model focuses on profit and losses. Therefore, the technique allows Ford to calculate the size of the deviation between the probable profit and a yearly planned profit with a 95% probability. The current currency volatility in Venezuela is Ford’s primary concern. In 2015, the company announced that, it took charge related to its operations in Venezuela that would reduce fourth-quarter net profit by about $700 millions (Reuters 1). Venezuelan bolivars value fluctuates due to the illegal market. Reuters reported that illegal traders exchange a dollar for more than 180 bolivars. Such exchange rate is high compared to the country’s three-tiered exchange rate system. Venezuela’s currency exchange rate ranges between 6.3 bolivars and 50 bolivars to the dollar (6). Overall, Ford has grown significantly since its establishment. Despite the fact that the company experiences many risks in its operations, the firm adopted sound hedging techniques. Similarly, any company operating either locally or internationally might experience different challenges. However, good management strategies would propel the

Gamification of the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Gamification of the Workplace Essay The paper examines a new trend in workplace design called â€Å"gamification†. Gamification is defined as using concepts derived from video games and applying them in businesses to enhance motivation, raise productivity and lower turnover. The areas of effect discussed are motivation, cooperation, productivity and employee happiness. The text looks at which characteristics of video games make them so engaging and translates them into examples from the workplace. It presents real examples of companies that have implemented similar techniques. Gamification in the Workplace: A New Way to Think About Work Georgi Ivanov American University in Bulgaria The workforce of today is composed of young, talented and creative people, who despite their potential are less loyal and are always on the lookout for the job that better suits their qualification. As managers continue to search for ways to attract, motivate and keep them they ask themselves what makes this generation different from the previous. One of the things that separate us from other generations of workforce, video game addiction, has become increasingly relevant in the last decade. The college graduates that enter the labor market have played them since kids and consider them a hobby. The older generations learn about them as because of the app store which is a platform for easily accessible casual games. There is something in video games that makes people play them and create them and that something has made the video game industry the fastest growing entertainment industry today. With millions of people playing video games and investingmoney in their hobby, many companies implement video game concepts in an effort to make work more engaging, raise productivity and motivation and lower turnover. The process is known as â€Å"gamification†. To understand why managers would look to video and computer games of all things to improve the work life of their employees we have to understand what makes a video game so appealing to the modern employee and what part of that appeal is relevant to their productivity and satisfaction on their job. We know that some games have bigger audiences than prime time television shows, which means that these people prefer to do something, to be involved, than just sitting there and taking it in. In his book The Game of Work: How to Enjoy Work As Much As Play (1984) Charles Conrad leans on the fact that people will often work harder or even pay money to improve their performance outside of work. He outlines five principles that would transfer part of this to the business environment and empower employees – better scorekeeping, clearly defined goals, frequent feedback, better scorekeeping and consistent coaching. When the book was issued video games were not the object of the author’s discussion, however the concepts are present in today’s most popular video games. It is common have a score number in a corner of the screen showing how you are doing and every action you take changes that score. Taking this one step further is a ladder system that shows your score in comparison to other people’s score. With the popularity of video games today it is evident that people are respond very well to such a system. Through extension, if people are willing to devote so much time and energy into improving their game scores so they can climb the ladder and win intangible rewards, then, if they knew where they stood among their colleagues, they would be more motivated to do better. In her WSJ article Latest Game Theory: Mixing work and play (2011), Rachel Silverman gives a couple of examples of successful â€Å"gamification† of tasks. Live Ops Inc. runs a virtual call center. Th e company awards employees with virtual badges and points for keeping calls short and closing sales with leader boards that allow agents to compare their achievements. According to the vice president, since the system was implemented call time was reduced by 15% in some employees and sales have gone up by between 8% and 12%. I saw this in myself when I worked as a sales representative. When I joined the company it was evident who the top sales people were. Everybody’s numbers were available every day for everyone to see. From the first day that I saw that I imagined my name on the firs position of the day end report on the cash register screen just like I did on my computer screen while playing a favorite game of mine. It helped. I was always eager to keep track of my sales and strive to improve