Discuss the role of demand Essay Example for Free

Discuss the role of demand Essay In this paper we discuss the role of demand and supply in determining equilibrium price and quantity in the market, in a free market the demand and supply determine the equilibrium price and demand, in this case we consider 2,500 apartments which are to be leased out at a rate of 1,100 per month. If we assume that this is the equilibrium price and quantity in the market we can derive our demand and supply curve to determine the various factors that will affect the equilibrium price and quantity. From the above diagram the intersection of the demand curve and supply curve give us the equilibrium quantity and the equilibrium price, if the price was to rise then the demand for the apartments would decline, if the price was to decline then demand would be high for these apartments. The adjustment of the free market is automatic because when the supply rises then prices decrease, when prices decrease then the demand increases forcing the prices to rise, therefore in the long run the free market is at equilibrium, the factors that affect this equilibrium therefore include demand, supply, prices and charges by other competitors. Change in demand: When demand increases there will be an increase in the level of prices, this is caused by the fact that as the demand increase then the demand curve shifts to the right as shown below, when the demand increases then the prices increase, when prices increase then more apartment builders will be encouraged to increase supply of apartments resulting into increased supply, increased supply will shift the supply curve to the left leading to a decline in prices, therefore in the long run the curves will adjust into a new equilibrium, this is shown in the diagram below: When the demand for houses increase then the demand curve shifts from demand curve 1 to demand curve 2, this increases the prices, as the price increase investors are encouraged to invest more and provide more apartments, this results into increasing supply, when supply increases due to the increased prices the supply curve shifts downwards from supply curve 1 to supply curve 2, the new equilibrium now is where demand curve 2 intersects with supply curve two. Our new equilibrium is at a lower price yet a higher quantity. This clearly shows how the market shifts as a result of change in the demand for apartments. Changes in supply and demand: Changes in the supply is caused by the price, when the price rise then the supply level increases, when the price declines then the supply level declines. On the other hand the demand is also affected by prices, when prices decline then the higher the demand and when the price rise then the lower is the demand. Shifts in the demand and supply curve will affect decision making, this is because as economists we will aim at producing at the most optimal position, the optimal point will be determined by the maount of revenue derived from the apartments, the higher the price the higher the revenue per aprtmetn yet the lower the revenue the lower the revenue per apartment, however total revene will be calculated by multiplying the demand with price. Four points emphasized: When demand increases prices will rise, When the prices rise then the higher the supply, The higher the supply the lower the price and The lower the price the higher the demand Application: This concept of demand and supply can be used to determine the result of an increase in the price of product or even a reduction in the price, however our above analysis is that of a normal good, therefore in the workplace we can determine what wll happen to the demand and revenue after an increase or decline in prices. Elasticity of demand: Price elasticity of demand is the responsiveness of demand to a change in prices, the hgher the price elasticity then the hgiehr the demand wil respoind to a change in prices, however the lower the price elasticity then the lower is the responsiveness to a change in price. Results: From the above discussion we have summarized the law odf demand and supply for a normal good, it is evident that for a normal good when demand increases prices will rise, when the prices rise then the higher the supply, the higher the supply the lower the price and finally the lower the price the higher the demand. References: Brian Snow (1997) Macroeconomics: Introduction to Macroeconomics, Rout ledge publishers, London Philip Hardwick (2004) Introduction to Modern Economics, Pearson Press, New York Stratton (1999) Economics: A New Introduction, McGraw Hill Publishers, New York

Death Rituals In American And Egyptian Society

Death Rituals In American And Egyptian Society The term burial refers to the practice of disposing of dead bodies or remains of the dead. Though there are other ways of disposing of dead bodies as practiced by people following different religions, the term burial particularly means the act of placing a body into the dug into the ground. Once the digging has been done, the body is placed inside, followed by the replacement grave of the soil to fill the hollow again. Though the term burial may refer to burying of any object or body, it usually refers to the burial of the body of dead person. It is sometimes also used for the placement of a body into a tomb. Burial of dead bodies prevents the release of stink as a result of gases discharged by bacterial putrefaction after a body starts to decompose (Bodiford, 1992). History tells us that burial is an old custom and the first instances in history are found during the Paleolithic period in European caves. Research method The approach used for data collection relied on both secondary and primary sources. Data were gathered according to two complementary techniques: * Documentary research and * Personal interviews With respect to documentary research, the internet served as the primary tool for research. Relevant journals, articles and books provided the information. For more scholarly sources online libraries and research databases such as Emerald and Ebsco were used. Personal interviews were conducted from a number of local residents from different areas selected randomly. The majority of these interviews were personally conducted at or outside their residences; a few however were