What Is the Smelliest Molecule or Chemical Compound

There isnt an official stink-o-meter used to gauge the smelliness of a molecule or compound. How bad something smells is a matter of opinion, but most opinions favor the following substances: Smelliest SimpleMolecule Both of these stinky molecules contain sulfur, which also accounts for the fragrance of rotten eggs and onions. The molecules are detectable at concentrations of ~2 parts per million. Ethyl mercaptan (C2H5SH).  This man-made molecule is toxic. Inhalation can cause nausea, headaches, lack of coordination, as well as kidney and liver damage. Some people believe it smells like a combination of rotting onion and cabbage, mixed in with a bit of sewer gas. Others think it smells a bit more like old rancid buttered popcorn. This molecule is very volatile and can be smelled in low concentrations, so it is used as a warning odorant for liquid propane gas.Butyl seleno-mercaptan (C4H9SeH).  This is a natural molecule, produced by skunks. Skunk spray is bad, but modern science has produced odors that are even more vile. Smelliest Compound These man-made compounds are more complex and arguably stinkier than the simpler molecules. They also have catchy names. Who-Me?  Five ingredients are used to make this sulfur-based chemical, which smells of rotting carcasses. Who-Me? was developed during World War II so that French resistance fighters could humiliate German soldiers by making them stink. In practice, it was very difficult to restrict the application of the chemical to the intended target.US Government Standard Bathroom Malodor  American chemists developed this combination of eight molecules, said to emit a stench resembling that of human feces, to test the effectiveness of air fresheners and deodorizers.

The Incarceration Of The United States - 979 Words

Have you ever question about the justice in the United States? Stevenson states that, â€Å"Today we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world. The prison population has increased from 300,000 people in the early 1970s to 2.3 million people today† (15). Is United States is a modern country that doesn’t serve justice to her citizen? 2.3 million of prisoners are just embarrassing the whole country. You might want to know how bad the justice system is and how the heck cause 2.3 million prisoners to be in prison. Our system is define by an error; which serve justice to the rich and injustice to the poor. It’s common to know that poor and color people are more likely to be convict if they commit a small crime. We created a system like â€Å"Three strikes and you’re out† to show how strong we can be, and as the result of that, we have created the mass incarceration that no other countries can’t do. We are no better than a beast. We condem ned the poor because we know they are helpless and we condemned the color people because of racial bias. What does justice really stand for? The justice should be change in order to prevent mass incarceration in the future and focus on a fairness when it comes to trial. The justice system should be change before we convict another innocent people. In the Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, written by Bryan, Stevenson points out that the United States is a country that serves an injustice to its people. Just Mercy is a nonfiction bookShow MoreRelatedThe Incarceration Of The United States1519 Words   |  7 Pagesin recent decades, violent crimes in the United States of America have been on a steady decline, however, the number of people in the United States under some form of correctional control is reaching towering heights and reaching record proportions. In the last thirty years, the incarceration rates in the United States has skyrocketed; the numbers roughly quadrup led from around five hundred thousand to more than 2 million people. (NAACP)In a speech on criminal justice at Columbia University, HillaryRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The United States980 Words   |  4 PagesHave you ever questioned about the justice in the United States? Stevenson states that, â€Å"Today we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world. The prison population has increased from 300,000 people in the early 1970s to 2.3 million people today† (15). United States is a modern country that doesn’t serve justice to her citizen? 2.3 million prisoners are just embarrassing the whole country. You might want to know how bad the justice system is and how the heck cause 2.3 million prisoners toRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States Essay2335 Words   |  10 PagesEven though the United States makes up just 5% of the world’s population, it houses 25% of the world’s prison population† (Walmsley, 2009). The United States prides it self in being a worldwide leader in just about every category; however, being the world leader in incarceration rights might not be something the United States would be proud about. Incarceration rates in the United States have grown at alarming rates in the past forty years specifically and it has resulted in major overcrowding issuesRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States1113 Words   |  5 Pages The United States of America has more people incarcerated than any other country on earth, a whopping 2,220,300 adults are currently locked behind bars. We have 500,000 more citizens locked up than China, a country 5 times our population run by an authoritarian government. From 1990 - 2000 the prison population increased by 1,000,000. The main reason for incarceration as a punishment in this country is rehabilitation, or so we have been told. In recent years an industry has developed that revolvesRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The United States1044 Words   |  5 PagesOverview The United States has the highest prison population in the world, with over two million incarcerated (World Prison Brief, 2016), of whom many are juveniles. It is well documented that youths who enter this system are more likely to suffer a host of negative health and lifestyle outcomes, such as alcohol/drug abuse, high school dropout, and mental health problems. Such phenomena occur in stark contrast with the aims of the US juvenile justice system, which supposedly intends to help offendingRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States1957 Words   |  8 Pages Incarceration has been a pending issue amongst western civilization’s history for some time and today continues to raise a wide range of important questions. Incarceration of individuals have become a tremendous tax payer concern along with the incarceration of the drug war, convictions of street gangs, and the rest of the individuals who have broken the law and harmed other innocent individuals. However, the question is always a concern of men incarceration and hardly addressed of women beingRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States3014 Words   |  13 PagesThe United States of America is phrased by many, as being â€Å"the land of the free.† Yet, the Unites States currently has the highest per capita prison population than any other country. The United States makes up only 5% of the world’s population and of that 5%, 25% of our overall nation’s population is currently incarcerated. A few factors that attribute to our high rates of incarceration incl ude, sentencing laws: such as mandatory- minimum sentencing, lack of initial deterrence from crime, the warRead MoreThe Incarceration Of The United States2529 Words   |  11 PagesSince 2002, The United States has had the highest incarceration rate in the world, and many of those imprisoned within the U.S. will be released and rearrested within three years (Langan Levin, 2002). Unfortunately, research has been mixed shown that the time spent in prison does not successfully rehabilitate most inmates, and the majority of criminals return to a life of crime almost immediately. Most experts believe that many prisoners will learn more and better ways to commit crimes while theyRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States1745 Words   |  7 PagesThere are over two million people in the United States behind bars. Incarceration in the US is one of the main forms of punishment that leads nothing after for people when getting out. Every state, city, country, all have laws we citizens obey and go by to do best for our country, but what happens someone violates the law? According to Google’s definition of a felony, it says that felony means, â€Å"a crime, typically one involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishableRead MoreIncarceration Of The United States1774 Words   |  8 PagesCurrently the United States holds the leading position for having the largest prison population in the world. Considering this, the cost of re-incarcerating offenders after their release remains notably high to U.S Americans and our society. Recidivism is known as the reimprisonment of an individual that is released from prison but then later returns for being convicted of a new crime. However, there is essential data that proves the drastic reduction in recidivism through academic and vocational

Tesco Company Profile Free Essays

The company has also established a strong customer base by effectively utilizing the information held within their systems by leveraging the concept of Customer Relationship Marketing. Alongside, the company has effectively performed the process of data mining through directly analysing the information from the EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) Systems installed in their shop floors so as to identify the potential customers and enter new target markets and business segments. The implementation of the file maker systems in line with their point of sale systems to produce store specific adverts and promotion banners has apparently leveraged the company an edge over its competitors in the supermarket chain. We will write a custom essay sample on Tesco Company Profile or any similar topic only for you Order Now The online shopping system TESCO WEBSITE In the light of the above argument, an insight into the TESCO website reveals the following results. The company has a highly structured website that has classified its products efficiently based on the departments and then provided a two stage categorisation for identifying the actual product itself. The two stages of categorisation are achieved by the providing a short list of hyperlinks under a selected category so as to enable the customer to view the products. The website also provides an interactive help system that efficiently guides a new user to quickly get accustomed to the online shopping process in order to encourage the customers to shop online. Apart from the easy to navigate system and the help provided online, the company has also established a dedicated call centre service especially to attend to the queries of the online shoppers including support on completing an order as well as serving the customer queries on existing orders and deliveries. Alongside, the feature of reserving a delivery schedule before starting the shopping process itself makes it further easier for the customer to decide on the products to prioritise on the order placed. This provides an additional benefit of gaining customer satisfaction as well as a second to none service in the online shopping system to the customers. The aforementioned statements further justify that the TESCO Plc has apparently gained competitive advantage in the electronic commerce mode of retailing in the supermarket chain segment of the retail sector in the UK. Alongside, the company has not only established the online transaction system for the sale of its retail products but for cross selling of its other services including DVD rental, finance and other services. This complete existence of the company over the Internet has apparently proved successful in gaining competitive advantage in the market. The above analysis has proved that TESCO Plc has leveraged competitive advantage through strategically deploying the electronic commerce system in its website and conducting transactions quickly in order to provide timely delivery of the products and services. The research conducted so far is based on the secondary information resources and hence to derive on a concrete solution, a primary research in the form of questionnaire is carried out. The next chapter provides a critical overview of the research methodology and the scope How to cite Tesco Company Profile, Papers