and my boss nurtured that friendly competitive atmosphere in which I thrived. This helped me in the beginning a lot because I did not feel intimidated by the more experienced members’ numbers. One of the most popular types of games today is the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game (MMORPG). The model is basically putting millions of players from all over the world in one universe and to let them progress in this world by developing their skills and handling challenges alone or in teams of other players who have diverse skill sets for different situations. There are player rankings and guild rankings. To climb up the ladder, players need to accomplish tasks or â€Å"quests† and apart from the regular points, they get badges, if they complete the quest not in an efficient or creative manner. As you play your character increases in strength by gaining levels. Each level requires more effort to achieve than the previous and the conditions that have to be met to advance are set in stone and they never change. You know ahead of time what you need in order to progress. Every task you’ve made has an effect on the completion and your progress is clearly visible. If we take this concept to the business world, we’d have a clear employee ranking system and a company ranking system. Each employee will aim for the top places on the scoreboard, but keeping in mind that success is only possible with cooperation. This would motivate employees not only to do their best but also to be more accommodating to newcomers because they know that the better the people in your team/ department are doing, the better they would do. We do have a leveling system in the workplace – raises and promotions – but the conditions are not always as clear. If employees do not know what the requirements are and they have no guarantees that they would reach that threshold why should they work harder? Vendor invoice transactions are a tedious task, but now, with the new reward system, employees can earn points and raise their status among other SAP teams. At the end of the month, a dollar amount is awarded to a charity of the winning team’s choice. This is all done through an upgraded version of their clerk software. It adds extrinsic value to the work, makes employees contribute to a cause they can relate to. We play games because they are fun. Play is not the opposite of work as entrepreneur Steve Keil tells us in his speech â€Å"A Manifesto for play†. It is also supported by Byron Reeves, a communications professor at Stanford University and author of the book Total Engagement (2009), who says that â€Å"The idea that work is work and play is play and never shall the two meet is melting quite a bit†. Games are fun which makes them engaging and we want our employees to be engaged in their work. One of the ways we can do that is by taking down factors that restrain and choke the individual. Once our goals are clearly defined and a scoring and reward system is set up as a frame, why do we need to keep restrictions in the workplace? Changes like making workday more flexible and eradicating fear by establishing an atmosphere of trust and cooperation instead of an authority. Like the millions of gamers around the world we want our employees to feel good when they come to work because that is going to translate into better quality of work, customer service and engagement. In a MMO there is always a comfortable social network system. No matter what they are doing, a level 1 player can contact level 60 players and ask questions. There is a strong sense of community and presence, because it is easy to form contacts. When there is a task that requires 5, 10 or 20 people, the task is divided into smaller tasks and everyone’s progress in visible from start to finish. That accessibility and transparency is not always available in businesses but they would go a long way to improving communication. In his book, Byron Reeves takes this one step further saying that some people will soon do their jobs inside a game. He draws a scenario where a woman would sit on her home computer and log on to a virtual world, in which she is represented by an avatar which she herself customized with badges and clothing, earned as rewards for completed tasks. Then she would take a look at her team’s progress by meeting their avatars. This is gamification in the modern business. When implementing the strategies from above, however there are a couple of things to be mindful of. First of all, managers have to make sure that the atmosphere of friendly competition does not go out of hand. With regard to the company’s mission statement, they have to recognize at what point employees stop working for the company and start working for themselves. The goals to reach thresholds have to be balanced. A task is engaging when it is challenging, yet accomplishable with the skill set that the employee possesses. Some business may not be well suited for gamification concepts. The data on employees will make promotions and layoffs more fair and transparent but it may also undermine the importance of a manager. Certainly the concept of gamification is still young, the interest that companies show towards implementing them points to a new trend. In her article, Silverman quotes the tech industry research firm saying that â€Å"by 1214, some 70% of large companies will use the techniques for at least one business process†. What was until recent years though to be a massive waste of time now changes the way we think about our jobs. Works Cited Rachel Silverman (October 10, 2011) Latest Game Theory: Mixing Work and Play; Retrieved from online.wsj.com Charles Coonradt (September 1, 1984) How to Enjoy Work As Much As Play; Steve Keil (January 2011) â€Å"A Manifesto of Play†; Retrieved from tedxbg.com Byron Reeves (November 2, 2009) Total engagement: Using Games and Virtual Worlds to Change the Way People Work and Businesses Compete

