Critically Evaluate the Management Model of Baumol

Under the traditional economic understanding, it is always assumed that profit maximization is treated as the main goal or objective for businesses, subject to perfect knowledge, single entity and rational logic. However, as illustrated by the principal-agency problem, managers do not usually make rational decision entirely like owners who take company interest as their sole basis for their decisions. Past examples have shown that managers do take their own personal goals and satisfactions as consideration in their decision-making. In addition, information gathering is not always perfect as managers do make decision by relying solely on the implicit knowledge gained from past experiences, without referencing to the macro-economic environment and the current market changes. Combining all these factors, it is therefore understandable that businesses do not always work toward profit maximization, at least in the short term, and other objectives like financial objective, market share, executive power, etc. do involve in business decision making. However, as pointed out by various academics (Baumol, 1962; Marris, 1964; Williamson, 1963), profit maximization does not always serve as the only correct objective for a firm, especially at various phrases of the business on a timeline scale. A point-in-hand is Baumol model. As an alternative to profit maximization model, Baumol model works on the correlation between price and output decision with the objective of maximizing sales revenue, subjected to minimum profit constraint by shareholders. In profit maximization model, profit is maximized at the output where Marginal Revenue (MR) is equaled to Marginal Cost (MC) whereas Baumol Model emphasizes on maximizing sales revenue (TR) and may miss the MC = MR point to achieve its goal. This model argues that businesses try to maximize sales revenues rather than profits with the possible motives such as growing or sustaining market share, to fill up spare capacity, discourage new entrants, management performance and etc. In addition, Baumol model provides a platform to understand some of the pricing strategies adopted by certain industries, which usually share common characteristics of having huge sunk cost and low variable cost. In such industries where fixed cost or sunk cost takes up a huge part of the total cost, producing a single unit and its maximum allowable output (without expanding its capacity in the short term) does not have any significant impact to the total cost. In such instances, profit maximization model is neither practical nor feasible as a focus of the model relies on seeking the output point where MC=MR. In the case of Walt Disney, the operational cost does not differ much whether there is one patronage or maximum allowable patronages as a theme park has to be fully functional during its operation hours, which render the MC at zero or near zero level. The objective of the company to seek sales revenue maximization for the day rather than focusing its effort to achieve the output point where MC=MR to maximize its profit does make sense. This explains the two-part pricing strategy adopted by Walt Disney where a fix initialization fee per entry is charged and allows the patronage to have as many free rides as they wish. Another example is the telecommunication industry, where the initial investment/fixed cost (for example launching the satellite and setting up the infrastructure) is huge, and the variable cost per call is insignificant to the total cost. In such industry, firms will focus on maximizing sales revenue (with constraints to maximum capacity/output) by using strategies like price discrimination strategy. In this strategy, the firms charge a different unit price to peak and off-peak hours, as there is plenty of spare capacity at off-peak hours. Since MC of output is low, any additional revenue that can be generated from this surplus capacity will be profit to the firms. As such instance, it is rational for telecommunication industrial to adopt sales maximization model like Baumol. In addition, as short term capacity is always constraint and limited, telecommunication industries would not want to experience loss sales due to their inability to meet customer demand, especially during peak hour usage. As service providers, consistent and frequent service failure could prove to be fatal in term of their survival and their long-term brand reputation. Therefore it would make sense for telecommunication firms to divert the peak-hours traffic into non-peak hours by using a price discrimination strategy which segments the users based upon their willingness and abilities to pay. For instance, business-users are willing to pay higher price for peak-hours usage due to their