interviewed on the phone. Informal, conversational interviews were taken where Death and Burial Rituals were discussed. In most of the cases no predetermined questions were asked. This strategy kept the discussions open and adaptable. Almost all the interviewees discussed how they have seen changes in these rituals with passage of time. They also shared their personal experiences. Introduction Many communities all over the world bury their dead in keeping with their religious beliefs and social customs. Usually the body is carefully handled and buried with respect. In some cultures it is believed that the physical remains continue to be important to the person who has passed into the next world. In other cultures, a ceremonial burning frees the spirit to go up to its new abode in the next world. Many variations in the burial customs are found especially in early Asian communities. Though, burial usually refers to burying in ground, history tells that amongst the Vikings water burials were common. Later, they started to burn the bodies followed by scattering the ashes in water (Wahl, 1961). In India, outdoor funeral pyres were common by the side of rivers and the ashes were frequently thrown into the holy Ganges River. Nonetheless, these customs are transitory and have changed to a great extent over time. As societies have evolved, their ways of burying their dead and grave markings evolve too only to provide an interesting area to be studied by archeologists of the future generations. This essay aims at comparing and contrasting the death and burial rituals of the contemporary American society with the ancient Egyptian society and their primitive ways of burial. The essay would talk about how the ancient Egyptians would preserve the dead bodies (mummies). It would also talk about how in modern America and in modern Egypt bodies are buried in the natural form to signify death as a rite of passage. Egyptian rituals of burial and death: Ancient Egyptian society believed in rebirth and this is what reflects in the burial rites that they practiced. For them, death was not the end of life but only an interval. They believed that eternal life could be ensured by leading a pious life and by preserving the bodies of those that passed away by mummifying them. For the Egyptians, every human body consisted of the ka, the ba, and the akh (name, body and shadow) (Spencer, 1988). The name and shadow were also considered to be living things that had to be sustained and shielded from harm along with the body so as to enjoy eternal life. Bodies that are buried in desert pits are naturally preserved by aridity. Therefore, the poor Egyptians who could not afford a ceremonial burial were usually buried in deserts. Rich people would bury their dead in stone tombs making use of non-natural mummification methods. This involved doing away with the internal organs, followed by covering the body in linen. The body was finally buried in a stone tomb in a wooden coffin. By the New Kingdom, the ancient Egyptians had mastered the art of mummifying dead bodies. The best method took as many as 70 days and involved removal of the internal organs including the brain which was removed through the nose. The body was then dried out after the application of a mixture of salts called natron. The body was then covered in linen with protecting amulets placed in between layers and placed in an ornamented anthropoid sarcophagus. The original preservation practices declined during the Ptolemaic and Roman eras as greater importance was now given to the outward appearance of the mummy, which was bejeweled. Rich people were buried with a lot of luxury items. Nonetheless, all burials, not considering the social status, included goods for the departed soul. After burial, the family and friends of the dead were expected to occasionally bring foodstuff to the tomb and offer prayers for the departed soul. Egyptians assumed that preserving the body by mummifying it was the only way to have an eternal life. A special constituent of the death and burial ritual was a carved mask, put on the face of the dead. This mask was thought to make the spirit of the mummy stronger and protect the soul from evil spirits on its way to the next world. Egyptians believed in the flimsy state of transition thinking that the dead would have to successfully surpass in their physical and spiritual flight from this world to the next. Burial and Death rituals in American culture: The United States has a loaded history of burial and death rituals and traditions that have merged with the incursion of Evangelical and Catholic customs to form fascinating and at times strange contemporary practices. The present century has observed a number of remarkable changes in death customs of the United States. Some of these changes, perhaps, represent improvements in the long established rituals; others do not. Customs of burial were completely different a century ago than they are at present. Mr. Peterson, a local resident, shared his fathers early life experiences of death rituals with us. While giving details, he told us that his father grew up in a countryside area of south-central Kentucky. When an old lady in his neighborhood died, female members from his family went to her cottage, bathe the dead woman and made her wear the best dress from her wardrobe. The next day a wooden coffin was brought and was loaded in the rear of a wagon drawn by a mule and towed to a small graveyard a few miles away. The members of her family had a small gathering near her grave and stayed there for a brief service. Routine work was resumed quickly. Another local interviewee, while talking about his own experiences, told us that his grandfather died when he was only nine year old (five decades ago). They transported the dead body to their old family home for a family gathering. He recalled that there was already a small funeral parlor in the close by city by that time. His grandfathers body was placed in one of the bigger rooms. The adult of the family stayed up late talking of the past and about the good deeds of the dead man. The body was buried in the little graveyard the following day. The death culture of the United States has changed significantly over the last few decades and even at present a variation can be seen in these