Financial Information Management_Management

Questions: 1) Assume you have invested half of your savings in a risk-free asset and half in a risky portfolio P. Is it theoretically possible to lower your portfolio risk if you move your risk-free asset holdings into another risky portfolio Q? In other words, can you ever reduce your risk more by buying a risky security than by buying a risk-free asset? 2) Is it possible that the holdings of an open-end fund are worth much more or less than what the shares of the fund are trading for? Explain with clear examples supported and referenced with relevant data. This question is designed to test your familiarity with sources of financial information which you will need collate market for valuation purposes. You will therefore be marked on solid demonstration of this capability. 3) If a firm repurchases 1% of its shares, does this change the capitalisation of the stock marketon which it is listed? If a firm distributes 1% of its value through dividends, does this change the capitalisation of the st ock market on which it is listed? You are required to explain your reasons including:i) Impact of share repurchase on market capitalisationii) Impact dividend payment on market capitalisation Answers: 1. Investemnet in risky portfolio to buy the risk free asset Yes, by purchasing more of risky portfolio, it is possible to buy the risk free asset. This could only be possible if the investment is done via diversifying the risky portfolio. Here the risky portfolio means investment made in equity or derivates instrumentsc (Baker, 2009). With the help of MPT theory this can be explained . The MPT theory explains the attempts to increase the expectation of the portfolio return which lower the amount of the risk by investing cautiously proportionally. MPT is very much a mathematical form of concept which specifies the diversification of the asset (Bichara, 2008). By making the equity investment diversified like purchasing the shares of the various sectors like pharmacy, FMCG, vehicles, banks, telecommunications, oil and gas etc are some of the major examples of diversifying the equity proportionately (Bierman, 2010). 1.1 MPT theory The MPT model is very much makes the investors portfolio risk averse by analyzing the risk and return. However, it has been noted that, MPT theory is very much does not be apply when the risk becomes the systematic risk such as recessions, depression, inflations , lower GDP etc are some of the major examples of the systematic risk (Boone and Kurtz, 2010). Systematic risk . Figure 1: MPT model on capital market investment (Source: Brigham, 2010, pp-234) Here the efficient frontier is based on the Markowitz bullet which explains the line in graph which lowered the risk as per the given level of return. Efficient frontier helps to gain the best suitable return (Brown, 2006). It intersects the portfolio with minimum number of the variance and set of portfolio which is very much based on the maximum return. The line red indicates the risk free investment which growth is constant in compare to the blue line where the risk is volatile but the growth is higher. (i)Expected return based on weighted combinations E (Rp)= Wi E (Ri) Where Ri = return Wi= weighted of component asset i (ii) Portfolio volatility Where is based on the covariance matrix q is the risk taking where the rules of the portfolio that ultimately becomes zero. q 0 = here the risk becomes the zero by diversification of portfolio investment in more than 3 or 4 sectors or the industry (Bryce, 009). Therefore as per the questions, q is another risky portfolio where the investor is looking to invest in order to buy the new more secured form of portfolio (Carrel, 2010). The non risky asset expenses are Bonds, Treasury bills, MBS (Mortgage back securities asset) and insurance. Some of the investment made by the investors as per the proportion is given below: Mutual fund % of the investment made in risky portfolio to avoid risk large capital stock 45% small capital stock 10% Foreign stock 15% Corporate bonds 30% Graph 1: Investment made to reduce the portfolio risk (Source: Ariel, 2006, pp-1612) From the above , it has been found that, the MPT theory is very much helps to understand the tactical asset allocations which helps the investors to manage and control the asset. However, the risk like systematic and the market risk cannot lower the risk of the portfolio (Asquith and Mullins, 2007). One of the major criticism of the theory is it is very much technical analysis. The technical analysis is based on the past record of the shares. The volatility of share pierce is very much volatility of purchasing of the shares that is very much costly like Microsoft or apple etc. 2.Holding of open end funded are worth of more or less than shares of the fund are traded for Open ended funds are very much is that type of fund which is very much unrestricted to the amount iof equity within the portfolio (Baskin, 2006). Open ended fund has high limit of equity in compare to the closed ended fund where the amount of equity is less. Open ended fund gives the investors full liberty to sell his/her entire shares whenever they want. However, closes ended fund has very ,limited amount if equity and are closely guarded with non risky financial instruments. Mutual funds are been suggested to the investors as per their risk appetite (Beaver et al. 2005). Open mutual fund are more riskier in terms of selling and buying of shares are been done in high degree. Open ended funds are sells and buy the shares on continent basis (Bhattacharya, 1980). Therefore the opened fund does not restrict the investors to make entry or exit in the market. The open ended fund can b also be purchased after the IPO (Initial public offerings). The shares are being purchased and sold on the basis of the NAV (Net asset Value). Open ended fund has more worth of holding rather than consistent trading because buying shares for the long term will give the n investors enough growth in future rather than frequent buying and selling. The number of the outstanding shares usually goes up and down every time if the frequent buying and selling takes places (Born et al. 2005). This is one of the major reasons why the capital market is changing frequently. Open ended funds are one of the most prominent way of mutual fund investments because of entry and exit mode as per the customers wish. The fund manager is very much responsible for the managing the fund of the investors by taking decision of them because of its is based on the daily calculation of NAV. Mutual fund is very much are different because when we buy and hold the mutual fund equity , the investor will have to pay the income tax on holding of the equity. Open-ended mutual fund are made subject to the single set of tax norms (Cadirci, 2008). In order to avoid the taxes the open ended funds are must be distribute within the December 31st. Open ended investments examples invested by the investors are given below: Open ended funds % of the investments Equity shares 48% Bonds fund 22% Money market instruments 24% Hybrid funds 7% The major concentration would be based on the stock funds, hybrid funds and bond fund that are very much long term securities. These hold the 76% of the total asset. Open ended fund are very much are looking to follow the index that is active funds and is looking to outperform an index (Campbell and Shiller, 2007). The standard index of capital market shows that 13% of the total mutual funds with more than 415 of index funds are been following the SP 500 index. The above investments are passive form of investments that can offer lower cost of diversifications. In layman language, index funds has very lower expenditure ratio (Cooper et al. 2009). 2.1Some of the major issues in the open ended funds are Performance of measurement scale: the performance of the open ended mutual fund is very much volatile because of the higher amount of the securities present in the portfolio. The, measurement of the performance of the shares or standard data sources to measure the performance are very much weak (Cooper et al. 2005). One of them is the index measurement which suggests that, interest paid and dividends paid are treated here. Some of the indexes are constructed on the basis of the daily investments, monthly investments and the most often dividend has been discarded. Another major problem would be the tracking of error which very much difficulty because of frequent changes in index which based on the formula of Rpt= ap + p (It) + ept (Dann, 2005). Where the ap= average return , (It)= time, p = sensitivity of index , ept = sum of error is small However, the mere speculation or rather totally depended on the following formula is not enough to understand the actual process of investing the funds. The NAV calculation helps to understand the actual growth of the funding which again has some of the major drawbacks (Dawson, 2009). NAV= Fund asset Fund liabilities/ Outstanding shares For instance, net value of worth of the mutual fund id $1 million , liabilities worth of the 100,000 and shares that are outstanding is 100,000 then NVA will be NAV=1000,000 -100,000/100,000 NAV= 9 per shares This shows that, the total return of the shares would be 9 per shares on the total investments of the 1 million. 3. Change in Market capitalizations of the stock market (i) Impact of the share re-purchase on the market capitalizations One of the major impacts of share repurchase on the stock market capitalization is that it increases the share price of the particular companies (DeMarzo and Duffie, 2005). Buy or repurchase of shares creates favourable trend in the current capital market of UK or any economy. With flexibility in the repurchase of the shares norms ahs made the most of the companies to buy back their own shares without manipulation cost (Divecha and Morse, 2008). If the companys buy back their 1% of shares then the value of the shares in the market is increased by more than 3.4% as per the SP report. Repurchase of shares increase the price of shares which hints the companies to gain the customer confidence which will result into high rise in the market price (Dodd, 2006). Continents Buy back shares cases % of re purchase transaction USA and Canada 13711 29% Asia 11637 24% Africa 1967 4% Europe and UK 14528 31% Latin America 679 1% Total cases 100% Graph 2: % of re purchase transaction of various continents (Source: Donaldson, 2009, pp-235) The buyback of shares has been affecting the stock market capitalization which leads to gain the high market. Since 2008 which shows the buyback has been from 8% to 21% post the financial crisis from the year 2009 (Downs, 2007). Most of the companies are very much wanted to reward their shareholders via dividends and constant purchase of the share buy back in order to keep attracted the investors the companies. For instance, Vodafone has more than hundred million shares 100 outstanding at start of the period of the year. The company shares were traded at 10 that gives the company exposure of more than 1 billion. Company has net income worth of 50 million in 2010 which shows that earning per share of the company is 0.50 p (Easterbrook, 2009). This shows that company has sold t its shares at 20. Therefore at end of year company would have more than 90 billion. Thus, this predicts that, company has repurchased its shares worth of 10 each. (ii) Impact on the dividend payments on the market capitalizations The impact of dividend payments creates the company goodwill in the market. Most of the blue chip companies like Vodafone, Tesco and Sainsbury gives the dividends to their investors or the shareholders who help to create the positive vibe in the mind of the existing customers and the potential customers (Cooper et al. 2005). Dividend payments again an important tool for the organization to creates high price of the market. The dividend payments change the market capitalization by huge because of the most of the long term investors are willing to invest in those companies who are giving the higher dividend. The divided here can be stock dividend or the cash dividends (Dawson, 2009). The stock dividend helps the investor and the stock market to boost its index because for instance if the Tesco is giving the 1% of the stock dividend to the each stock holder then the each of them would have 1% more shares after the issue of dividend. One of the major disadvantages here for the company is that company will have to face cash shortage or the shares shortage for the new investors which will gain ruin the expansion or growth plan in future (DeMarzo and Duffie, 2005). Reference List Books Baker, H. (2009). Dividends and dividend policy. 4th ed. Boston: Person Education. Bichara, L. (2008). Institutional ownership and dividend policy. 5th ed. London: Academic Press. Bierman, H. (2010) An Introduction to Accounting and Managerial Finance. 5th ed. Solihull: CGP Study. Boone, L., and Kurtz, D. (2010) Contemporary Business. 6th ed. California: Chicago Park Press. Brigham, E. (2010). Financial Management: Theory and Practice. 5th ed. USA: Global Professional Publishing. Brown, D. (2006). All about stock market strategies: the easy way to get started. 3rd ed. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf. Bryce, H. (2009). Financial and strategic management for non-profit organizations. 4th ed. London: Kogan Page Limited Carrel, L. (2010). Dividend Stocks for Dummies. 4th ed. Harvard: Harvard University Press Journals Ariel, R. A. (2006) 'High Stock Returns before Holidays: Existence and Evidence on Possible Causes', Journal of Finance, 45 (5), pp. 1611-1626. Asquith, P. and Mullins, D. (2007) the impact of initiating dividends on shareholder wealth, Journal of Business, 56(2), pp. 77-96 Baskin, J. (2006) Dividend Policy and the Volatility of Common Stock, Journal of Portfolio Management, 15(3), pp. 19-25 Beaver, W., Kettler, P. and Scholes, M. (2005) 'The Association Between Market Determined and Accounting Determined Risk Measures', Accounting Review, 45 (4), pp. 654-682. Bhattacharya, S. (1980) 'Non dissipative Signalling Structures And Dividend Policy', Quarterly Journal of Economics, 95 (1), pp. 1-24. Born, J., James M. and Dennis O. (2005) Changes in dividend policy and subsequent earnings, Journal of Portfolio Management, 3(2), pp. 56-62 Cadirci, B. (2008) 'The adjustment of security prices to the release of stock dividend/rights offering information', Journal of finance, 23 (10), pp. 222-333 Campbell, J. Y. and Shiller, R. J. (2007) 'Stock Prices, Earnings, and Expected Dividends', Journal of Finance, 43 (3), pp. 661-676. Cooper, M. J., Dimitrov, O. and Rau, P. R. (2009) 'A Rose.com by Any Other Name', Journal of Finance, 56 (6), pp. 2371-2388. Cooper, M., Gutierrez Jr, R. C. and Marcum, B. (2005) 'On the Predictability of Stock Returns in Real Time', Journal of Business, 78 (2), pp. 469-499. Dann, L. (2005) 'Common stock variables: an analysis of returns to bondholders and stockholders', Journal of Financial Economics, 9 (2), pp. 113-38. Dawson, S. M. (2009) 'The Trend Toward Efficiency For Less Developed Stock Exchanges: Hong Kong', Journal of Business Finance Accounting, 11 (2), pp. 151-161. DeMarzo, P. and Duffie, D. (2005) 'Corporate incentives for hedging and hedge accounting', Review of Financial Studies, 12 (7), pp. 743-771. Divecha, A. and Morse, D. (2008) 'Market Responses to Dividend Increases and Changes in Payout Ratios', Journal of Financial Quantitative Analysis, 18 (2), pp. 163-173. Dodd, P. (2006) 'Merger Proposals, Management Discretion And Stockholder Wealth', Journal of Financial Economics, 8 (2), pp. 105-138. Donaldson, G. (2009) Corporate debt capacity, Journal of Finance, 4(3), pp. 234-245. Downs, W. (2007) An alternate approach to fundamental analysis: The asset side of the equation, Journal of Portfolio Management, 17(2), pp. 6-17. Easterbrook, F. H. (2009) 'Two Agency-Cost Explanations of Dividends', American Economic Review, 74 (4), p. 650.