Weight Loss For Women

Weight Loss For Women Does the very thought of losing weight makes you feel burdensome? If yes, then let me tell you that losing weight can actually be fun! If you are wondering about how to lose weight in a way that would really be fun and burden-less, then first think about the benefits of shedding those extra pounds of flesh you have in your body. You would get to wear all of your favorite dresses to flaunt that perfect body, you would soon become a head turner, you would have an increased level of energy, you would feel immensely happy about yourself, and about generally everything and most importantly keep all kinds of diseases at bay! The typical how to lose weight guides will make you follow strict boring ways to lose weight. But here we are going to give you some excellent ideas on how to lose weight, without much effort. First and foremost you should be willing to lose weight, and everything will then follow. The prime reason why you put on extra-weight is their eating habits. So if you are a foodie, and just cannot resist those tempting burgers, then let us be a little more experimental and eat a healthy fruit salad instead! Likewise, instead of convincing your mind that a ban has been put on all the junk and fattening food, think of the alternatives that you can eat which are healthy and nutritious. It will not only help you in reducing your weight but will also satisfy your taste buds. Another reason of extra weight is the lack of exercise. So if you are in love with your laziness; then here you would have to ditch your laziness a little, if you want a better partner who would not be able to take their hands off your body! There is absolutely no need to force yourself to do all that rigorous exercise; plenty of alternatives are available for the physical activity that you need which would help you in losing your weight. For instance, aerobics, yoga, swimming, dance! Wouldnt it be fun doing all this, having fun while losing weight! Women, especially, are very much concerned about the ways they look. Their elegance and their attractiveness is based on the way they look. How to lose weight for women is very important and women must focus on their figures to look gorgeous. Today, globally, women are cognizant about their health and diet. Earlier, people usually considered obesity as sign of health, but things have changed with the time and now, you might have understood and realized the magnitude of health and its diverse hazards. You strive hard to lose weight and try to find various ways of losing weight. However, weight loss depends on people and the places where they live in. There are various factors that affect ones weight- it could be related to losing weight or gaining weight. There are countless ways that you can shed your fat and look gorgeous and attract people all around you with your fragile and curvy features. Do not you want to look stunning in order to entice people around? Every woman wants to loo k beautiful, the only reason is they are naturally delicate and have tender features. They beauty flows from head to toe and people lock their eyes on women from every angle as women are very attractive, especially when they are slim and have good figure. As you know, there are numerous factors that are related to losing or gaining weight. However, recent studies have revealed that women lose weight faster than men due to their natural fat-shedding mechanism. However, it is believed that women need to involve in rigorous exercises in order to lose weight, but here, it is not the case. Since the chemicals inside female bodies act as reactors to certain dietary levels, it is not difficult to shed weight. Nevertheless, women should understand the basic concepts and when you understand then there is no hard work involved, but only some steps to follow. One of the problems that women have is time! They may not find time and maybe this is what restricts them from doing regular exercises. Women all over the world are health conscious but however, regions matter a lot. If you are in America, then you know what diet you have to follow and you do that according to your climate and region. Similarly, if you are in Europe or Asia or Africa, you f ollow health patterns according to your comfort levels. Women in America eat pizzas, burgers, diet beverages, etc. in their routine life. However, this may not be applicable to the women who live in Asia. Asian women may eat noodles, rice, etc. No matter what you eat, you must know the nutritional values as they are very essential. Losing calories is one of the crucial aspects and it is regarded as the front-fighter for women who have desires of losing weight. You might have heard that if you take more calories, then you deposit more fat in your body. But now, we have solution for you to lose fat as there are many ways to lose fat and to look slim and sexy. Make people go gaga over your looks and make others envy your sexy figure. There are various ways through which one can lose weight such as: 1. Eating healthy food 2. Reducing fat in your diet 3. Doing exercises regularly 4. Having sexual intercourse regularly 5. Building up stamina by doing combo-exercises 6. Spiritual exercises 7. Walking whenever and wherever possible 8. Stay Happy 9. By joining a gym or a fitness center 10. by consuming lots of water 1. Eating healthy food: What is healthy food? And how you are going to keep track of your diet? Well, it is very simple! Healthy