practices in different localities of the country. In southern America, burials and funerals, predominantly, continue to be extremely sanctified events. Residents of southern America still give way to the passing burial procession and pull to the side of the streets. Things are fundamentally different in the Western part of the country. A funeral, according to an interviewee belonging to the West, takes a completely worldly atmosphere. He, while giving details of his personal experience, recalled that he had attended many funerals where there was no insinuation of the spiritual or religious words, no talking about of God, no interpretation from the Bible, no sacrosanct signs, and no holy hymns. A number of funeral processions even took on an almost celebratory atmosphere. Another interviewee talked about the playing of popular music in the burial and funeral processions of the Western America. Residents of the West are also seen as too busy to be attending these services. They have a very casual attitude towards these services. A few interviewees also mentioned about attending some funeral services in with even fewer than a dozen people came for the service. The present Burial and funeral practices of the United States correspond to the emotional, economical and symbolic facets of their lives (Spencer, 1988). A few people, with respect to the economic explanations, affirms that funeral practices of America indicate the nature of materialism and capitalism. Others, however, believe that these Death customs symbolize the core beliefs of the social system; that life is sacred. Almost all the funeral services in America are characterized by a relaxed and normal public show of the dead body on his last day before burial. The main rationale behind this is that people want to show an acceptance of the verity that dead bodies will decay with passing time and that no one is making an attempt to spell out that they have been nauseated with this (British Humanist Association website, 2003). Dead bodies On the other hand, are represented as simple as possible so as to display that no manipulation has been done as normally carried out by capitalist systems. American Fascination of Egyptian Mummies and modern Egyptian burial practices The culture of ancient Egypt and the mummification of their dead bodies have been a source of great inscrutability and attraction to the people of United States. The Egyptian belief that mummies and their spirits are capable of flying out of the burial place and come back to it is also a bit terrifying to a number of Americans. Although the burial and funeral practices of the Egyptians and Americans were extremely different in the ancient times, Egyptian culture has drastically changed with passing time. They have given up the mummification of the dead bodies and burial of Gold and other worldly things with the dead. The most prevailing religion in Modern Egypt is Islam so their current burial and funeral practices are completely in accordance with the teachings of their religion (Andrews, 1994). When a Muslim Egyptian is close to death, the family members are called upon to console, and remind him/her of Gods compassion and amnesty. Verses from the Quran may also be recited by some encouraging the dying soul to recite words of commemoration and prayer. When the person is dead, the family members are encouraged to stay peaceful, pray for the deceased, and start arrangements for funeral. The eyes of the departed should be closed, and the dead body is temporarily covered with a clean sheet. Egyptian Muslims try hard to bury the dead body as early as possible. The family members, relatives or other members of the society, in preparation for funeral, will bathe and shroud the dead body. The body is then carried to the place of the funeral prayers. These last prayers are usually held in the open air. All the people gather there, and the prayer leader (imam) stands at the front of the dead body. After the final prayers, the dead body is transported to the graveyard for burial. Although funeral prayers are attended by all members of the community, only the male members go with the dead body to the graveyard (Faure, 1991). The dead body is peacefully laid in the grave facing the holy city of Mecca. Putting flowers or other momentos is strictly discouraged by the Islamic teachings. Now that we have read about the modern Egyptian burial and funeral practices more closely, we can see that it is very similar to the modern American burial rituals. Conclusion Rituals regarding burial and funeral cremation represent the beliefs, holy cosmology and rational growth of people and their customs. Today, the average individual is likely to disregard studying or exploring about traditions of burials and funerals. The reason behind this is that the present world is more about young life and life with an entrenched apprehension of death buried in one side of the mind. Death is an inescapable part of living. Archaeologists search and investigate the history of ancient civilizations by discovering burial and funeral practices that different cultures have left behind. These findings disclose more and more about the way societies have lived and from where our current cosmology around the world has come from.

Customers Needs of Marks and Spencer

Customers Needs of Marks and Spencer Introduction of Marks and Spencer In 1998, Marks and Spencer became the first British retailer to make a pre- tax profit over  £1 billion, but a few years later it plunged into a crisis which lasted for several years. They cant meet the customer expectations and need longer lead time on the production. However, after changing their company CEO, Marks and Spencer started improve due to a substantial number of changes in operation management. It included dynamic and cheaper supply chain, improve the products design and quality, and good identification and service of market segments. 