ACT Test Dates 2018-2019

ACT Test Dates 2018-2019 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips At PrepScholar, we constantly review the best data to inform you about future test dates. If you know the future registration dates and test schedule, you can create your study plan and stay organized, allowing you to lessen your stress and reach your target score. In this article, I’ll give you the the ACT test dates for 2018-2019 and explain the factors to think about when choosing your test date. ACT Test Dates for 2018-2019 Here are the anticipated test dates, registration deadlines, and score release dates for 2018-2019. The test dates are confirmed by ACT, Inc., the others are our projections based on historical data. Test Date Deadline Late Deadline Score Release* Sept 8, 2018 Aug 3, 2018 Aug 17, 2018 Sept 18; Oct 2, 2018 Oct 27, 2018 Sept 21, 2018 Oct 5, 2018 Nov 6; Nov 20, 2018 Dec 8, 2018 Nov 2, 2018 Nov 16, 2018 Dec 18, 2018; Jan 1, 2019 Feb 9, 2019 Jan 4, 2019 Jan 18, 2019 Feb 19; Mar 5, 2019 Apr 13, 2019 Mar 8, 2019 Mar 22, 2019 Apr 23; May 7, 2019 June 8, 2019 May 3, 2019 May 17, 2019 June 18; July 2, 2019 July 13, 2019 June 14, 2019 June 21, 2019 July 23; Aug 6, 2019 *= Refers to online score release. The first date is when multiple choice scores come out, and the second one is when complete scores are available. How Accurate Is the Table Above? All of the dates are projected and subject to change. The final schedule will be released within roughly a year of the test dates. However, based on previous years’ dates, this schedule should be close to accurate. The score release dates are the least precise, but they should be within a week of the projected dates. Keep in mind that there's some inconsistency when multiple choice scores come out and not everyone receives them at the same time. How to Choose Your Test Date These are some of the major factors to consider when selecting your ACT test date: Know Your Deadlines! Take the ACT before your earliest college application deadlines. If you apply regular decision, the December test in your senior year will be the last test you can take for most colleges. If you apply early, the last test you can take may be in October or November of your senior year. Also, if you're hoping to get any scholarships that consider your ACT score, you’ll need to have your test score before the scholarship deadlines. How Many Times Do You Want to Take the ACT? Because most students increase their scores when they retake the ACT, you should give yourself an opportunity to take the test multiple times. Generally, we suggest first taking the ACT in the fall of your junior year. Then you can retake it in the spring of your junior year and the fall of your senior year if necessary. How Long Do You Plan to Study? When selecting your test date, figure out how long you’ll need to study and ensure you’ll be able to sufficiently prepare before you take the test. If you take both the September and October tests without doing any studying in between, your score probably won’t improve much. Do You Have Conflicts With Any Test Dates? Check to see if you have any potential conflicts on or around any of the ACT test dates. Maybe the February date is on the same day as your orchestra concert. Or perhaps you want to avoid the June test date because you’ll be focused on your finals. Even if it's challenging to find a time when you can fully dedicate yourself to the ACT, you should try to pick the best test dates for you. What's Next? Still not sure when you should take the ACT? Find out if you should pick the next available date. Even if you know when you want to take the ACT, learn more about where you should take it. Finally, read about our tips for signing up for the ACT. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Human Resources Information System (Hris) Essay Essays

Human Resources Information System (Hris) Essay Essays Human Resources Information System (Hris) Essay Paper Human Resources Information System (Hris) Essay Paper There are many different intents. maps and constituents to HRIS package systems. Technology has been invariably spread outing. and with all the new possibilities. companies are able to utilize these package systems to assist their HR sections perform their occupations faster and easier. Large concerns want to do the most sum of money. by passing the least sum possible ; with HRIS they are able to realistically accomplish this end. Businesss need to turn and spread out or they will non win. The chief intent of an HRIS is so companies can utilize it internally to maintain path of the store’s budget. paysheet and employee information more accurately and expeditiously. Many big human resource organisations develop or purchase these package systems to better their HR operations while seeking to maintain the entire operating costs low. The more a concern can salvage on rewards. the more it can pass on the company internally. to put in bettering the other sections as good. Some companies use HRIS systems to assist them pass on worldwide ; companies can hold one concern with several shops around the universe that speak different linguistic communications. HRIS package systems chief map is to assist HR forces grip and procedure big measures of information that is tracked and updated automatically ; this allows HR staff to concentrate on personal interaction with employees. alternatively of giving the bulk of their clip to paperwork. The cardinal maps of an HRIS package system are to make and keep employee record. adhere to legal conformity. prediction for future planning. strategic alliance and enhanced determination devising ( Dessler. 2011. pg 61 ) . The other maps that an HRIS system can execute include points such as control. effectivity. flexibleness. efficiency. reactivity. truth. easiness of usage. mechanization. seasonableness and procedure betterment ( HR Systems Strategies Inc. n. d. . pg. 1 ) . The companies that are worldwide can utilize this to pass on the same thing to other states with the HRIS system. HRIS package systems can hold many constituents to it ; nevertheless. non all companies require the same constituents. The general constituents that most big HR organisations have include a database to hive away employee information. clip and labour direction to track employee attending. paysheet to guarantee employees are paid right and lawfully. benefits to guarantee employees have appropriate benefits and retirement investings. enlisting to assist construct the company’s work force. preparation for new or promoted employees. organisation charting and scheduling for employees displacements and interruptions and an employee interface for employees to reexamine personal information ( Jennifer. n. d. . pg. 1 ) ( Dessler. 2011. pg 58 ) . Some companies can develop their package systems to be capable of executing things such as a salary analysis. budget planning. occupation design and public presentation reappraisals ( Cezanne. n. d. . pg. 1 ) . The cost of an HRIS package system can depend on many factors. such as how complex or simple it is and if it was specialized for your company or if it is a general system. Large companies such as fortune 500 can run systems around the 10s of 1000000s of dollars. but smaller companies can run systems for less than a 1000 dollars ( HRIS. HRMS and HR. n. d. . pg. 1 ) . The world is that there are many different HRIS package systems for any monetary value scope. but nevertheless much you invest into it. is how much you will acquire out. The HRIS system that a company chooses should non be based on how complex the system is. but how good the system will be to assist better the concerns HR section. The impact of engineering has changed the function of HR in many different facets. The most obvious positive consequence of utilizing engineering in an HR section is the addition of truth and efficiency. which in bend reduces costs and improves consequences within the company. The usage of engineering makes it able for HR to give less clip to paperwork and more clip to employee interaction ( Hall. 2012. pg. 1 ) . Plants Citedâ€Å"Cezanne. † Cezanne. Cezanne Software Limited. n. d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. cezannesw. com/solutions/ gt ; . Dessler. Gary. and Nina D.Cole. â€Å"Human Resources Management and Technology. † Human Resources Management in Canada. 11th Canadian Edition erectile dysfunction. Toronto: Pearsons Canada. 2011. 58. 59. 61. 62. 63. Print. â€Å"HR Systems Strategies Inc | HRIS Software Canada / US. † HR Systems Strategies Inc | HRIS Software Canada / US. N. p. . n. d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //infohr. net/ gt ; . â€Å"HRIS. HRMS and HR package FAQaˆâ„ ¢s. † Free HRIS HRMS and HR Software Buyers Guide. N. p. . n. d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. comparehris. com/about/faq/ gt ; . Hall. James. â€Å"Impact of engineering on human resource direction | Importance of Technology. † Importance of Technology. N. p. . 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //importanceoftechnology. net/104/impact-of-technology-on-human-resource-management gt ; . Jennifer. Kristin. â€Å"The Components of an HRIS System | eHow. com. † eHow | How to Videos. Articles A ; More – Discover the expert in you. | eHow. com. N. p. . n. d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. ehow. com/list_7418360_components-hris-system. hypertext markup language gt ; .