food is nothing but normal diet. To shed that fat, you have to follow simple basic diets such as leafy vegetables, food without oil, fewer intakes of fish, cheese, butter and other fatty products, etc. It is said that if you eat leafy vegetables, then your metabolism remains perfect. You can start off with simple breakfast. Take a bowl of cereals as they have high-fibers. Mix a couple of bananas and milk. Remember not skip your breakfast as breakfast is very essential to stay fit and alert whole day. Good and healthy breakfast gives strong impact on your daily activities, so never skip it! 2. Reducing fat in your diet: Reduce that unwanted fat! How? When you intake food, read the nutritional values or just have some knowledge about what you are eating. Avoid regular consumption meat; do not eat fish regularly (once in a while, it is okay, but not every time). Avoid snacks. Munching some or the other thing may result in the huge deposition of fat and that may lead to various diseases including heart related, cancer, less concentration, and also may lead to unstable mental balance and equilibrium. However, you can grab a fresh fruit plate and finish it off and this does not have presence of fat. It is estimated that a piece of any fruit, any time, during the day reduces blood pressure and keep the blood levels minimal. This also helps in getting less anger and maintaining your mental balance which is very essential for you to lose weight. All fruits have very few calories and consumption of fruit at least 30 minutes before breakfast or any meal will prove useful. So, kic k that snack off and gulp a piece of fruit! 3. Doing exercises regularly: Shake it baby and shake that fat off your belly by doing regular exercises. It is very easy to work out daily by taking some time out from your routine. Daily exercises include walking, jogging, running, skipping, jumping, swimming, cycling, etc. The best way to follow regular exercise is: a) Wake up and walk around for at least two minutes before going to washroom b) Stretch a bit and touch your toes after you finish brushing your teeth c) While eating, chew at least 40 times and this is one of the best exercises for your jaw. Also, it helps in churning food well and helps in good digestion d) Play with your kids and run while playing e) Laugh a lot! When you laugh, your stomach muscles contract with your neck muscles, including your spine. This helps in keeping your heart race in rhythm and as you know, laughter is the best medicine! f) Pick your kids up in your arms and roam around g) Park your car and walk till your destination h) Avoid elevators and climb stairs, no matter how many floors they are. Climbing stairs help in building your thigh muscles and your hips get in shape when you climb regularly. It is better to count while you climb every time and also, climb down i) Lets dance! Turn on your favorite track and dance for at least 15 minutes. Dancing burns calories and when you perspire, sit down, relax and count till 50 and then backwards. j) Angry? Kick it off by kicking the kit. When you are angry, do not regret later as this is one of the best ways to release your frustration, as well as your unwanted fat. When you get angry, put on the gloves and start hitting the boxing-kit till you perspire and think you are getting exhausted. When you do that, you burn a lot of calories and also, by that time, you will realize that you have already kicked that anger off your hot head and then you will feel cool and relaxed. What else do you need? You are getting multiples things at the same time- your anger is vanishing from your head, you are reducing your fat, you are losing calories, and also, you are training yourself for self defense. Sounds cool, does not it? 4. Having sexual intercourse regularly: Men get aroused easily and women take a lot of time in getting sexually charged. Recent studies depict that sexual intercourse burns many calories and the act itself is a fat burning process. When you are involved in sexual intercourse, you tend to lose more fat. It is said that 1 French kiss helps in losing many calories. So while having sex, make sure you lips are locked. Also, an orgasm can make your heart healthy and regular sex may reduce mortality. Indulge in sexual act at least 3 times a week. 5. Building up stamina by doing combo-exercises: What are combo-exercises? When you combine two things, then it results in combination. Similarly, combo-exercises are the combination of exercises such as dance and exercise, Thai boxing, Cardio, etc. When you dance and exercise, you build stamina and stamina helps in performing more, which results in burning of fat. 6. Spiritual Exercises: These exercises involve meditations. Close your eyes every day and meditate at least for 20 minutes, by keeping your mind blank. When you are involved in spiritual stuff, you will find the difference soon. Meditation not only gives impact on your physique but also on your mind and memory. When you do meditation, you will improve your memory and things may turn in a positive way. 7. Walking whenever and wherever possible: Walking is one of the important ways to lose fat. Walk fast every day or walk slow does not matter but walking itself matters. When you walk your muscles get strong. 8. Stay Happy: Stay happy by being positive. Tensions always lead to disturbed life. Avoid that and keep yourself happy if you want to lose weight. 9. By joining a gym or a fitness center: Follow instructors ways and shed off that fat 10. By consuming lots of water: Consumption of water may reduce weight as the liquid will flow deep inside your body and make your joints and muscles flexible which may result in good work out.