1.1 The identification of different customer needs on MS clothing ranges Marks and Spencers (MS) has divided into three types of clothing ranges that are Perfect and Classic range, the Autograph range, and he Per Una range. Each range has been developed to a different target segment customer of the women clothing market. Marks and Spencer must identify what their customer needs to meet their customer expectations and improve the products. Customers will tend to judge the products and services according to their judgement to compare the price, quality, promotions, values, and pre and post services together with competitors to determine which brand they like. Marks and Spencer using the demographic segmentation to identify what their customer needs. Mark and Spencer target their customers by age, gender, income, social class, and the others. This is because customers will change their needs and wants anytime. So that, Marks and Spencer should be aware this issue occurs. 1.2 Customer Needs Customer needs is to meet the customer expectations or customer needs and wants. We need to do the market research to find out what products the customer likes and identifies emerging opportunities (No author, 2011). The products can influence the customer needs and wants such as the price, location, design, culture, and the others. 1.3 Perfect and Classic Ranges The Perfect and Classic ranges are aimed to serve the core customers of Marks and Spencer. Marks and Spencer core customers are target under 35 to 55 year old men and women. Perfect collection is designed the clothing in basic and simple way and they include plain, white shirts, black roll-neck sweaters and jeans. The clothing must be machine washable, non-iron, and tumble-dry friendly for the busy lifestyle customers. These range customers who is looking for appreciate practical, good quality, and value at reasonable priced. Besides, the design must be timeless that means the design not outdated from time to time. The Classic Collection was aimed at more mature customer and tends to serve into different style such as smart, elegant, and confident style for their customers. The designs for these ranges are limited and ensure the customers can find their suitable clothes. 1.3.1 Age and Gender Perfect and Classic Range in Marks and Spencer their core customers are target under 33 to 55 year men and women. Marks and Spencer must determine these range customers what are their age and gender before designing the clothes. This is because easier for the designer designing the clothes. 1.3.2 Income and Social Class Income and social class can show a customer buying behavior. As we can see, Perfect and Classic range customers their income and social class not so high. Therefore, they required appreciate practical, good quality, and value at reasonable priced. Marks and Spencer must meet their customer expectations. 1.4 Autograph Range The Autograph range was launched in the spring and summer in year 2000 and it is a new seasonal range. This range is to bring cutting-edge design to wider the audience within a unique environment. These range designs were done by Julien Macdonald, Philip Treacy, and Sonja Nuttall who are the recruiting best designers in Marks and Spencer. This design was developed a range of clothes, men and women accessories. It is providing a more up-market range of clothes for Marks and Spencer core market. Autograph range brings the top designer collection to Market and Spencer customers at high street prices, within a designer boutique environment. However, in the autograph range limited to spring and summer range with merely 60 colours style every season. Autograph range designs a bit like formal wear or elegant clothing. For example, the elegant clothing can wear to work or shopping. 1.4.1 Income and Social Class As we know, Marks and Spencer Autograph range products are more expensive. Their customers are willing to spend their money to purchase the luxury products. It shown that, Autograph range customers have high income and high social class. 1.5 Per Una Range Per Una range was launched on 28 September 2001. Per Una range target customers were the fashion-conscious women aged between 25 to 35 year old, sizes 8-18. This collection is providing the high quality materials and the designs are the latest trends design. Besides, the products of Per Una range sold under limited edition, which makes the products unique in the market. Besides that, the prices were 10% more expensive than other Marks and Spencer ranges. 1.5.1 Age and Gender For age and gender in Per Una range, Marks and Spencer their target customers are under the aged between 25 to 35 fashion-conscious young lady. Around this aged ladies like to buy the trendy or fashion clothes especially the limited edition because its very unique and small quantity in the market. So, the Marks and Spencer designer must identify their age range to design the limited edition clothing for the customers. 1.5.2 Income and Social Class In the new generation, most of the young ladies liked to show how rich they are or their social level. Per Una range are very suitable for the ladies who like to buy the trendy or fashion clothes especially limited edition to show out their social level and how rich they are. Identification and explanation of order winners and qualifiers In Marks and Spencer, they are very clear on their order winners as well as their order qualifier. Marks and Spencer as the top retailer in UK, the order winners and order qualifier for each range are identified. This can make the customers perceived the clothing produced by Marks and Spencer is high quality and competitive prices meet their customer expectations. In Marks and Spencer, each range clothing has different order winners and order qualifier to target different customers in UK. 2.1 Order Winners Order winners are those competitive characteristics that cause a firms customers to choose that firms goods and services over those of its competitors. It can be considered to be competitive advantage for the firm. It usually focuses on rarely more than two of the following strategic initiative. It included price or cost, delivery speed, delivery reliability, quality, product design, flexibility, brand image, and after-market service (No author, 2008). 2.2 Order Qualifier Order qualifiers are those competitive characteristics that a firm must show to be viable competitor in the marketplace (No author, 2008). The firm is responsible for providing the order winners and order qualifier that enable the products to win orders in the marketplace. This process must start with the corporate strategy and help the firm to continue operating or to wins the customers business (Hill, 2000). The order winners and qualifiers are both specific in market and time. They work in different combinations such as different market and different target customers. Therefore, the customer needs are the key factor that influence the order winners and order qualifiers principle makeover (Nemetz-Mills, 2001). 