Self-Portraits. Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Self-Portraits. Journal - Essay Example This portrait was identified as a result of its connection to the icon of Christ. As an artist I give this talent of painting as a gift from God and that is why the painting shows hands in a position tat appears to be giving a blessing. My artistic work was not carnal but divinely oriented. It helps to show my ambition of acknowledging that talent is a gift from God (Koener 1997). The portrait was used to outline religious form of culture that identifies the tradition that Christ is the most superior identity. The brown color used in the painting suggests the solemn mood that reserved Christ’s passion within him since it is a cool color. The power of religion in artic works was identified as this portrait basically the author’s belief in his religion. This artistic work was done when the artist was twenty eight years old. This was a changeover period in the artist’s life that saw him move from youth to prime of life. It therefore, was a point of remembrance in th e events that marked my life of achievements as an artist. The painting indicates a fashionable hairstyle where the artist is putting on simple but expensive clothing that enabled to bring out my youthful looks. The artist drew him self in the appearance of God using the wonderful colors to suggest the goodness of him to humanity. The portrait is painted while facing in the viewers eyes in a solemn indicating his lack of emotions (Gideon 2006). As an artist he made himself in the image of Christ to portray his religious culture that God created man in own likeness and image. This shows the revelation of religious culture in the artist life since he has employed them through art. His noble dressing of a coat was contrary to a time when people dressing were accustomed to a certain dressing code. He stands out against the critics of his time through his artic works. The portrait indicates a high degree of talent that was discovered in my life while working in

Breast Cancer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Breast Cancer - Research Paper Example Other areas of the breast can also be affected, however, this is rare. Treatment will also vary considering the type of breast cancer and the stage it is in. One can find out if they are a victim to this disease by getting an examination by a physician, a biopsy, a mammography or an ultrasound test. Rates of breast cancer have risen over the years, however there are many women who also fight this disease and survive in America. Men can also suffer from this disease. (society, 2000) Causes of breast cancer The exact factor that causes breast cancer is yet to be pinpointed. Certain factors increase the probability of the cancer’s occurrence. Some can be controlled and modified in order to avoid the onset of the disease; whereas other factors cannot be controlled. There are some main reasons as to why it occurs; Family tree: having family members, especially closely related women in the family such as an aunt, a sister etc. who have breast cancer greatly increases the chances of developing breast cancer. Age: as a person grows older, the chances of breast cancer also increase. Life history: having cancer in one breast increases the likelihood of having cancer in the other breast in the future, or other different types of cancers in the same breast. Menstrual cycle: women with a cycle that started before twelve or ended before fifty five are more susceptible to this disease. Race: black women tend to have stronger potential to avoid the tumor than white women Breast tissue: women with a denser breast tissue as compared to others have a higher probability of developing breast cancer. Giving Birth: having no children or having children at a very late age can also increase the probability of breast cancer occurrence. Studies show that a breastfeeding mother for one or two years has a lesser probability of developing breast cancer. Weight: obese people have a greater probability of suffering from breast cancer than women who have an average body weight. Use of c ontraceptives: The use of oral contraceptives for about ten years or so increases the probability of breast cancer occurrence. Exercise: Exercise has been shown to lower the probability of breast cancer. Alcohol consumption: The rate of consumption of alcohol and the probability of developing breast cancer are directly proportional These are the risk factors that are associated in the development of cancer of the breast in women. Aspects such as age cannot be controlled, as one cannot stop aging, however other factors such as exercise, weight and alcohol consumption etc. can be controlled. (Majure, 2000) Signs, symptoms and diagnosis One of the most common symptoms of breast cancer is a mass or lump in the breast. Other symptoms include dimpling or swelling of the breast, nipple or breast pain, or discharge from the breast or redness. A healthcare provider can confirm whether these signs or symptoms point towards breast cancer. Mammograms are usually used to detect breast cancers. A nd women should at least at the age of forty get regular screen shots in order to prevent the disease or catch it at its earlier stages. A clinical breast exam, CBE, should also be conducted in women in their twenties or thirties in order to be aware of the changes that the breasts are undergoing as well as the early onset of the disease or possibility of the disease. A self-exam of the breast can also be done called a breast self-exam (BSE) by women especially those in their early

Creative writing skills used by Silvia Plath in her work Essay

Creative writing skills used by Silvia Plath in her work - Essay Example From then, she exuded creativity that she blended with her writing skills, a rare gift she maximizes that gave forth the coveted write-ups that still flood the literary arena to date. However, her early and entire life is blanketed by sorrow and misery. A psychological problem eventually compels her to commit suicide. This essay will tackle some of the skills she managed to use as a writer in the process of doing her work. The bell- jar, one of Plath’s novel to a large extent is autobiographical. The tribulations that Plath goes through in life are chronologies reflected in this novel. By tactfully changing the identity of the characters and places in the novel, she skillfully takes care of the message she wanted to pass across as it unfolded. Her creativity and Witt comes out very clearly in the manner in which she uses Ester, the protagonist in the story to speak about herself indirectly (Karen 130). In her story, Ester becomes mentally ill after going through a thorny life. This compelled her to commit suicide when she sees no hope a head of her. .We are not surprised later, when Plath commits suicide because of the twin reasons that are similar to those that pushed Ester to cut short her life. We therefore conclude that, Plath wrote her life in the novel and she was able to lead her readers to knowing the reasons she finally took her life. In addition, the novel contains many people and events in Plaths’ real life all being a product of her fiction. ... She writes this poem as the only way of â€Å"vomiting† the bad past encounters her life had just gone through. She used a third party narration to distance herself to avoid being associated to the circumstance that had unfolded (Rebecca79). Plath portrays herself as strong-hearted and ready to bury the bygones of her life and move on. She uses poetry as the only mouthpiece to pour her personal issues without the slightest fear and in the process, alleviate her emotions. The tone she used in this poem is reminiscent of her depressive episodes and indeed, Plath takes her audience in her poem through her the painful wounds in life. The aggressive tone she used in the short stanzas of her the poem â€Å"Mystic† leaves the readers with feelings of physical pain as they read her poem â€Å"Mystic†, which is climaxed by the wise use of imagery, like hooks that are sharp and a stinging kiss makes the readers traumatized. Plaths’ selective use of rhetorical questi ons, â€Å"Where is remedy† is intentional, as she inwardly knows the answer is death (Edward 116). Plath also uses satire in her poem to mirror the rot in the society. Plath’s poem â€Å"The applicant,† which is a complete satire surrounding marriage and domestic- related issues. She carefully uses dramatic monologue and third person narration as a powerful tool in manipulating language and in this regard, critically exposes events bedeviling women in the society. Plath’s two poems â€Å"Ariel† and â€Å"Daddy† are autobiography in nature. She intentionally used details of her everyday life as a raw material for her art. She skillfully twisted real references and images within her footsteps in writing her poems. This created an avenue for her fans to