The Blue Whale Essay -- essays research papers

The Blue Whale   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Balaenoptera Musculus, or the blue whale, is the largest mammal in the world. This enormous mammal can grow to be 110 feet long and weigh as much as 190 tons. That's longer than two city buses and the total weight of 30 elephants. This giant is powered by a heart the size of a taxi-cab. The blue whale's of the Antarctic grow larger than those of the Northern Hemisphere. Also, the females tend to be slightly larger than the males of the same age. These mammals are bluish-gray in color, with some paler spots. Algae tends to accumulate on their bellies causing a yellowish or mustard color. It has a mottled appearance with a broad, flattened U-shaped head. Fifty to ninety throat grooves run from the mouth to the belly. Instead of teeth, blue whales have 270 to 400 black baleen plates on each side of their mouths. These plates are about forty inches long and twenty-two inches wide. The blue whale has a tiny, stubby dorsal fin set far back on its body. It has a 20 foot wide, slightly notched, triangular flukes, which is propelled by an extremely thick tail stock. The flippers on this creature are long and slender, and are about one-seventh of the whale's body length. The blue whale's most prominent feature is its exceptionally fleshy splashgaurd, which surrounds the blowholes at the front and sides. This whale spouts a single slender jet that soars forty to fifty feet high.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The blue whale has very poor eyesight, no sense of smell, and has no sense of taste. However, the blue whale does have well-developed senses of touch and hearing. This large mammal has a life span of about eighty years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At this time there is not too much known about the blue whale's behavior. Blowing and diving patterns vary according to the whale's activity. The blue whale blows every ten to twenty seconds for a total of two to six minutes, when relaxed, and then dives. They usually stay submerged for five to twenty minutes, but can stay under for up to 40 minutes. Blue whale's usually dive to around 490 feet, but can go deeper if need be. When swimming slowly, the whale rises at a shallow angle. He blows as soon as the head begins to brake the surface. The head disappears below the surface and a long expanse of the back rolls into view. The dorsal fin normally appears some time after the... ...ws about blue whales coming from the rest of the world's oceans. California waters may now represent some of the most critical large whale habitats in the world. Bibliograpghy 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Boitani, Luigi and Bartoli, Stefania 1983. Simon and Schuster's Guide to Mammals. NewYork: Simon & Schuster Inc., p.237. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Singing Blues for the Blues. U.S. News and World Report, July 3, 1989 vol 107, n 1; pp.8 and 9. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leatherwood, Stephen and Reeves, Randall 1983. The Seirra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins. San Francisco: Seirra Club Books, pp. 47-51. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sattler, Helen Roney 1987. Whales, the Nomads of the Sea. New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books; pp. 17, 28, 62-63. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Carwardine, Mark 1985. Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises. New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., pp.68-71. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lockley, Ronald M. 1979. Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises. NewYork: W.W. Norton and Co., Inc. p. 88. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Baskin, Yvonne. Blue Behemoth Bounds Back. Bio Science, October 1993, vol 43, n 9; pp. 603-606.