2.3 The correlation and influences of order winners and qualifiers in MS clothing ranges. Perfect and Classic Ranges Autograph Ranges Per Una Ranges Product Range The range is limited to its classical style and return to basics trend The range is based on designer wear trend and available at selected boutique store The range is focused on high quality and fashion trend design Design Changes The design standardise with multifunctional clothing The design is seasonal range and focus on spring and summer The design of its product is latest trend and changes monthly Price Value at reasonable pricing High street pricing High street style at affordable pricing, 10% more expensive than other MS ranges Quality High quality and functional clothing High quality, based on the summer and spring trends High quality, limited edition and trend designs Sales Volume [SKU] Large volume Limited and available at the selected boutique store Very small volume and limited edition Order Winners The reliability of its product functional from wash to tumble-dry High quality and clothing design ranges based on seasonal trends The design based on its design and appearance and its limited edition trends Order Qualifiers It focusing for quality and value at reasonable pricing It focusing on its competitive high street pricing of it clothing range Affordable price and high quality Operations Priorities The operations prioritised on its clothes cost The operations prioritised on its clothes quality The operations prioritised on its rapid and flexibility changes of it clothes trends 2.4 Perfect and Classic Ranges Perfect and Classic ranges are emphasise to standard design that mean the fashion is not the out-dated design or timelessness design. Perfect Collection customer who is looking for appreciate practical, good quality, and value at reasonable priced. This collection is carrying on Marks and Spencer tradition of reliability and buying experience and the sourcing is more low cost producers. Classic Collection is focusing on more mature customers. The design for these ranges are timeless and not just the latest fashion. It is to ensure the customers can find the suitable products. 2.5 Autograph Range The Autograph range is design the clothing on seasonal range that are spring and summer. Besides, it is offering exclusive collection of products on high street prices. The OWC comprises of the product more stylish, designer boutique, service package, store layout, and high street pricing. Moreover, quality control (QC) is very important to control the product quality. Marks and Spencer has obtained the products for the suppliers who have strengths in product or material development (Harrison Pavitt, 2003). 2.6 Per Una Range Per Una range is aimed to serve the target customers aged between 25 to 35 year old women who are fashion- conscious. This collection was provided the high quality materials, latest trends, individual cuts, fanatical attention to detail, and ease of shopping (Harrison Pavitt, 2003). Besides, the collection was sold under limited edition and the design changes in monthly. So that, the prices was 10% more expensive than other MS ranges. The operations prioritised on its rapid and flexibility changes of it clothes trends. Polar Diagram approach assessment and comparisons of different operations performance in MS clothing ranges. 3.1 Polar Diagram Tabulation Table Perfect and Classic Ranges Autograph Ranges Per Una Ranges Quality 4 5 5 Speed 5 3 2 Dependability 3 4 5 Flexibility 5 3 2 Cost 3 4 5 The polar diagram above represented the five performance objectives of Marks and Spencer. Marks and Spencer must know the different of the clothing ranges and analyse it. 3.2 Perfect and Classic Ranges Perfect and Classic range should emphasis on flexibility, and speed because it get the highest scored in polar diagram. 3.2.1 Flexibility Flexibility means that Marks and Spencer able to innovate the product and design the latest trends. This is because Perfect and Classic collection can be more fashion. 3.2.2 Speed Speed means the rate of response and delivers on time to the customers. It shows that how Marks and Spencer organisation communicate with the customers. From the polar diagram above, Perfect and Classic ranges get the highest scored in terms of speed. This is because all the products design are returns into simple and basics. So, the produces and deliver time will not be longer. 3.3 Autograph Range Marks and Spencer should look into the quality to enable the Autograph range can compete in high street market. 3.3.1 Quality Good quality is essential to maintain Marks and Spencer brands image. From the polar diagram above, Autograph and Per Una ranges get the highest scored in quality. It is due to Marks and Spencer has high quality control. 3.4 Per Una Range Marks and Spencer should emphasis on dependability and cost in Per Una range because it is the limited edition and the prices more expensive that other ranges. 3.4.1 Dependability Dependability refers to the reliability of the products. In Per Una range, it scored top among other ranges. The design is latest trends and limited edition and reliability products. In this range, Marks and Spencer targeted the fashion-conscious young women between 25 to 35 years old. 3.4.2 Cost In this area, Per Una range get the highest scored among other ranges. This is because these range design are limited edition, changes monthly and need to produce in high quality. Therefore, the production cost will more expensive than other ranges. Appendix 4.1 Appendix A Logo Company and Products Logo Previous Marks and Spencer Logo New Marks and Spencer Logo presented in 2004 Per Unas logo, three heart shapes 4.2 Appendix B Three Ranges Clothing 4.2.1 Classic Collection Classic Collection Pure Cotton Swirl Classic Collection Floral Border Neckline Jersey Top Dress with Scarf Classic Collection Large Collar Classic Collection Front Belt Pull Ruched Jacket On Trousers 4.2.2 Autograph Range Autograph Shower Resistant Trench Autograph Exclusive Pure Silk Floral Coat with Belt Dress with Belt Autograph Cotton Rich Crochet Autograph Pure Silk Paisley Print Lace Waistcoat Top 4.2.3 Per Una Range Per Una Pure Linen Bold Stripe Per Una Linen Blend Floral Prom Dress Appliquà © Shift Dress Per Una Crossover V-Neck Zebra Per Una Pure Cotton Tie Dye Print dress Camisole Top