Market Entry Into Turkey For Lifeway

Market Entry Into Turkey For Lifeway The term global business is becoming more familiar in the current business context where, more and more small and medium enterprises (SMEs) trying to expand into overseas market. A similar company called Lifeway is a U.S.A. SME, which is rapidly growing in the home market. In 2008, the company was named 49th Fastest Growing Business by an American Magazine, Fortune Small Business (Lifeway, 2008). Given that Lifeway intends to expand into overseas market (outside U.S.A), the Group report requires to provide analysis for the proposed host countrys strategic environment as well as a properly evaluated market entry mode for the company. We used three different analytical tools for analysing host countrys strategic environment that are described below: Hofstedes Model of National Culture Porters Five Forces PEST Analysis We evaluated different Market Entry Modes for Lifeway and selected Exporting as a Market Entry from the following: Licensing Strategic Alliances Foreign Direct Investment Export We selected Turkey as a host country for Lifeway to expand its operations into overseas market. Turkey is one of the largest producers of dairy products in its region as well as the countrys location is of a strategic importance, as its geographical location is connected to both sides of East and the West (Europe). We chose exporting as a market entry for Lifeway to expand into Turkish market. Host country strategic environment analysis It is crucial for Lifeway to critically evaluate Turkeys strategic environment. The strategic environment comprises of various variables such as Government regulation, Countrys financial risks, culture, political stability, economy security risks, competitors, suppliers and technology. Hofstedes Model of National Culture According to this model a countrys cultural values can be implicated with different aspects of the business e.g. Human Resource Management, Leadership Styles, Motivational Assumptions, Decision Making and Organisational Decisions and Strategy (Hofstede Bond, 1988). Power Distance According to Hofstede, Turkey is a comparatively high power distance culture as compare to U.S.A. Organisational structures of companies in Turkey are likely to be tall pyramid with many supervisors and managers. Only top level management has the power to make strategic decisions. The wage difference between superiors and workers is high; management is authoritative and high level education takes precedence over performance. In contrast the opposite is true for the companies and businesses in U.S.A. like Lifeway. Individualism The figure-1 (see p.2) shows clearly a huge difference in both the countrys cultural values in individualism. In collectivist society like Turkey, job selection process for management is usually based on family references. It is also assumed that managerial promotions are based on seniority and age. Conversely in U.S.A. an individualistic society, promotions are based on an individuals ability and qualification rather than age and personal references. Masculinity According to Hofstedes model masculinity in Turkey is low, 45 and high in United States, 62. In most cases Turkish leadership styles emphasise on quality of life rather than work. Moreover organisational structure is small with decision making mainly by groups. This is quite opposite to American society where organisational structure is usually large; emphasis is on achievement, motivation and self reliance. Uncertainty Avoidance There is a high level of uncertainty avoidance in Turkish cultural as compare to American culture. In business perspective, organisations in Turkey would have clear rules, regulations, standardise procedures, formalised structure and risk avoidance. People want job security, are committed to long-term contracts as well as loyal and predictable. It reduces potential employee turnover in the organisations. However organisations and people of U.S.A are willing to take risks, businesses have less regulation and workers have autonomy. Long-Term Orientation There is no data for Turkey; however United States is a short-term oriented society (see figure-1, p.2). In U.S.A., employees are selected on the basis of skills and ability with quick rewards and promotions having less job security unlike long-term oriented societies. Turkey can be classified as a long-term oriented society on the basis of other Hofstedes dimensions. There are a few question marks about Hofstedes cultural dimensions concerning the accuracy of the data. Information found may be contradicting e.g. Turkey, a high uncertainty avoidance culture implicates larger organisations however it is also low in masculinity which implicates smaller organisations. Hence information should be considered as a guideline therefore cultural pa, therefore, stereotyping should be avoided. However it is a good starting point for Lifeway to have an idea of a very diverse culture as compare to its own. Porters Five forces Porters five forces is a widely known strategic business analytical tool which helps managers to understand better the industry context in which the firm operates. Industry competitors There are numerous competitors in the probiotic industry. All of these companies operate internationally as well as in Turkey. This indicates the presence of market within the country. According to a new market research report, Probiotics Market (2009-2014), published by (Marketsandmarkets, 2010), the global probiotics market is expected to be worth US$ 32.6 billion by 2014, with the Europe and Asia accounting for nearly 42% and 30% of the total revenues respectively. The global market is expected to record a CAGR of 12.6% from 2009 to 2014. The following list below mentions Lifeway main competitors. Group Danone: their main probiotic product is Actimel probiotic yoghurt drink containing a unique culture called L.casei Imunitass, which is exclusive to Danone. (Presence in Turkey). Yakult Honsha: they produce a drink called Yakult. Yakult is a fermented milk drink containing lactobacillus casei Shirota Developed by Dr Minoru Shirota, the drink has been around for about 70 years in some form. It was initially only produced in Japan but is now made in Holland for distribution throughout Europe. (presence in Turkey) Nestle Nutrition Nestlà © probiotic products are mainly based on its LC1 brand and include: Ski BioVita: probiotic yoghurt containing LC1 culture. Sveltesse Optimise 0%: a probiotic, fat free, dairy drink containing a probiotic and fibre, available in Strawberry and Pineapple flavours. Munch Bunch Drinky (UK): a yogurt drink designed for children, containing fruit puree and a gentle probiotic for children. It is claimed that the probiotic, lactobacillus fortis, is specially designed for children. (Presence in Turkey) Probiotics Whilst functional drinks still occupy the largest market share (at around 50% of all sales) probiotics (mainly dairy products) and probiotics (comprising mainly dairy products, cereals and baked goods) are the next largest sectors. Across Europe, the probiotic industry accounts for more than à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.4bn at consumer prices. These figures speak for it, the probiotic drink market has been rising since the year 2000 and the forecast is increasing (RTS Resource Ltd., 2010). Potential Entrants Entry Barriers: The capital cost of entry into the food industry is high especially since it will have to compete with the big name such as Danone, Yakult and also Lifeway Kefir. Substitutes These are some examples of substitutes to probiotic drinks: Probiotic capsules (new trend) Symprove (new probiotic in a non-dairy drink) The level of differentiation for Lifeway products is moderate as they manufacture all of their range, quality being one of the most important feature as well as health and wellbeing. Bargaining Power of Buyers Buyers on the food market have high power as there is a large range of probiotic drinks, therefore competitors will be offering similar products and prices. Buyers will go to the store that offers a lower price. Everyone needs food on a daily basis; the number of buyers involves everyone. Lifeway could introduced their latest ranges created recently which could lead to product differentiation in regards to other probiotic drink, these approach could lead to a decrease in the bargaining power of buyers. The cost of switching from one brand to another is very low; usually there is more than one probiotic drink on the shelf of supermarkets. New trends have pushed buyers to purchase their goods online. Bargaining Power of Suppliers In this particular case the business is considering expanding to Turkey, suppliers will have less power. Lifeway is attempting to gain competitive advantage by cheaper outsourcing; a search for best suppliers in Turkey should result in a good deal. Suppliers in Turkey will want to secure a contract with a company with Lifeways profile. However at the present Lifeway is only intending to export their goods to Turkey. Lifeway is the countrys leading manufacturer of Kefir, these represents a main advantage as the organization enjoys the benefits of economies of scale in the home country. Pest Analysis In view of Lifeway new environment (Turkey), the PEST analysis is a critical analytical tool for evaluating a countrys strengths and weaknesses. It focuses on political, economical, social and technological factors and also helps to develop a broad view of a countrys landscape. Political Factors Turkeys policy is based on liberalisation and free trade and also attempts to create location advantages to attract foreign companies (Datamonitor, 2009). In 2003, the Turkish government introduced the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Law to improve FDI policy. It mainly contains the abolishment of restrictions which leads to an equal treatment of foreign and domestic companies. Furthermore, Turkeys main political goal is to achieve EU membership. This is a major political advantage if the country achieves EU membership, as companies would benefit from EU free trade policies in Turkey. This in turn opens the door to invest easily in other EU member countries for companies based in Turkey. Lifeway is one of the first companies in the dairy sector intending to expand in Turkey. In contrast, there still exists a high political risk in Turkey. According to A.M. Best Company (2009), Turkey seems to be unstable especially focusing on regional, social and governmental aspects. Major reasons for these instabilities are the terrorist groups, who are responsible for a mass of attacks in recent years and the existence of high corruption (Datamonitor, 2009). In addition, the tax system is very unstable according to OECD. The IMF, the World Bank and the investment environment by FIAS (Foreign Investment Advisory Service) have signaled concerns about the complexity of Turkeys tax system. This complexity has been exacerbated by tax policy instability coupled with high and unstable inflation rates (OECD, p.6). These high inflation rates, e.g. 10.4% in 2008 are quite higher than inflations rates of other western European countries (PRS Group, 2010). Generally Turkey indicates a high political risk (CRT-4) which is defined as Relatively unpredictable and nontransparent political, legal and business environment with underdeveloped capital market, stated by AMB (2009, p.4). Hence high political instabilities and risks have an adverse effect on foreign companies like Li feway where it takes time to adapt to the political condition in Turkey. Economic Factors Due to the political instability in Turkey, this has a negative impact on the overall economy. Comparing the GDP growth rate during last year decreased from 9.2% in 2004 to 1.1% in 2008 meaning its economy is in recession (PRS Group, 2010, Country Forecast, p.8). Besides the financial crises above all high inflation and interest rates 6.5 % in 2009 (fxstreet.com) caused this economic downturn. Turkeys economic risk is moderate because it experienced an erratic growth over the last few years due to a weak banking system, large current account deficits, and a lack of structural reforms (AMB, 2009, p.2). It means that although there is the existence of an economic upswing during the last decade but overall economy is still not recovered e.g. imports are still higher than exports. In contrast, plans for the implementation of free trade agreements raise hope among the Turkish population (Datamonitor, 2009). These agreements shall increase the international competitiveness and boost the relationships with foreign countries. In addition to that by starting to act and trade more internationally Turkey could also implement the EU criteria very soon. This would help the company in the future to expand the investment. Social Factors The unemployment rate of 10.4 % in 2008 is obviously caused by the lack of investment in education. Only 34.5 percent complete vocational or higher education which signifies a weak distinct tendency in the range of the service sector (PRS Group, 2010, Country Conditions, p.9). On the contrary primary and secondary sector workforce is about 59% which shows that Turkeys excellence in these two sectors. For further analysis of social and cultural factors of Turkey see section 2.1 on page 2-4. Technological Factors Turkey only spent 0.71% of GDP in 2007 for research and development according to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (2010). The lack of support in this sector would have an immense negative impact on foreign companies. Particularly the number of patent applications which is a major indicator of rating a countrys development in RD and it was 24.50 per million inhabitants in 2007 (Federal Statistical Office, 2010). Although the Turkish dairy sector is distinctive, its products are still behind the quality of the EU (Reuters, 2009). Equipment and hygiene have fulfilled the recent EU standards but Turkish milk quality can still be considered as low. However established government institutions try to compensate such deficits by giving financial aid to companies and private citizens in the form of subventions and loans for RD projects (PRS Group, 2010, Country Conditions). Additionally there is an appearance of drain brain (Datamonitor, 2009). It means that Turkish academics that are living abroad are coming back to their native country, recognising the potential of Turkey becoming an EU member. Thus foreign companies like Lifeway with the intention of expanding could profit by future trends. DIFFERENT MARKET ENTRY MODES There are four major market entry types which will be analysed and evaluated in order to make a decision that which market entry Lifeway should choose for Turkey. Licensing Licensing is a contractual transaction in which the firm-the licensor-offers some proprietary assets to a foreign company-the licensee-in exchange for royalty fees (Kotabe, 2008, p.293). For instance, a company is allowed to use the technology, know-how or even a whole product itself of another company against payment of so-called royalty fees. Licensing does not need investing capital and is especially used by small companies which are looking for a fast and easy access to a foreign country (Kotabe, 2008). Lifeway could for example save transportation costs and tariffs and invest them in other branches. This is an easiest way of investing where there is no financial risk involved, no risk of product or performance failure. By licensing, the company would get its profits (royalty fees) and it would also benefit the Turkish government and national suppliers. In contrast licensing may result in a firms giving away valuable technological know-how to a potential competitor (Hill, 1999, p.202). Lifeway loses its competitive advantage by sharing knowledge of producing the different kind of flavours that are very popular among the US. Adopting technology could improve the partners business and lead from co-operation to competition. Additionally, Licensing does not give a firm the tight control over manufacturing, marketing, and strategy in a foreign country that may be required to maximize its profitability according to Hill (1999, p.202). Lifeways brand name might become weak with the possibility of losing the license as a result domestic companies could gain success. Strategic Alliances Strategic alliances are cooperative agreements between two or more firms from different countries to participate in business activities, as stated by Parboteeah Cullen (2011, p.161). Lifeway especially focuses on the International Joint Venture (IJV) which is the most common form of strategic alliance. International joint ventures bring together otherwise independent firms to share resources in product design, production, marketing, and/or distribution (Chan et al., 2007). The company can gain the knowledge and the know-how of similar companies which could improve Lifeways Kefir. Lifeway could obtain the possibility to share its losses and it will reduce its amount of investment in Turkey (Kotabe, 2008). Additionally, by cooperating with a domestic Turkish company Lifeway can fit its Kefir to the peoples taste. Consequently additional costs for introducing and adoption can be reduce and Lifeway could get an insight of how to avoid cultural misunderstandings (Kotabe, 2008). However at the same time cultural misunderstandings might appear within the alliance, especially when it comes to controlling the company, see Hofstede (section 2.1, p.2). Furthermore, Lifeway might lose its competitive advantage of developing and creation which made it unique in the US by sharing know-how and technology (Kotabe, 2008). Like it is said before that the Turkish dairy industry is behind the EU standard in the development of equipment and technology. Gaining the same knowledge as Lifeway, competitive companies in Turkey could conquer the European market and further expansion in Europe could result in increasing the competition. Evidently this would lead to a disadvantage for Lifeway. Foreign Direct Investment Parboteeah Cullen states a Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) occurs when, a multinational company owns, in part or in whole, an operation in another country (2011, p.161). Investing in manufacturing or RD (research development) facilities that are made or bought in foreign countries can be considered as FDIs, for example. Turkeys strong FDI policy is especially attractive to foreign companies because of its market potential, geographic proximity, and low labor costs (Deichmann et al., 2003, p.1771). This type of market entry potentially leads to higher profits in the early expansion of the company because it also avoids transportation costs. Lifeway can even save more money, in virtue of prevention of double taxation agreement between Turkey and the US (worldwide-tax, 2008). In Turkey huge proportion of the workforce works within the primary and secondary sector because of the low education this provides low cost labour making Turkey even more attractive (Turkish Embassy, 2008 PRS Group, 2010, Country Conditions). However based on the low quality production of milk in Turkey Lifeways brand image could be damaged resulting in the production of the low quality of Kefir (AgriPolicy, 2009). (Paliwoda, 1997 p.154) described his point of view for FDI as, a wholly owned subsidiary is slow to achieve, expensive to maintain and slow also to yield any tangible results. Lifeway that just developed during the last few years the decision of such a risky market entry might be too early on the evidence of a country which is still characterised by uncertainties, instabilities and insecurities. A high risk is also applicable to the acceptance of the product among the population. Furthermore, there is a huge cultural difference in the society as well as in a business context. Therefore it is difficult for Lifeway to adjust quickly into the local way of doing business, see Hofstedes cultural dimensions (section 2.1, p.2). Hence its not in the interest of the company to choose this market entry. Export According to (Hill, 1999, p.201) export can be defined as, producing goods at home and shipping them to the receiving country for sale. There are two major forms of export: direct and indirect export (Kotabe, 2008). In direct exporting, a company will appoint an internal team that is responsible for exports by trading goods or services with a foreign middleman. While indirect exporting is when a company will sell its goods or services through some other domestic companies, so-called intermediaries (Kotabe, 2008). Some major advantages could be attained by direct or indirect exporting. This type of market penetration is easiest and cost effective (Kotabe, 2008). Firstly, Lifeway doesnt have to invest in production facilities such as building factory, warehouse, overhead costs and also labour costs etc. Lifeway, which is considered as an SME having small amount of equity (as compare to large MNCs) would want to have minimum financial risk. Secondly, time is an important factor, exporting makes it possible to get an immediate market access (Kotabe, 2008). Especially entering in a Turkish market which might experience an upswing in the near future, it should be realised that the company could profit from new regulations and subventions. In contrast, exporting is unprofitable because of the existence of high transportation costs, tariffs and trade barriers (Hill, 1999). The Turkish government intervened to protect and support domestic companies of the dairy sector by demanding high tariffs for importing dairy products (Export.By, 2010). Products like Lifeway Kefir can be produced in almost any location because of a low value-to-weight ratio (Hill, 1999, p.201202). As a result it can be said that the demand of Lifeway Kefir in Turkey may not be equal to other diary producing companies in Turkey. Benefits of direct exporting would be to avoid information asymmetries because Lifeway would be still responsible for major orders and dispositions (Parboteeah Cullen, 2011). Furthermore direct exporting is connected with higher sales potential and profit as compare to indirect exporting. However indirect exporting causes less committing errors. New environment, culture and language barriers could be avoided by this market entry mode or at least reduced (Kotabe, 2008). Therefore, it is decided that Lifeway should pursue indirect exporting for market penetration in Turkey. This is because of various reasons such as Lifeway is relatively a small company with limited finances, the product is a simple and standardised hence no need for training and after sale support and also Turkish culture is very different than Lifeways business culture which is American, according to Hofstede (see section 2.1 on p.2-4). The company would achieve foreign market presence in less time at low cost and also with the passage of time increase market knowledge and reduce psychic distance (cultural differences). This would increase companys prospects of investing further in the country. Conclusion After critically analysing Turkish strategic environment, it is suggested that exporting is the best suited form of market entry for Lifeway. The company is a relatively small and medium size enterprise and is only locally based in U.S.A. hence essentially it would have limited finances as compare to other large global companies. Finance is the biggest asset that any company holds thus cost effectiveness is the one of the fundamental strategic principles in businesses. Exporting could be viewed as the quickest and most cost effective form of market expansion. It doesnt require complex activities and Lifeway could focus its efforts mainly on the marketing area to attract the new target market in Turkey for its Kefir products. It should also be considered that the desire of Turkeys inclusion into EU makes it a safer choice as it complies with the laws and regulations of EU countries than others in the Far East. Although there are some drawbacks of exporting for example, high tariffs, transportation costs and trade barriers. Nevertheless looking at Lifeways context and comparing the disadvantages of other market entry modes it is clear that exporting is the easiest and most cost effective form of expansion. Subsequently the company could invest further and make strategic alliance as a joint venture with the local popular branding company upon success in Turkey. With the passage of time and depending on Lifeways success the best form of investment would be having a production unit in Turkey. This would also be very beneficial for the company if Turkey becomes EU member. It would open the doors for Lifeway to easily expand and penetrate into EU market. Even if Lifeway doesnt get the best responses from exporting, it would not be a disaster. Since the company would have taken minimum financial risk in expanding into foreign market. It would be a good learning experience for Lifeway. Whenever business environment becomes viable the company could strategise again and correct the mistakes.