The Scottsboro Trials Essay -- essays research papers

Imagine being a black teenager in the south amid the great depression. It was hard enough for whites to find jobs during this time; I can’t even begin to fathom what it would be like being black seeking a job. Many blacks sought hoboing as a common pastime seeing it as an adventure to get them from one small job to another. And this is where the story of the Scottsboro Boys begins.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aboard a southern railroad car was a young black youth named Haywood Patterson. He clutched to the side of the car as it careened back and forth over the rusty tracks. Across the top of the car walked a young white man. Every time this man would walk past Patterson he would step on his fingers. Patterson finally said to the man, â€Å"whenever you need to get through, tell me and I will move my hand†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The young man believed that he did not have to ask someone to move their hands, especially a nigger. This outraged him and he began to shout obscenities and racial slurs at Patterson. Soon after, a stone throwing fight erupted between the white hobos and the black hobos that were riding on the train. All but one white youth was forced of the train by the rocks. This white youth named Orville Gilley was pulled back on. The train itself was picking up speed and Gilley could have gotten killed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A local stationmaster was told the â€Å"attack† by the white hobos that had been thrown off of the train. This stationmaster wired ahead to the next stationmaster to let him know of the situation. As the train slowed down and came to a stop in Paint Rock, Alabama, those that were accused of the future crime had no telling what they were going to be up against. Once in Paint Rock, 9 black youths were rounded up, tied together and taken to prison in Scottsboro Al. Here the boys were placed in a jail cell awaiting their charges. Little did they know an additional charge was going to be added that never even crossed their minds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While in Paint Rock 2 young women greeted the Posse that came to round up the men from the train. One of these women (Victoria Price) told the posse that she had been raped by a gang of 12 blacks with pistols and knives (Linder, n.d.).They were escorted into the jail so that Victoria could point out her attackers. Here she claimed 6 of the 9 men had raped her. T... ...oys found their way out of Alabama (Linder, n.d.).Andy Wright was the last to leave Alabama in 1950. Some of the boys wrote books on their experiences. The case showed just how indifferent jurors were in the south during the 1930’s, how two women could ruin the lives of 9 men and how politically minded everyone was involved in the trial. The Scottsboro Trials was the only case in history of the US that produced the most trials, convictions, reversals and retrials. In the end this case allowed juries to be open to blacks and helped to ease racial tensions in both the south and north. Reference List Goodman, J. (1994). Stories of Scottsboro; The rape case that shocked 1930’s America and revived the struggle for equality. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. Norris, C., & Washington, C. D. (1979). The Last of the Scottsboro Boys an Autobiography. Toronto, Canada: Putnam Books. Linder, D.O. (n.d). The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys. Retrieved March 14, 2005, from http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_acct.html PBS. (1999-2000). Scottsboro Timeline. Retrieved March 27, 2005, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/scottsboro/timeline/index.html The Scottsboro Trials Essay -- essays research papers Imagine being a black teenager in the south amid the great depression. It was hard enough for whites to find jobs during this time; I can’t even begin to fathom what it would be like being black seeking a job. Many blacks sought hoboing as a common pastime seeing it as an adventure to get them from one small job to another. And this is where the story of the Scottsboro Boys begins.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aboard a southern railroad car was a young black youth named Haywood Patterson. He clutched to the side of the car as it careened back and forth over the rusty tracks. Across the top of the car walked a young white man. Every time this man would walk past Patterson he would step on his fingers. Patterson finally said to the man, â€Å"whenever you need to get through, tell me and I will move my hand†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The young man believed that he did not have to ask someone to move their hands, especially a nigger. This outraged him and he began to shout obscenities and racial slurs at Patterson. Soon after, a stone throwing fight erupted between the white hobos and the black hobos that were riding on the train. All but one white youth was forced of the train by the rocks. This white youth named Orville Gilley was pulled back on. The train itself was picking up speed and Gilley could have gotten killed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A local stationmaster was told the â€Å"attack† by the white hobos that had been thrown off of the train. This stationmaster wired ahead to the next stationmaster to let him know of the situation. As the train slowed down and came to a stop in Paint Rock, Alabama, those that were accused of the future crime had no telling what they were going to be up against. Once in Paint Rock, 9 black youths were rounded up, tied together and taken to prison in Scottsboro Al. Here the boys were placed in a jail cell awaiting their charges. Little did they know an additional charge was going to be added that never even crossed their minds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While in Paint Rock 2 young women greeted the Posse that came to round up the men from the train. One of these women (Victoria Price) told the posse that she had been raped by a gang of 12 blacks with pistols and knives (Linder, n.d.).They were escorted into the jail so that Victoria could point out her attackers. Here she claimed 6 of the 9 men had raped her. T... ...oys found their way out of Alabama (Linder, n.d.).Andy Wright was the last to leave Alabama in 1950. Some of the boys wrote books on their experiences. The case showed just how indifferent jurors were in the south during the 1930’s, how two women could ruin the lives of 9 men and how politically minded everyone was involved in the trial. The Scottsboro Trials was the only case in history of the US that produced the most trials, convictions, reversals and retrials. In the end this case allowed juries to be open to blacks and helped to ease racial tensions in both the south and north. Reference List Goodman, J. (1994). Stories of Scottsboro; The rape case that shocked 1930’s America and revived the struggle for equality. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. Norris, C., & Washington, C. D. (1979). The Last of the Scottsboro Boys an Autobiography. Toronto, Canada: Putnam Books. Linder, D.O. (n.d). The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys. Retrieved March 14, 2005, from http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_acct.html PBS. (1999-2000). Scottsboro Timeline. Retrieved March 27, 2005, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/scottsboro/timeline/index.html

Current Pharma Scenario in India Essay

The Indian Pharmaceutical industry has been witnessing phenomenal growth in recent years, driven by rising consumption levels in the country and strong demand from export markets. The pharmaceutical industry in India is estimated to be worth about US$ 8 bn, growing at an annual rate of 12-15%. In world rankings, the domestic industry stands 3rd in terms of volume and 12th in value growth terms. The ranking in value terms may also be a reflection of the low prices at which medicines are sold in the country. The industry has seen tremendous progress in terms of infrastructure development, technology base and the wide range of products manufactured. Demand from the exports market has been growing rapidly due to the capability of Indian players to produce cost-effective drugs with world class manufacturing facilities. Bulk drugs of all major therapeutic groups, requiring complicated manufacturing processes are now being produced in India. Pharma companies have developed Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliant facilities for the production of different dosage forms. In addition, India’s long-established position as a preferred manufacturing location for multinational drug manufacturers is quickly spreading into other areas of outsourcing activities. Soaring costs of R&D and administration are persuading drug manufacturers to move more and more of their discovery research and clinical trials activities to the subcontinent or to establish administrative centres there, capitalizing on India’s high levels of scientific expertise as well as low wages A highly fragmented industry, the Indian pharmaceutical industry is estimated to have over 30,000 manufacturing and marketing units. Indian pharmaceutical industry will be the 4th largest industry of the country in 2013 turnover wise. The organized sector accounts for just 5% of the industry, while a huge 95% is in the unorganized sector. A large number of players in the unorganized segment are small and medium enterprises and this segment contributes 35% of the industry’s turnover. Why medicines are essential? * Increased health consciousness * Increased life span * Changed lifestyle, increased stress * Junk food consumption * Recurring problems of senior citizens (Kidney problems, cardiovascular problems etc.) * Increasing frequency of accidents. (Above figures are taken from –MAT07 July 2012 IMS ORG data) (ORG IMS Research Pvt. Ltd. is the one global source for leading-edge, customized business intelligence about the pharmaceutical market, providing clients with critical information, analyses and answers that drive superior business decisions and strategies.) Along with the manufacturing of the dosage forms raw material manufacturers, diagnostic products, surgical product manufacturers and packaging element manufacturer forms an integral part of the industry. OPPURTUNITIES: a) Generic Market: India has a significant share in the global generics market and is ranked third. In recent years, this segment has been facing stiff competition which makes the scale of production important to improve profitability. India has pre-dominantly been a generic player and has the potential to gain a global presence for the following key developments: * Multiple branded drug patent expirations in the short term of span. According to IMS Health, after 2006-2007 many top selling product patents expired .E.g. In Nov 2011 patent of brand Lipitor expired. Such expiration carries tremendous impact on the generic market. * Increasing confidence of consumers in generics in the developed markets * A pro-generic sentiment from healthcare authorities driven by the pressure of containing rising healthcare costs * An aging population across the world, leading to increasing demand for low cost therapies * Global healthcare crisis like AIDS in the developing world, necessitating affordable medication for the masses Generic companies in India are recognizing the importance of patent expiries and are making significant incremental investments in research and drug development. b) Outsourcing: India’s status as an information technology superpower, with access to specialist skills and 24/7 work hours, is a huge advantage as it strengthens its position as the destination of choice for contract research, including drug discovery. Eighty-two percent of U.S companies overall rank India as their first-choice IT outsourcing destination, says leading international clinical research organization Chiltern International, adding that IT and ITenabled services (ITES) companies have been expanding their activities in India to new business segments such as bioinformatics and life sciences; those doing so or planning to include Accenture, Intel, Satyam, Cognizant, IBM, Oracle