Alzheimers Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease is a complex illness that affects the brain tissue directly and undergoes gradual memory and behavioral changes which makes it difficult to diagnose. It is known to be the most common form of dementia and is irreversible. Over four million older Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is expected to triple in the next twenty years as more people live into their eighties and nineties. (Johnson, 1989). There is still no cure for Alzheimer’s but throughout the past few years a lot of progress has been made. Doctors need a sure way to diagnose the disease before treatment or studies can be done. The diagnosis is an autopsy of brain tissue examined under a microscope. In addition, medical history, a physical exam, and mental status tests are used for diagnosis (Posen, 1995). Often, tests are done to rule out other potential causes of the dementia. This allows the identification of other causes of thinking and behavioral changes to be made before concluding that the patient has Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. The tests that are requested to be done include CT and MRI scans to rule out strokes or brain tumors which could account for change in memory and behavior; thyroid and psychological tests which can also detect thinking and behavior problems (Posen, 1995). Alzheimer’s is a result from a combination of factors that cause progressive brain deterioration that affects the memory and behavior of an individual. There are two known risk factors. The first risk factor is age. Alzheimer’s usually affects people older than 60, and rarely affects those younger than 40. The average age ALZHEIMER’S 3 of diagnosis is about 80 years old (Johnson, 1989). The incidence is about the same for all races, but women are more likely than men to develop the disease, because they live longer. The second factor is heredity. Family history plays a role in about forty percent of people with early onset of Alzheimer’s (Johnson, 1989). If your parents or a sibling developed the disease, you are more likely to, as well. But there are cases of families with several people who have had this disease and other members are not affected. These two factors are the only proven factors, but environmental research is being done to help with a possible protective effect for the disease. As of now, more research is needed to confirm any be... ...sion of the disease. In addition, the risk factors and preventive measures are quite clear. These can help those who are unaware of what Alzheimer’s disease is or how it progresses. Future studies may prove to be beneficial in preventing the occurrence of Alzheimer’s, or at least the severity of its’ progression. Informing people of this disease, the risk factors, and preventive measures at a younger age, can only prove beneficial in the decrease or possible elimination of this physically and mentally altering disease. Living a healthy life now can only increase your chances of having a healthier life in old age. ALZHEIMER’S 6 Remember: A rolling stone gathers no moss, So exercise your brain now to reduce future loss. ALZHEIMER’S 7 References Johnson, Barbara S. (1989). Psychiatric mental health. (2nd ed.). New York. J.B. Lippincott Company. Posen, P.B (1995, Apr.). Alzheimer’s disease. [ www.document]. (Visited March 12, 2000). URL:Http://www.mayo.edu/research/alzheimers.center. Wallace, Robert. (1998, March). Alzheimer’s disease. [www.document]. (Visited March 12, 2000). URL: Http://www.alzheimers.org/pubs/adfact.htm).

The Birthmark :: Comparison and Contrast, Hawthorne

Every relationship is different. Weather one may be in a relationship with a boy, or just a friend, it is different. Even though they are different, the characters in â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne and â€Å"IND AFF† by Fay Weldon are in similar relationships. That is, the male is dominant over the female, and the woman thinks the man is her knight in shining armor. In the beginning of â€Å"IND AFF† the unnamed woman thinks her professor, Peter, who she is having an affair with, is her ticket to creating a good thesis and higher standings. Similarly, in â€Å"The Birthmark,† Georgiana thinks her husband is her ticket to flawless beauty because he tells her he will remove her birthmark. Obviously, this is not how relationships operate in today’s society. These two relationships compare and contrast with each other as well as with relationships in today’s day-and-age. â€Å"IND AFF† takes place in Sarajevo, which is where Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife. This is a key aspect to the story because Peter is superb in history and thinks that he knows everything there is to know about history. Likewise, â€Å"The Birthmark† takes place in a laboratory. This is where the Georgiana’s husband, Aylmer, spends most of his spare time. Aylmer thinks he either knows or will be able to discover everything this is to know about science. So, in each story, the man takes the woman to somewhere he knows more about (and is therefore seen as superior) than she does. In both stories, the man is seen as intelligent. In â€Å"IND AFF† Peter says he is a professor of classical history and has a â€Å"first-class mind† (Weldon page 202). In â€Å"The Birthmark† Aylmer is referred to as â€Å"a man of science† (Hawthorne page 416) and a â€Å"genius† (Hawthorne page 423). Like the men, the women have similarities and differences. For example, in the beginning of both stories, the women seem confident in themselves. Then, the men tell them otherwise. In â€Å"IND AFF,† Peter tells the woman she does not have a first-class mind (Weldon 202). In, â€Å"The Birthmark† Georgiana is accepting of her birthmark and in fact comes to think of it as a touch from an angel (Hawthorne page 417). Then, her husband tells her birthmark is nature’s slightest possible defect (Hawthorne page 417).