Recruitment and Retention in Speech -- Language

Addressing the Significant Shortage in the Profession Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are in high demand throughout the United States. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that the United States will need â€Å"about 141, 400 SLPs through the year 2018 to meet the increasing need in the profession and to replace retiring SLPs† (2011, p. 2). The demand for qualified professional in the field continues to rise from year to year. According to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2011-2012 Edition, â€Å"employment is expected to grow 19% in the profession in the next decade† (p. 2). A report released in 2008 by the American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE) reported â€Å"SLPs are ranked 14th in the nation for fields with a considerable vacancy as related to other areas in education† (p. 8). In the state of Nebraska, the U.S. Department of Education listed speech language pathology as a â€Å"significant teacher shortage area† (2011, p. 58). Recruiting and retaining qualified professionals has impacted school districts across the nation. The frustrations of many SLPs are similar: job dissatisfaction, lack of sufficient compensation, and oversized workloads contribute to the professional shortage. Research suggests that â€Å"lack of recognition, few opportunities for promotion, excessive paperwork, loss of autonomy, lack of supplies, low pay, and stressful interpersonal interactions all contributed to teachers’ decisions to leave the schools† (Blood, Ridenour, Thomas, Qualls, & Hammer, 2002, p. 283). Job satisfaction â€Å"is the terminology used to describe whether employees are happy and contented and fulfilling their desires and needs at work† (Heathfield, n.d., para. 1). Many SLPs struggle to... ...d, S. (n.d.) Employee satisfaction. Retrieved on November 26, 2011 from http://humanresources.about.com/od/employeesurvey1/g/employee_satisfy.htm. Palacio, M. (2001). Successful strategies for addressing caseload issues. Advance for Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists, February 2001. Retrieved from http://speech-language-pathology-audiology.advanceweb.com/Article/Successful-Strategies-for-Addressing-Caseload-Issues.aspx. â€Å"Psychosocial support†. (n.d.). Retrieved on November 27, 2011 from http://www.ovcsupport.net/s/index.php?i=59. U.S. Department of Education. (2011). Teacher shortage area nationwide list. Retrieved on November 26, 2011 from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.pdf. U.S. Department of Labor (2011). Occupational outlook handbook. Retrieved on November 22, 2011 from http://www.bls.gov/oco/pdf/ocos099.pdf .

Discuss factors and attitudes influencing eating behaviour Essay

There are many factors and attitudes, which can have a major influence over an individual’s eating behaviour, such as mood, cultural factors or even their parents. Mood can have a major influence over an individual’s eating behaviour. It has been suggested that someone who over eats or under eats, may be suffering from Depression, and they use their eating behaviour as a way of masking their negative mood. It has also been shown that being in a low mood state can result in the desire to eat sweet or starchy foods. This is said to be because carbohydrates help the manufacture of serotonin (neurotransmitter associated with mood). Consuming high carb foods can also be used as a way of self-medicating an individual’s low mood. Verplanken et al (2005) conducted a correlational analysis on mood, impulse buying and the consumption of snacks. In this study, it was found that those with low self-esteem were more likely to impulse buy and consume snacks. It could be said that this is their way of coping with the emotional distress caused by low-self esteem. Therefore supporting the idea that an individual’s mood can influence their eating behaviour. However, as this was a correlational study, cause and effect can not be established. It may be that impulse buying causes a lowered mood. Social Learning Theory places emphasis on the impact that observing other people (i. e. our peers) has on our personal attitudes and behaviour. Our eating behaviours and attitudes to food, can be down to observing the behaviour of our parents. Parental attitudes towards food inevitably affect children because they control the food bought and served in the household. However, research has also shown an association between parents’ and children’s attitudes towards food generally. For example, Brown and Ogden (2004), reported consistent correlations between parents and their children, in terms of snack food intake, eating motivations and also body dissatisfaction. Our attitudes and eating behaviour can also be effected by influences from our peers. A study supporting this theory was conducted by Meyer and Gast (2008) who surveyed 10-12 year old girls and boys, and found a significant positive correlation between peer influence an disordered eating. The ‘likeability’ of peers was considered the most important factor in this relationship. One criticism of the Social Learning Theory is that it focuses solely on learning eating behaviours through observation of others. It fails to take into account biological and evolutionary factors which can also have a major influence over our attitudes towards food and our eating behaviours. Another factor which can have an influence over an individuals eating behaviour, is cultural influences. Research carried out by Bally and Kenardy, examined the eating habits of women in Australia, they specifically focussed on a group aged between 18 to 23. From this study, they found that the longer the women spent in Australia, the more likely they were to alter their attitudes towards eating in a similar way to women born in Australia. This is known as ‘acculturation’. This research strongly suggests that eating behaviour is learnt and is therefore linked to the behavioural model. However, similar to the Social Learning Theory, this fails to take into account biological reasons for eating habits or why some disorders such as Anorexia, can be heredity. As well as this, the research can also be said to be reductionist as it was only set in Australia therefore, the results can not be generalised to the wider population. Also, another criticism of this study, is that it is gender biased, as it only looked at women, rather than looking at the eating behaviours of both sexes. Further studies linked to this imply that, body dissatisfaction is a characteristic of white women rather than black/asian women. However, evidence from Mumford et al goes against this. Mumford et al found that bulimia was more common amongst Asian school girls than their white counterparts. This therefore questions whether the ethnicity of an individual plays a role in our eating behaviour.