inelastic demand whereas in contrast, leisure-users’ demand is elastic and are willing to make call during off-peak hours in return for lower price. By adopting the price discrimination strategy, telecommunication firms are able to maximize sales revenue during peak and off-peak hours by balancing the air-time traffic based upon different market segment of users. At this point, it is also noticeable that one of the characteristics of Baumol firms lies in the perishable products/services offered which cannot be inventoried. The loss sale of the day on the unutilized capacity/outputs is an opportunity cost to the firms. Baumol model is not only applicable to huge/large corporations, but also to small retailers like bakery shop or wet market, which explains the reason why some bakery shops offer a special discount one hour before the shop closed to maximize the revenue. The rationales applied similarly to the low cost carriers (LCC) where price discrimination is used as a strategy to maximize revenue. LCCs sell a cheaper price to early booking passengers and a higher price for last minute passengers to increase the revenue. LCCs used the existence of multiple segments to serve and the opportunity to utilize surplus capacities to generate additional revenue. The adoption of sales revenue maximization model is also used as an effective way of securing additional market share within a regulated market with limited players where market dominance is vital. In related to pricing, add-on product/services like travel insurance, priority boarding and choosing-a-seat are used as bundled offering to the customer to gain extra profit. Firms are willing to earn a smaller profit if it means that they are able to gain a competitive advantage from their rival firms. As an illustration, Fitness club is a good example to elaborate how Baumol model is applied through adopting different pricing strategies. The reasons behind Fitness Club in adopting Baumol model include penetration to new market segments, retaining existing customer and to fill up spare capacity. True Fitness, which is a chained fitness centre, is effectively using Baumol model by offering different pricing strategies to capture different market egments, for instance, offering monthly fees to uncertain-customer and yearly/lifetime membership to certain-customer. Two types of pricing strategies are used by True Fitness to maximum its sales revenue, which are:- i)Two part pricing ( lifetime membership) The company offers a lifetime membership at ? 1. 5K as one-off payment and charges a minimal price of ? 20 yearly as administration/subscription fee. By payi ng a lifetime membership fees as fixed price, the customers are able to enjoy the facilities for life for as low as ? . 67 per month, which no other rivals is able to compete with this low price. As per other industries discussed above, fitness clubs have the similar characteristic like high initial set up cost and low marginal cost to adopt the Baumol model. The company charges an upfront fee to gain maximum consumer surplus and utilizes the yearly subscription fees, which is equaled to the marginal cost/average variable cost, to cover its yearly running costs. In addition, in order to adopt the two-part pricing strategy to maximize sales revenue, the company needs to have a minimum output (also known as critical mass), so that the full consumer surplus can be derived from the fixed fees. For example, if the yearly running cost (without considering the depreciation cost of the initial set up) is ? 200,000, in order to offer a yearly subscription fee of ? 20, the company needs to have a minimum membership of 10,000 in order to reduce the average variable cost/marginal cost to this level. By adopting Baumol model, which gives a higher output with lower price, this is achievable. This pricing strategy is also applicable to other chained-companies where the firms can derive the maximum profit from the fixed fee and use it as capital/investment to set up a new chain store. At the same time, individual chain store is able to run by itself from the revenue derived from the minimal pricing. ii)Price discrimination ( monthly membership vs. lifetime membership) True Fitness segments their customers into certain and uncertain customer by ffering different pricing to monthly and lifetime membership. The club is willing to offer a lower price to customers who are willing to commit, in comparison to uncertain customers. As illustrated in earlier examples, fitness clubs need to fill up spare capacities as any unutilized capacity carried an opportunity cost. With customers’ commitment, they are able to secure their stability in term of both volume and sales revenue. For thos e uncertain customers, the company charges a higher price, which customer