Peacekeeper, Shepherd, Saviour Essay

Paul Rusesabagina is credited with housing and protecting twelve-hundred, sixty-eight refugees (both Hutu and Tutsi) during the Rwandan genocide, but he did not begin as an ordinary man. He was merely a hotel manager who saw something going terribly wrong and decided to do everything in his power to protect anyone he could. We know that all those refugees were saved solely by Paul Rusesabagina during the peak of the massacre in Rwanda, but how many lives did he save indirectly by his actions? Was the conflict in Rwanda (and the peace that followed) directly affected by the actions that Paul Rusesabagina took to ensure the safety of his family, friends, and the people in general? What role did Paul Rusesabagina play in the conflict and subsequent settlement of the Hutu/Tutsi conflict in Rwanda? I believe that he played three very separate and yet equally important roles: that if the peacekeeper, the shepherd, and the saviour. Paul Rusesabagina has titled his autobiography â€Å"An Ordinary Man,† but he was truly anything but. He was born to a Hutu father and a Tutsi mother on July 15, 1954, and was a middle child in the midst of eight other children. Not only was he a well-educated boy, but he also was fluently bilingual in English and French by the age of 13. He adopted the role of a protector early in life when his family sheltered refugees during the initial stages of the conflict in the late 1950s and 1960s. He originally married a woman named Esther whom he fathered three children, and he aspired to become a minister of the Seventh Day Adventist church, but his seminary plans fell through in favour of entering the hospitality business and his marriage shortly followed. Six years after Paul’s divorce from Esther, he met Tatiana and although she was Tutsi he was no stranger to mixed-race marriage having been raised in one himself. In 1992 Paul Rusesabagina was given the title of assistant general manager at the Diplomats Hotel owned by the Belgian Sabena conglomerate (Rusesabagina). In order to understand what role Paul Rusesabagina truly plays in the Rwandan conflict, we first need to get a better understanding of the conflict itself. Rwanda was acquired by the Belgium after World War I and due mainly to the already skewed balance of power and other aesthetic considerations (Tutsi people had lighter skin, slimmer noses, and generally more Caucasian features which were desirable by the Belgians) the Tutsis were able to maintain the upper hand in the balance of power. The Tutsi ruled while the Hutu were considered the peasant or working-class. In 1959 the Hutu revolution overthrew the Tutsi rule and in the early 1960s the Tutsi fled Rwanda for outlying areas. Many Tutsi fled to Uganda where in 1985 the Rwandan Patriotic Front (a Tutsi rights movement) was formed. All throughout the 80s and 90s, massacres continued with little press in the western world due mostly to the false opinion that the Tutsi/Hutu conflict was essentially a â€Å"cold† war with few or no casualties. In 1993 the Arusha Accords were signed between the RPF and the Rwandan authorities, bringing a promise of peace between the few tribes as UNAMIR (United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda) was formed. However, shortly after came the assassination of Melchior Ndadaye, the first Hutu president elected in Burundi, which led the Hutus to believe that the Tutsis were trying to regain control of the region. The Hutus lashed out with more violence against the Tutsis. Rwandan Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane was shot down in retaliation on April 6, 1994 with several other Hutu government officials on board. Several other government figures were systematically assassinated that day marking the official beginning of this era’s Rwandan genocide. (Fujii) So where did Paul Rusesabagina, his family, and his hotel fit in to all this senseless violence? When the body count began to rise, Paul hid his family and neighbors inside the Hotel des Mille Collines and disguised them as quests and staff. He began his journey from ordinary to extraordinary as a shepherd; leading his flock to safety (the Tutsi/Hutu refugees staying in the hotel) and protecting them from the wolves that were waiting outside with rifles and machetes. Every civil rights movement is started by a â€Å"shepherd. † Moses parted the sea for the Jews when his people were being oppressed, Martin Luther King Jr. led the African-Americans to freedom from racial discrimination. Millicent Fawcett marched women everywhere towards the right vote. Paul Rusesabagina makes a phone call to Sabena and secures a letter appointing him acting general manager of Hotel des Mille Collines making it possible for him to use his position to shelter more refugees, and also to use the hotel’s local resources to bribe Rwandan soldiers with money and alcohol in exchange for the lives of the refugees. Paul Rusesabagina guided all the refugees he could into the hotel so they could feel hope and find strength in each other. But guiding the flock to safety was a challenge. At several junctures during the movie where he (being Hutu himself) must face the choice whether or not speak out against an injustice, or to carefully go along with the wishes of his oppressors for the greater, later good of his cause. At this point he is starting to take on the role of a peacekeeper. The blue berets sent by the UN to war-torn parts of the world are unfortunately ineffective at subduing many civil conflicts because of the nature of politics. When the United Nations’ peacekeepers failed, Rusesabagina took matters into his own hands and not only bargained for the lives of his people, but inspired in his people a will to live. He encourages his guests to phone anyone they know â€Å"of influence† that they can tell of the horrors they are