BMG 100 Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers

BMG 100 Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers BMG 100 FINAL EXAM REVIEW The final exam will consist of three sections. The exam will be a paper exam and will be completed in the sports centre during the exam period. FIRST COMPONENT (20%) - Multiple Choice Questions All questions will be based on lecture notes and readings. There will be a total of 20 questions. SECOND COMPONENT (20%) - True/False Questions All questions will be based on lecture notes and readings. There will be a total of 20 questions. THIRD COMPONENT (60%) - Short Answer Questions Students will be given an option of completing THREE questions out of a given selection of FIVE questions. The questions will be chosen from the list below. In lecture 2, we discussed the pyramid of social responsible and the role of companies and their responsibility to society? Should companies be more responsible to their shareholders/employees or to general society as a whole? In lecture 3, multiple view points of outsourcing were dicussed. Please choose one of these viewpoints and discuss their arguments in detail about the benefits or drawbacks of outsourcing Throughout all the lectures, we discussed the challenges facing Multi-National Companies. Please identify three challenges and discuss them in detail. In lecture 5, we discussed the development of Organizational Culture. As Millenials and Generation Z enter the workforce, how should companies adapt their cultures to be more receptive to these new workers. In lecture 7. We discussed the current challenges managers are facing today. Identify four challenges and discuss in detail. During our panel on the business of weed, various different models of governance were discussed. Please choose one model and discuss whether you believe it is the best model to deliver the best services to Canadians. As part of your group video assignment, you had to look at how businesses and technology have changed society. Using the one video you watched, please identify the three largest changes you learnt from the video and discuss how they impact society today. With the Gig Economy and Entrepreneurial growth becoming more popular, how will this impact workers and companies in Canada today?

Struggle for Gender Equality essays

Struggle for Gender Equality essays The term hip-hop originates from rap music, around 1974; to rap is a verb that nowadays mainly signifies speaking quickly and rhythmically. From an etymological perspective to rap signifies the following: In the early, the Afro-American community used rap as a way to describe different ways of producing rhythmic sounds, for example clapping or drumming. In the 1870s to rap signified the actual act of speaking. In the early 1910s a rapper could be a police informer. Rapping was used by radio disc jockeys of the 1940s to promote their shows, and even the heated discussions of politicians were described as rapping. In 1971 Clarence Major explained rap as holding conversation, or a long, impressive monologue. (Berns, Schlobinski) Today, the word rap brings to mind the genre that has become part of pop culture. It is everywhere we go. When we turn on out TV there are rap heavy-weights selling some new product, or their music playing in the background of an advertisement. When rap first peeked its head out, and was being played by disk jocks, it gave people from the ghetto something to relate to. Men were relaying their struggle in an art form, and those who related to it, loved it. It became part of their life. This was no different for women. Mimi Valds, the editor of Hip Hop Divas states in her forward, the first time she heard Roxannes Revenge: Almost everyone at my all girl Catholic high school St. Jean Baptiste in Manhattan loved UTFOs Roxanne, Roxanne. The song about three guys trying to kick it to the neighborhood hot girl out a smirk on our faces. We knew the same scenario took plave every 9.2 seconds in the ghettos all over the world, and thats precisely why we laughed at the brothers ...

Article critique Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Critique - Article Example This scenario is more rampant for parents with children below the age 8. At this age a child does not have the psychological strength to endure the psychological and physical stress associated with self medication. This fact has made parents very significant figures in ensuring children are in the proper psychological strength to undergo this medication. The significance of this research is also based on educational purposes. Analysts argue that parents are in need of proper handling skills to their diagnosed children. On many occasions parents undergo much stress in trying to understand and handle the responsibility that come sun aiding small children in administering insulin. In this article, effective sources have been cited and analyzed to show the outcome of the results done on the research problem. The used source for reference help in directing the research problem wave that is aimed at addressing and changing the modes in which parents are educated in handling their T1D patie nt children (NIH Public Access, 2011). The depth of the problem has been put into perspective by considering the number of causalities medical institution handle in terms of bad handling of diabetic children. Additionally, the depth of the problem was analyzed by the number of parents and children who enrolled in the coping skills training programs (NIH Public Access, 2011). ... The other objective of the research case was to show the impact of the recommended solutions. This is effectively done by a proper data analysis technique. The data provided in this particular research gives an insight of how significant CST programs are in improving handing techniques in parents with children diagnosed by T1D. Additionally, the article compares the results and significance of group educational intervention for parents and CST programs. The comparison is then projected in data form on the most influential strategy by ensuring parents have the most effective handing skills for their children. The general objective of the paper was to provide an insight on various methods of enhancing parents’ coping skills and the significance and effectiveness of each method implemented (NIH Public Access, 2011). The framework used in this particular research problem is effective and clear enough to provide a clear insight of the effectiveness of different coping skills. In ge nerating the working framework, the author came up with a strategic framework from creating a background on the problem, highlighting the objectives of the paper, the method of measurement of results and collecting date, analyzing the data collected and discussing the most suitable recommendation to be implemented (NIH Public Access, 2011). Additionally, the frame work is also based on proving that group based interventions for parents of children with T1D reduces the effects of treatment management improve the way they cope and they quality of life. The validity of the study design is supported by research instruments based on the reaction of both patients and parents. The first

Time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Time - Essay Example There is truth in what other people say that there seems to be a lump inside one’s chest which is heavy and burdensome and one slowly awaits for this heavy load to be lifted. If this moment would be expressed visually in artwork, one could foresee an interplay of artistic elements that would effectively capture one’s situation to include effective use of colors, shadows, hues, as well as creative style that utilizes applications of space and distance. For instance, since the environment or background is oblivious to the subject, there would be predominance in hues of grey or dark and matte colors. At the focal point would be the subject being interpreted in a challenging and trying scenario, seen visually in contoured image or through clear facial expression of exemplifying worry, anxiety, depression, loneliness and fear. At the same token, the visual design could include an element of hope in a far distant corner, which therefore needs effective use of distance and space, through shading and including a bright yellow or gold color to depict seeing resolution to the problem somewhere in the near

Human Resource Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Resource Information Systems - Essay Example In this industry, there is need for the employees to work in a friendly and comfortable environment. Their working environment can only be comfortable if they have things to do with their health looked into; if they get their salaries effectively and other things related to work made easier for them. This will definitely boost the morale of the employees and they do their work effectively (Gupta & Chhabra, 2004). When Mr. Morgan approached me regarding all this for advice as a HR Consultant, I decided to introduce him to the Human Resources Information System (HRIS). Since he would like to travel less due to the cost of fuel, the HRIS should be able to help him execute most of his work effectively and at cheaper costs. This will save him time, energy, and money. IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS: The HR problems Mr. Morgan is facing will be no more as soon as the use of HRIS is put in place. The main problem was travelling every week, which wasted so much time and was expensive in terms of fuel. The manner in which he made the payroll checks and the use of Excel spread sheet to prepare them would greatly be improved through HRIS. Some of the HR functions, which will be efficient, in this case are: Salary determination is one of the most important functions in this business. The work of HRIS in this field acts as the software for clarifying for data entry, data information, and data tracking. It helps the Human Resources to manage accounting functions and payrolls within the company or business. It is the most efficient and effective way of transacting accounting calculations. It will provide data, which is very accurate. It can also keep and retrieve big amounts of data making work much easier (Gupta & Chhabra, 2004). HRIS NEEDS ASSESSMENT: The computerization used in the HRIS might create more effective process in the functions above, due to the fact that it has the ability to perform very heavy tasks within a short time. For instance, if the HR

Welcoming and acceptance speech Essay Example for Free

Welcoming and acceptance speech Essay Hello everyone. Good afternoon to all of you. My name is Wana. On behalf of Cherries Tours Id like to welcome you all to Pangkor islands. The boat ride to your resort will take about fifteen minutes. I just want to say some few friendly reminders before we reach our destination. Firstly you must always put your trash in proper disposal and secondly don’t leave your things unattended. I promise to all of you that we are going to enjoy your stay here in Teluk Dalam Beach Resort. For your information Teluk Dalam Beach Resort in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia is made more attractive by Malay-architectural style chalets, bungalows and villas. Paradise by the sea, Teluk Dalam Beach Resort complements the natural beauty of this unspoiled island. You can relax, sit by the beach, enjoy great meals and feel very safe. Actually, Cherries tours offer a variety of special discounts depending on your travel plans. We have snorkeling packages, as well as guided round island trip boat tours, and Fishing Safari. There will be a short information session at 8am in the lobby of the resort tomorrow where you can learn all about these offers. We recommend that you do not purchase packages from street vendors as they are not always 100 percent reliable. They also may charge you more than what they say. Please take my advice and allow Cherries tours to book all of your day trips and activities while you are here. Were going to be pulling up to the resort in just a few mi nutes. Please sit back and enjoy the view of the ocean. I ask that you remain in your seats until we have come to a complete stop. Mr. Kamal will be meeting us at the jetty to help you with your bags. Please double check to make sure your bag has been taken off the boat. On behalf of Cherries Tours, have a wonderful vacation in Pangkor Island and I hope to see you tomorrow at the information session. Thank you. Acceptance speech Danny Thomas once said Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. Its what you do for others. It is such an honored to be recognized as the Volunteer of the Year. Actually, this award not only belongs to me it also belongs to all company’s volunteer that helps the Treasure Care organization. For me, you have all made a difference  in the lives of thousands of children and teens fighting cancer. I’ll admit that when I first signed up to help at a â€Å"we care we serve† event, it was just as an excuse to get out of the office. However, it only took that one volunteer event to show me just how many young people there are in our community who need a role model, someone to inspire them, or just somebody to shoot hoops with them on every Friday. When the first time I saw them, I wished there was no cancer in this world, but we see cancer is all around us and know that it doesnt care who it hits. From that moment, I reali ze as a group member of this organization I must help to put that smile on the faces of those who suffer. I’d like to thank the people at Treasure Care organization for the amazing programs they have for these young people, for all the events they organize, and for sharing so much of themselves with these kids. What you allow people like me to come and do isn’t â€Å"volunteer work†; it’s volunteer fun! Most of all, I’d like to thank my best friend, who’s introduced me about this organization. Getting to know you has changed my life more than you’ll ever know. Lastly, I thank you for your generous time and responses which have helped to make this event a success. â€Å"There Are Ways, To Get There, If You Care Enough, For the Living, Make A Little Space, We is all volunteers and thats what makes this world a better place.