willing to pay due to the flexibility and short-term commitment. From the above illustrations, it is apparent that a key characteristic of the Baumol model hinges on the elasticity of demand. As shown, Baumol model uses pricing strategies as a mean to achieve revenue maximization, and is therefore heavily dependent on the price elasticity to achieve the objective of the model If the demand is inelastic, Baumol model will not work as the demand of the product/services will not increase proportionately and therefore the sales revenue will not maximize from the reduction in price. In addition, advertising effect has not been considered in the above examples, which is a common tactic used to increase the inelasticity of demand. The psychological effect of advertising has been proven effective in occupying the mindset of consumers through brand image building, which increase the affiliation of the consumers to certain products/services, thus the inelasticity of the demand. The pointers from the last paragraph are well-illustrated by the Memo 1 example in Baye text book. In this example, it is shown that the price change does not correlate with the demand. By reducing the price from the current, $10. 50 to $10, the subscribers drops from 881 subscribers to 842, causing the revenue to drop from $9251 to $8240 and therefore a profit drop of $614. 5. (Appendix 1). In reverse, the firm should increase the price to $11. 5 to maximize the revenue at $11282 and a price of $12. 5 to maximize the profit at $4734. One of the reasons is due to the advertising and promotional effort from the company which increases the inelasticity of the demand. Secondly, since a loyal group of subscribers has already been amassed, STARZ network functions more as an add-on product to the existing subscribers. The combination of these two factors explained the reason why sales revenues and profit actually increases with price increases. In addition, from the data on STARZ network (Appendix 1), it is apparent that STARZ network does not share the same characteristics of high fixed cost or excess capacity to apply Baumol model. Instead, it seems like advertising or bundled pricing works better for STARZ network rather then price reduction. Further to the points above, Baumol model players are highly susceptible to the price reaction from their rivals, which could easily result in a price-war especially in an oligopolistic market. The existence of a floor triggering price in Baumol model constrained the players from lowering the price too much which will defeat the purpose of revenue maximization. Thus, it is highly unfavorable for Baumol model players to induce a price-cutting reaction from their rivals when they attempt to lower the price. This explained why certain Baumol model players used â€Å"noise† as disguise to their rivals when lowering the price to achieve revenue maximization. To summarize, long-term profit pursuance remains as the ultimate objective for any business. However, due to dissimilar characteristics of different industries, there are various models that can be used to achieve this long-term objective, which explains why certain firms are willing to sacrifice profit today in exchange for profit tomorrow. As illustrated through various examples in this assignment, the application of the correct model for the right industries and at the correct phrase of the company life-cycle becomes an even more important decision for managers to make. With the understanding and knowledge gained through the detailed analysis and critique of Baumol model, an useful insight to the economic rationale adopted by various industries, like Walt Disney, LCC and telecommunication firms is achieved. Bibliography Mercuro, N. , Haralambos, S. Gerald, W. , 1992. Ownership Structure, Value of the Firm and the Bargaining Power of the Manager. Southern Economic Journal, 59(2), pp. 273-83. Baumol, W. J. , 1996. Prediction and the logic of the Averages Variable Cost Test. Journal of Law and Economics, 39(1), pp. 49 – 72. McNutt, P. A. , 2008, â€Å"Signalling, Strategy & Management Type†, Available at: http://www. patrickmcnutt. com/docs/PatrickMcNutt. com_ebook [Accesses 20 Jan 2009]. Baye, M. R. , 2009 . Managerial Economics and Business Strategy. International ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. Conway, L. L. & Craycraft, J. L. , 1974. Sales Maximisation and Oligopoly: A Case Study. Journal of Industrial Economics, 23(2), pp. 81-95. Armstrong, M. & Vickers, J. , 2001. Competitive Price Discrimination. The Rand Journal of Economics, 32(4), pp. 579-605. Oi, W. Y. , 1971. A Disneyland Dilemma: Two-Part Tariffs for a Mickey Mouse Monopoly. The Journal of Economics, 85(1), pp. 77-96. McNutt, P. A.. Management Objectives and Stakeholder Value (Study Guide Unit 1).