enduring†¦that those horrors are real, and that no one is intervening. He asks his people to send out the word that becomes their SOS signal and starts to allow for the return of the peacekeeping forces and the (unfortunately slow) evacuation of refugees from the affected area. Ronald Reagan is quoted as saying, â€Å"peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means† and this ability to handle conflict without majour aggravation or injury is exactly the skill that Rusesabagina possesses and utilizes well throughout the entire movie. Without his ability to diffuse stressful situations, the death toll of the Rwanda genocides would more than certainly be higher. In several points during Hotel Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina takes on the role of the Saviour, by not only housing the Hutu/Tutsi refugees, but also by inspiring them to fight for their lives by any peaceful means necessary. He puts himself aside, overwhelmed by emotion and empathy, to save several other people from death. Paul Rusesabagina spared the lives of nearly thirteen-hundred people from the reality of an unspeakable massacre that no one would pay attention to. He consistently puts his peers before himself and sees them as just that: people. Scared people who need someone to help them, to show them courage, and motivate them towards hope for a better tomorrow. Paul Rusesabagina did not draw a line between his Tutsi refugees and his Hutu refugees, he only asked that they do their part, respect him and each other, and not compromise the security of others in the hotel (George). Because Paul Rusesabagina helped his people by doing everything he could, including risking his own life, he can be seen as a saviour. As a final thought, I would like you, the reader, to sit in silence for a moment and think of the millions of bodies that were scattered across the roads and riverbanks in Africa on that day not even two decades ago. Think about all those corpses and realize that those charred and bloodied bodies might have family somewhere still wondering if their loved one might have escaped the carnage. There are still families out there missing their sons and daughters, their aunts and uncles, their mothers and fathers. The family members of those bland statistics you cannot bear to read for the dryness could be a thousand miles away, or they could be the new Canadian standing beside you in the grocery store. Sit and think about how much love you were given, be thankful for the things and the people that you have around you. Be thankful that you live in a peaceful country where your life is not endangered by simply stepping out the door to make a grocery run. Show to the world that you are grateful for what you have, but stand up and be willing to lose it all in the interest of doing the right thing. Be ready at any moment to protect your rights and those around you who cannot protect themselves. Sometimes all it takes is one person. For the Hutu/Tutsi refugees in Rwanda on those days, they had Paul Rusesabagina there being the peacemaker, the shepherd, and the saviour.

Principles of economics: understanding monopoly Essay

| |Refer to the diagram below for a non-discriminating monopolist and answer the following questions 1 to 7: | | | |[pic] | | |1. |The profit-maximizing output for this firm is M. |T / F | |2. |At the profit-maximizing output the firm’s economic profit will be BAFG. |T / F | |3. |At output R economic profits will be zero. |T / F | |4. |At output Q production will be unprofitable. |T / F | |5. |The profit-maximizing price for this firm is J. |T / F | |6. |At output M total cost will be 0CHM. |T / F | |7. |If the government regulates the monopolist so that it charges the socially optimal price, the monopolist will |T / F | | |produce output Q. | | |8. |A monopoly is an industry with a single firm in which the entry of new firms is blocked. |T / F | |9. |If entry of new firms is prohibited in a pure monopoly industry the monopolist may be able to earn normal profit in|T / F | | |the long run. | | |10. |The pure monopolist’s demand curve is the industry demand curve. |T / F | |11. |A monopolist sets the price at which marginal revenue equals marginal cost. |T / F | |12. |When a monopolist incurs a loss it will produce as long as its total revenue covers its total variable costs. |T / F | |13. |Natural monopolies result from extensive economies of scale in production. |T / F | |SECTION B | |1. |[pic] | | |Refer to the diagram above. Determine the: | | | | | | |i. |Price equilibrium | | |ii. |Quantity equilibrium | | | | | | |At equilibrium, calculate the: | | | | | | |iii. |Total variable costs | | |iv. |Total costs | | |v. |Total fixed costs | | |vi. |Total revenue | | |vii. |Total profit/loss | |2. |The following diagram shows the costs and revenues for the producer of Company DeMassa. | | | | | | | |[pic] | | | | AR = average revenue | | | | MR = marginal revenue | | | | AC = average cost | | | | MC = marginal cost | | | | | | | | | | |a. |At what output and price will the producer maximize its profits? Explain | | | | | | |b. |How much profit/loss will be made? Should the firm continue production? | | | | | | |c. |Would you categorize Company DeMassa’s market structure as perfect competition or imperfect competition? | | | |Explain. | | | | | | |d. |List four characteristics of the market structure above. | | | | | | |e. |Based on part a, calculate the total fixed cost of the firm. | | | | | | SECTION C 1. Explain the various price discrimination practices. Price discrimination is bad for the public. Do you agree with this statement? 2. List four types of barriers to entry. 3. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of monopoly. MC AC AVC 9 10 11 12 AR Quantity (million, unit) MR Price, $ 7 6 5 4 Quantity (‘000) MR AR 22 20 17 16 14 Price (RM) MC AC AVC 160 185.