and TCS. Wipro Spectramind, India’s largest third-party offshore business process outsourcing provider, is conducting bioinformatics work for global pharmaceutical companies MNCs that have already entered into off shoring contracts include Pfizer India, which has signed a preferred provider contract for its biometrics division with Cognizant Technologies India and is also working with SIRO Clinpharm; Wyeth, working with Accenture in clinical trial data management; GSK, whose biomedical data sciences and clinical data management centre in Bangalore supports studies for the group worldwide; and Novartis, which has a software development centre for specialized drug development programs India’s Other Advantages for Off shoring * Low-cost skill base * Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) and U.S. FDA compliance levels * High visibility in generics * High-quality, compliant manufacturing * Strong financial position with ability to scale up * Manufacturing capacity * Access to new technologies * Cost efficiency and track record * Industry position * Recognition of product patents c) Contract Manufacturing: Manufacturing outsourcing-supply of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and intermediates * Development outsourcing-conducting preclinical and clinical trials * Customized chemistry services-contract research services for compounds pre-launch. CHALLENGES: Even after the increased investment, market leaders such as Ranbaxy and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories spent only 5-10% of their revenues on R&D, lagging behind Western pharmaceuticals like Pfizer, whose research budget last year was greater than the combined revenues of the entire Indian pharmaceutical industry. This disparity is too great to be explained by cost differentials, and it comes when advances in genomics have made research equipment more expensive than ever. The drug discovery process is further hindered by a dearth of qualified molecular biologists. Due to the disconnect between curriculum and industry, pharmas in India also lack the academic collaboration that is crucial to drug development in the West and so far. It can be defined as planning and executing various concepts of price, promotion, distribution and services offered to potential buyers. 1. Challenges Shift from acute to chronic With the disease burden shifting from acute to chronic and lifestyle changing, product portfolios of companies are also changing rapidly to include long-term therapies. That brings in greater challenges of ‘adherence’ to therapy for better patient outcomes. In the case of infectious diseases, the problem of drug resistance is looming large too. Consumer mind-set towards health Proactively attending to health seems to be the last thing on the Indian consumer’s mind. Unless one falls sick, he does not seek medical attention. And even after he falls sick, the inclination is towards a quick recovery so that he can get back to work. Only recently, this is beginning to change amongst a certain section who have begun to take preventive health check up seriously, and pay attention to nutrition and lifestyle for better health. Doctor mind-set With the ratio of doctor: people being very low, doctors are extremely busy treating patients. With less time on hand, they cannot pay attention to patient education or counselling. Nor are they able to give enough time to update their knowledge, even if they wish to. Thus with newer therapies being made available, continuing medical education programs for doctors are becoming increasingly important. Such seminars, conferences and the internet meet this need. Multiple brands, reduced differentiation With hundreds of companies marketing the same molecules with different brand names, no differentiation between brands, doctors giving just a minute or so to detail, the challenges for today’s pharma marketer are immense. 2. Opportunities Improving healthcare infrastructure With more and more private hospitals being constructed, government spending on healthcare increasing and more number of people accessing health insurance; the domestic market does provide greater opportunities. However, the mind-set and skill-set needs to be tuned for this. Access to information on health People are increasingly accessing information on health, some of which is correct, but most other being confusing and inaccurate. Doctors are facing questions from patients too. This offers a great opportunity for the pharma marketers to provide cutting edge tools to the doctor to help him stay updated, and to reach patients with educational and accurate information. This also opens doors to marketers of OTC and nutraceutical products to reach consumers. Penetrating rural markets Some companies have already taken steps to reach rural markets. More innovative strategies to reach these markets are needed for growth. Here again, using technology could be the key. Penetration of the mobile being large in India, this medium offers great opportunity. Institutes offering pharmaceutical marketing courses: 1. NIPER 2. Narsee Monjee Institute of Mgt Studies, Mumbai 3. Indian Institute of Pharmaceutical Marketing,Lucknow 4. SIES, Navi Mumbai CONCLUSION There has never been a more important time for India’s government and its drug producers, both multinational and domestic, to work together in partnership for the good of the industry and the nation. With its enormous advantages, including a large, well-educated, skilled and English-speaking workforce, low operational costs and improving regulatory infrastructure, India has the potential to become the region’s hub for pharmaceutical and biotechnology discovery research, manufacturing, exporting and health care services within the next decade. For foreign investors, collaborations with India present a huge opportunity both in terms of joint production for the global market and supply of the growing domestic market. There is a need for regulatory reform in India to encourage leading global players to continue and accelerate the outsourcing of their R&D activities-beginning with discovery research-to the subcontinent.