Examine the theme of deception in Much ado about nothing Essay

The theme of deceit is apparent throughout the whole play and it helps to propel the plot forward. At the start of the play we are introduced to the idea that there is a gap between illusion and reality when Claudio is described as having â€Å"the figure of a lamb, the feats of a lion.† Despite being youthful, he is deceptively strong. Furthermore, â€Å"Lady Disdain† is presented to the audience as a contented maid, cynical about love â€Å"I would rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loved me.† And Benedick is presented as a man who values his freedom and independence and proclaims that he would never succumb to marriage, he claims if he does his friends are free to â€Å"pluck off the bull’s horns and plant them in my forehead.† Both of these claims are false, as ironically, the two marry at the end of the play. The feuding pair, Beatrice and Benedick form a platform for the theme of deception as beneath the antagonism and mockery lies deep rooted emotions for each other. Their hatred is simply and illusion as a â€Å"false face† is presented to the world. Later in the play their love blossoms and Benedick’s views are ironically transformed â€Å"get thee a wife† Deception is further highlighted where Don Pedro offers to woo Hero on Claudio’s behalf. â€Å"I will assume thy part in some disguise.† Don Pedro’s dominance leaves the reticent Claudio no choice but to accept his offer and under a â€Å"mask† he woos the unsuspecting Hero. Deception is used here to form relationships. Masks are used to confuse illusion and reality in the ball Beatrice speaks openly about her thoughts on Benedick â€Å"why he is the prince’s jester† It is debatable whether Beatrice knows that Benedick is the stranger behind the mask but if she does happen to know this then she is deceiving him to make a fool out of him. In a lighter manner, Benedick and Beatrice are deceived into love by their matchmaking friends. In frivolous Messina the joy of courtship and matchmaking helps to highlight the trivial society in which they exist. Through eavesdropping they listen to false claims about love. Claudio claims that Beatrice is sick in love with Signor Benedick and â€Å"baits the fish† as they reel him in with intrigue and swelling pride. Similarly, Beatrice’s friends hope that â€Å"her ear lose nothing of the sweet bait we lay for it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and both characters are tricked into love as their friends orchestrate a cunning plan. The most prevalent form of deception is used when the malevolent Don John uses deception to break the fragile relationship between Claudio and Hero at the climatic point of the play. He uses the male fear of cuckoldry to forge and administer his plan. Through claiming, †the lady is disloyal† he deceives his brother and encourages Claudio to believe the innocent Hero is â€Å"soiled† deceit is used here to slander an innocent maid. Rather that fall foul to the shame of infidelity, Claudio publically shames Hero and refuses her on the basis that she is a â€Å"rotten orange† again suggesting that outer appearances can be deceptive and she is rotten at the core. This sparks a catalyst for further deceit where Hero â€Å"fakes† her death. False friendships between Claudio and Benedick are exposed â€Å"I must discontinue your company.† and the calm, tolerant Leonato is unveiled to reveal a more aggressive and violent character who fears dishonour and public shame. â€Å"hence†¦let her die!† he would rather his daughter die than face the public humiliation. The tangled web of deceit continues where Leonato insists that Claudio marry his niece who is infact the â€Å"re-born† and cleansed â€Å"Hero† of the story. Claudio is deceived into thinking that his bride is dead. His willingness to accept the unknown, â€Å"Which is the lady I must seize upon?† shows that marriage for social grace is more important than love but also shows his commitment to show remorse. Finally, the very language of Much Ado about Nothing helps to illuminate the key theme of deception as the pomp of the aristocracy and the use of elaborate language encourages the audience to assume a moral and ordered society; yet lurking beneath this lies sinister and deceitful behaviour often born out of jealousy and desire.