Consequences of Altered Prenatal Environment

Consequences of Altered Prenatal Environment Discuss the evidence that an altered prenatal environment (e.g. due to maternal nutritional status, stress or exposure to chemicals) has long-term consequences for reproductive function of the offspring. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis focuses on the idea that non-communicable diseases, such as coronary heart disease and diabetes, have origins in foetal development. The embryo or foetus can be exposed to certain challenges during its development that permanently alter the physiological development of that organism and this can show its effects postnatally later on in life (Moore 2017). A lot of focus has been directed towards metabolic dysfunction and problems with the cardiovascular system, but more recently it has become apparent that there are also lifelong effects of the prenatal environment on reproductive function of the offspring. Aspects of the prenatal environment include maternal malnutrition, maternal stress, maternal alcohol consumption, and maternal smoking, amongst others, which can all influence the development of the foetus and its health outcomes later on in life. However, there is a lack of evidence for humans, although offspring o f mothers affected by the Dutch Famine have been followed up throughout their life to see the effects of the acute maternal undernutrition (de Rooij et al. 2016) (Painter et al. 2006), therefore a lot of the experiments are performed on rodent, porcine and ovine models. While there are a number of differences between the mammalian models and humans, such as duration of gestation and sensitivity to the maternal environment, there are periods of exceptional vulnerability that are similar in both mammalian models and humans which allow us to map the effects of an altered prenatal environment from these animals to humans (Zambrano et al. 2014). The incidence of non-communicable diseases in adults significantly increases when maternal nutrition is compromised at vital periods of foetal development (Chavatte-Palmer et al. 2008). During the periconceptional period, it appears that the embryo has a degree of developmental plasticity and it takes advantage of this when being exposed to certain challenges in the maternal environment. This means that it changes the way it develops and adapts to the surrounding environment, which has consequences for later life. This is illustrated by the epidemiological study of female survivors of the Dutch Famine in World War II, which has shown altered reproductive function of their female offspring who were conceived during the famine. The offspring were found to have irregular menstrual cycles, increased risk of breast cancer and a younger age at which they underwent menopause (Sloboda et al. 2011). There was no significant change in the reproductive function in adults whose mothers were expo sed to the famine during late stages of pregnancy when compared to adults who were born before the famine (Painter et al. 2006), which suggests that the time around conception is very sensitive to the maternal environment. The study was conducted by authors who were fortunate to be able to collect the data that they did because, for obvious ethical reasons, a study like this could not be purposefully carried out on humans. As inhumane as the famine was, it has provided us with some useful data to ascertain what is happening in utero when maternal nutrition is compromised. Animal studies of maternal undernutrition have been conducted to add to the findings of the Dutch Famine epidemiology. In ewes, the female offspring had decreased rates of ovulation after experiencing prenatal undernutrition. Even earlier, it was found that the foetal ovary at day 47 already had altered concentrations of oogonia and meiotic arrest in the ovary was delayed even longer than usual on day 62 of foetal life (Sloboda et al. 2011). Growth restricted rats have shown staggered onset of signs of sexual maturation, for example first oestrus, mating and attainment of full fertility were separated in time rather than being simultaneous (Sloboda et al. 2011). Moreover, pregnant ewes on a calorie restricted diet produced offspring who grew up to have reduced ovarian and granulosa cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in their ovaries. This could be due to a change in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activity or hormonal environment in the ovary which is regulated by the mothers nutritional status (Sloboda et al. 2011). Furthermore, maternal protein restriction in rats delays seminiferous tubule lumen formation and increases apoptosis of germ cells during the neonatal period. Histological sections of the testes of male offspring show some tubules with no lumen at all at even when they have a control diet after birth (Zambrano et al. 2014). Also, apoptosis in the testes of male neonates at postnatal day 14 is increased in those who have experience maternal protein restriction either during pregnancy, during lactation, or during both (Zambrano et al. 2014). There have been many animal studies done using various mammalian models to produce data that we can apply to humans. So far, the data has been reproducible but it is still early days in this field of science so the longer these experiments are reproduced in different models, the better and more sure we can be when advising mothers of the risk their diet may have on the health and reproductive potential of their offspring. Although poverty and undernutrition remain global crises, it is clear that overfeeding and the obesity epidemic in the Western World come with severe implications on health of the population and future generations. Several studies in animal models have demonstrated that maternal overnutrition can affect the fertility of the offspring later on in life. For example, in pregnant sheep that are overfed, the offspring experience intrauterine growth restriction and are born small for their gestational age, but also the females are born with ovarian retardation (Chavatte-Palmer et al. 2008). Additional studies have been done and have other, similar conclusions for female offspring fertility. A mouse study shows that mothers fed high fat diets during pregnancy produced female offspring with a 4-fold reduction in the number of primordial follicles in their ovaries (Cheong et al. 2014). This could be due to them having an early onset of puberty, similar to the female offspring of mothers who h ad calorie restricted diets. Similarly, the female offspring in this cohort also had fewer (1.4-fold decrease in number) antral follicles developing into Graafian follicles in their ovaries (Cheong et al. 2014). However, the cohort sizes in this study were unfortunately quite small (10-15 mice per group) and it is unclear whether or not the groups were exposed to different nutritional challenges at the same time to ensure that the process was standardised. The results could be improved by repeating them with another cohort of mice and perhaps repeating the study in different species of mice to eliminate species-specific adaptations to maternal nutrition. If the same results are able to be replicated across other mouse species, then it is more plausible that these results might also be seen in humans. Some oestrogenic compounds have been observed to have effects on ovary development in later life of neonatal rodents that were exposed to the compounds prenatally. Two examples are activin and oestrogen derivatives (Woodruff and Walker 2008). Female rats exposed prenatally to oestradiol benzoate had delayed follicle and interstitial development by day 14 of age. By day 21, many of the larger follicles in the ovary were delayed in development at the preantral and small antral follicular stage. This suggests that oestrogens inhibit follicular development (Ikeda et al. 2001). As the rats mature, the inhibited development could delay the onset of sexual maturity in the females and puberty wouldnt occur until later. It is known that steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1-) controls development of the ovary (Hanley et al. 2000), so expression levels of genes that SF-1 regulates were studied in ovaries treated with oestradiol benzoate (Ikeda et al. 2001). It was found that ovarian tissue treated with oestradiol benzoate had downregulated SF-1 as well as genes including StAR and P450SCC, which have their expression controlled under SF-1 activity. This downregulation was present from postnatal day 6-21 and was relative to control ovary. Other genes were found to not change with oestradiol benzoate treatment and some had increased expression after treatment. This results indicate that oestrogen derivatives can influence different genes related to SF-1 to be upregulated or downregulated during development of the ovary (Ikeda et al. 2001). Maternal stress during pregnancy is another important factor affecting development and function of the offsprings reproductive system. Corticosteroids are an important class of steroid hormone involved in the stress response and over exposure to these hormones can elicit changes in the developing reproductive system of the foetus. Administration of dexamethasone during pregnancy in rats is associated with various outcomes, such as delayed onset of puberty in both offspring sexes, less follicles in the ovaries of female pups, and lower blood testosterone levels in male pups (Zambrano et al. 2014). Other corticosteroids, such as betamethasone, have shown impaired sperm quality and fertility in male pups (Zambrano et al. 2014). These findings indicate that maternal stress should be kept to a minimum during pregnancy in order to maximise the reproductive potential of her offspring. Although a certain degree of maternal stress is to be expected during pregnancy, chronic exposure to certai n stress hormones can be detrimental to the developing foetus. Having said this, it is unclear what concentrations of these corticosteroids were administered to the pregnant rats, therefore it is difficult to determine what levels of these in the mother could cause developmental restrictions in the foetus. These results arguably are difficult to translate into humans when thinking about impact of human maternal stress on our offspring. Furthermore, human stress is difficult to control, unlike diet or smoking, so it is unfair to attribute blame to the mother for the relative fertility of her offspring when she perhaps cannot control the changes in her uterine environment if shes become stressed during pregnancy. Evidence in the literature supporting this hypothesis is vast and thus not all evidence has been covered. Even though the evidence provided is mostly from animal models, the results can be translated to humans as well, since there are similarities in physiology and metabolism across all mammalian species. The animal models do have their limitations, such as being more or less sensitive to certain stimuli than humans and having different behavioural adaptations, but they also come baring less ethical issues with their exposure to laboratory experiments. That being said, it should also be considered that these animal models have been exposed to extremes of malnutrition and specific nutrient deficiencies, so when interpreting the results to advise pregnant women they should be presented to show that a balance of nutrition is fundamental to maintain a healthy pregnancy and ultimately healthy offspring with normal reproductive function. References CHAVATTE-PALMER, P. et al., 2008. Nutrition maternelle : incidence sur la fertilità © de la descendance et importance de la pà ©riode pà ©riconceptionelle pour le long terme. Gynà ©cologie Obstà ©trique Fertilità ©, 36(9), 920-929 CHEONG, Y. et al., 2014. Diet-induced maternal obesity alters ovarian morphology and gene expression in the adult mouse offspring. Fertility and Sterility, 102(3), 899-907 HANLEY, N.A. et al., 2000. Steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) is essential for ovarian development and function. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 163(1-2), 27-32 IKEDA, Y. et al., 2001. Neonatal estrogen exposure inhibits steroidogenesis in the developing rat ovary. Developmental Dynamics, 221(4), 443-453 MOORE, S.E., 2017. Early-Life Nutritional Programming of Health and Disease in The Gambia. Annals of Nutrition Metabolism PAINTER, R.C. et al., 2006. Early onset of coronary artery disease after prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 84(2), 322-327 DE ROOIJ, S.R. et al., 2016. Prenatal Undernutrition and Autonomic Function in Adulthood. Psychosomatic Medicine, 78(9), 991-997 SLOBODA, D.M., M. HICKEY and R. HART, 2011. Reproduction in females: the role of the early life environment. Human Reproduction Update, 17(2), 210-227 WOODRUFF, T.K. and C.L. WALKER, 2008. Fetal and Early Postnatal Environmental Exposures and Reproductive Health Effects in the Female. Fertility and sterility, 89(2 Suppl), e47-e51 ZAMBRANO, E. et al., 2014. Fetal programming of sexual development and reproductive function. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 382(1), 538-549