The Symbols in the Tell-Tale Heart

01121133 A Professor: Introduction to English Literature and American Literature, Tue 78 Paper1: The Tell-Tale Heart Oct, 23, 2012 The Symbol in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† According to the Norton Introduction to Literature, the definition of symbol is that† A symbol in a work of literature compares or puts together two things that are in some ways dissimilar. A symbol in literature usually carries richer and various meanings, as does a flag or religious image. And because of its significance, a symbol usually appears or is hinted at numerous times throughout the work† (Booth 209).Thus, symbols are used in literature to represent something more than the literal aspect itself. They can come in the form of phrases, colors, objects or events. Through this, the writer can effectively suggest unsaid ideas and meanings to the audience. The use of symbolism serves as clues by the author, to infer something more or a deeper meaning. Therefore, this essay is going to anal yze this story by interpret symbols appeared in the story â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart. † In the story, the narrator claims that he is not mad, but his behavior, thought and words tell a different story.The narrator is determined to kill the old man in the story, not because jealously or animosity but because â€Å"one of his eyes resembled that of a vulture- a pale blue eye, with a film over it† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart). The narrator put the subjective feeling on the eye; the narrator said the old man’s eye is an â€Å"Evil Eye† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart). An eye is covered by a veil or film; it symbolically means that the narrator has issue with the â€Å"inner vision†-what is commonly known as one’s outlook on the world. So our reading of the story is through the eye which is defined by the narrator.Then, when we read the story, we will be leaded by the narrator’ subjective feeling through what the narrator call an† Evil Eyeâ €  (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart). So, one of the old man’s eyes symbolizes the narrator’s world of the heart. According to The Tell Tale Heart, â€Å"I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously — cautiously (for the hinges creaked) –I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. † We could know that the lantern in the story can be adjusted to as much or as little as you want, and the narrator keeps most of light hidden; only allowing one ray to escape.The narrator said,† I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart). The narrator wants to kill the old man because of that eye, so the narrator could only kill the old man when the old man’s eye wide-opened; however, we could know if the old man opens his eye, he will know that the narrator is going to kill him. And, in the story, the narrato r keeps emphasizing that what the behaviors are done is so cautious and that the old man won’t find it. So, the ray from the lantern symbolizes the contradiction in the narrator’s heart.The bedroom is the place where we usually feel safe; most of the time, when we are on the bed, we are usually vulnerable because of a lack of sense of crisis. However, Poe write the bedroom as a dangerous place where might even be killed. It is defined as a burial. The biggest symbol in the story is all the contradictions which symbolize the narrator who is insane. We can see lots of contradiction in this story. First, â€Å"It took me an hour to place my whole head within the opening so far that I could see him as he lay upon his bed† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart).It is really strange to spend an hour placing one’s head within the door. Second, â€Å"I undid the lantern cautiously-oh, so cautiously — cautiously (for the hinges creaked) –I undid it just so much that a single thin ray fell upon the vulture eye. And this I did for seven long nights –every night just at midnight –but I found the eye always closed; and so it was impossible to do the work; for it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart). There are two contradict points in above sentence.One is that everyone should have a consciousness if there is â€Å"a single thin ray† fell upon our eyes; much less, the old man have been done like this lasting for eight days. The other one is that the narrator says that killing the old man only happens when that the old man’s vulture-blue eye is open. But if the old man opens his eye, he will know the narrator is going to kill him, also, when someone knows that you are going to be killed, you may scream or make some big noises or even some body reactions. In this way, this event may be found by others.According to the story, this kind of condition is not a result that th e narrator wants. So we can know these things are contradict. Third,† And the old man sprang up in bed, crying out –â€Å"Who's there? † I kept quite still and said nothing. For a whole hour I did not move a muscle, and in the meantime I did not hear him lie down. He was still sitting up in the bed listening† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart). Generally speaking, after we say â€Å"who’s there? † we usually go check out what happens or keep sleeping if no one answer us. We won’t sit up in the bed listening for a whole hour.Fourth, â€Å"I knew that he had been lying awake ever since the first slight noise† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart), and â€Å"although he neither saw nor heard† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart). One says the old man heard something, the other one says he didn’t hear or see anything. These two sentences conflict to each other. Fifth,† the sound would be heard by a neighbor† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart), and â€Å"it would not be heard through the wall† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart). If the sound would be heard by a neighbor, it would be heard by a neighbor.If the sound would not be heard through the war, it would not be heard by a neighbor. So, we could know these two sentences conflict to each other. Sixth, â€Å"There was nothing to wash out –no stain of any kind –no blood-spot whatever† (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart). The narrator cut off the old man’s head, legs and arms. It is impossible that no blood is on the floor. To sum up, according those contradictions, we could suspect reasonably that the narrator is insane and the narrator doesn’t kill the old man, this whole story is imagined by the narrator.In conclusion, after reading The Tell-Tale Heart, we can know that this story is not only a horrible story, it also teach us every story might have some significant meanings behind them. Reading is not only to understand the meanings on the surf ace but also to think deeply and train our ability of analyzing mentally. We should not be afraid of those symbols, and we shouldn’t be frustrated by those symbols; we should try our best to think about what the writers try to tell us truly. Works Cited Booth, Alison and Kelly J. Mays, eds. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: Norton, 2010. Edgar Allan Poe, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†

The Palestine-Israel Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Palestine-Israel Conflict - Essay Example This can be attributed that the Israeli have been on top of the conflict due to huge support from the Americans. This is true and can also be attested by the number of adults killed in the course of the conflict. Palestinians have had the greater loss in this conflict. In terms of the injuries during the war, Palestine has the highest figures of victims. Israel has a lower number since they own the conflict. These comparisons are nothing to be proud of by the Americans. This is because the American involvement has led to more deaths and devastation for the Palestinians. The number of political prisoners is higher to the Palestinians than the Israeli. Even the destruction of homes, Palestinians have had the greater loss. The difference in these figures is surprising. The Christian-Americans continue to support the non-Christian Israelis and not Muslims since they share Christianity (Caplan 27). In a morally right perspective, Americans should support the Palestinians since the Israel has caused utter inhumanity to the Palestinians. Conclusively, Christian values dictate that these kinds of activities should be

How do terrorists justify their actions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How do terrorists justify their actions - Essay Example It can be understood that a terrorist might not be a born as terrorist. Some factors then in his life could be responsible for his becoming a terrorist and not being any other professional. The activities of the terrorists might not be justified from the point of view of the common people who are killed. However, the actions of terrorists might have their own justifications. A challenge encountering the norms of International Humanitarian Law provides one justification for the acts of terrorists. According to this view, all of the individuals who are considered as non-combatant might not be innocent. These people become targets of such violent measures. Many times the effect of family might be a cause. For example, a child whose father had been a terrorist might in a natural process become a terrorist as well. Many terrorists groups are performing such acts on the name of the All-Mighty. A second justification might arise from the issues of humanity reflecting the terrorist actions to be their fights for humanity. It might also be that the individuals involved in terrorism might possess mental disorders or they are psychologically weak and suffer from lack of power (Saul, 2006). There might be personal factors or at times different situations might be responsible in compelling the individuals to perform such heinous acts. Violent acts can be closely associated with psychological difficulties within an individual (Borum, 2004, p.10). Thus psychological factors may be considered as one serious reason for justifying the acts of terrorists. The group reinforcement is another factor of concern. Many times, the probability or the rate of such performing such acts may increase as an effect of group reinforcement where the terrorist groups may be responsible in compelling an individual to take such measure (Fatout, 1992, p.63). Thus, the group of terrorists in which an individual has become part of might influence the individual to

PUBLICATION DESIGN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

PUBLICATION DESIGN - Essay Example Some of the columns in this magazine include Aesthete, Chronicles of a Spa Junkie, Diary of a Somebody, Finders Keepers, The Haute Seat, The Smart Money, just to mention a few. This magazine has been successful because the content is most familiar to its readers. It is easily relatable to the readers of the columns. This is important because it portrays the content as natural as it can be. It is not the word count that matters in this case but the depth of what has been written that significantly impacts the readers. There is a difference between editorial designs from other designs and that is mostly about the content. The â€Å"How to Spend it† magazine is specifically for luxury lifestyle, the editors are focused on making content known to the readers. In retrospect, for effective publication it was vital that the designer uses the editorial mission in order to communicate the designs in the magazine. This has been well executed; a good example is in the column Technopolis, by Jonathan Margolis, the designs of the Huria bone conductor headphones have been explained in depth to appeal to the reader to read more about the headphones. The headphones intent was for one to listen to music without completely shutting themselves out completely from the world. The descriptions about headphones were accompanied by pictures. The images went a long way into explaining or describing the product. We will not completely ignore the fact that the visuals add a great aspect to the good read from which we derive the content, but it is important to note that the marriage between visuals and content play a much greater role in publication. The importance of all this is to ensure even if the reader is not technology survy at least they will understand the content in the magazine. The publication designs have in so many ways influenced what people think about. They set the tone and mood in our various cultures in the world. Another example can be derived from The Van der p ostings which are an effortless display of luxury products; they are considered a norm and have attempted to attract many into purchasing the products highlighted in the posts. This therefore goes a long way into influencing the culture of a people. This kind of publication design is what makes this magazine to last for long. It is what gives it the staying power (Baines 2002). Marketing communications are nothing compared to design publication because of the depth that design publications portray. They are much richer in communication as they tell a story. In the event that these designs are done ingeniously and creatively by involving a designer, photographer, editor and writer it makes the whole look so smart. Additionally, it has a multiplier effect, whereby the design appears to be more viral and touches everything while making them appear more solid. Garfield (2011) has described fonts in his book to have meanings and create certain impressions. He mentions that fonts today se em to be everywhere and they affect the way one thinks of them in a book, magazine, website or paper. In â€Å"How to Spend it† magazine the typography has been used to describe different content that is being publicized. For instance, in Simon de Burton’s of â€Å"How to Spend it† (2012) column on â€Å"Charging ahead† the font used to describe the topic of the column was

The Right to Water as a Human Right Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Right to Water as a Human Right - Essay Example The question of this essay is â€Å"Should the right to clean water be considered a universal human right? I will discuss on the traditions that provide access to water, pollution of water, as well as the issue of privatization of water. This essay is divided into three sections. The first section addresses the issue of key definitions that relate to the human right to water. In this section, I will also look at the impacts that denial to the right to water can cause as well as the advantages that could arise if water was made an international human right. The second sessions will focus on why I think that making the right to accessibility of safe water a human right would reduce several challenges facing different societies as well as different regions of the world. The third and last section will make a conclusion on the issue of water right as a human right (Hu, 2006). Water is a very crucial necessity for both human as well as other living organisms. The right to water is an iss ue that has being under discussion for a long time. The primary argument is on whether making the right to access safe water a human right would resolve the extreme water scarcity experienced by people in some regions of the world especially in the Middle East and North Africa particularly the Sahara region. A human right is a law that demands for equal allocation of the resources that are considered crucial for human existence. Water right is thus a water law that insists on suitable distribution of water to ensure that all people irrespective of their social, economic, or political status access safe, adequate, and affordable water (Hodgson, 2006). I will discuss several water rights. The rights include the riparian water rights, use-based water rights, as well as water rights on basis of water bodies’ tenure. Riparian right is water rights based on property ownership. Use- based water rights allots the water rights on the bases of laws of torts that demand that access to w ater on hierarchical foundation thus all people do not have equal rights to water. The other water right is based on ownership of water bodies for example in Finland where water bodies are privately owned. However, in Finland flowing water bodies cannot be owned privately which is similar to the Roman Water Law. Inability to access sufficient and clean water in some regions of the world can lead to poor people being deprived of water, even drinking water (Hu, 2006; (Scanlon, Cassar, & Nemes, 2004) Traditional Views on the Right to Water Right through history, different societies strive to make the right to access safe water a human right. Traditionally, the right of water was closely related to land ownership. The roman water law conferred the right to water based on the advantage of owning land near water resources. However, the Roman law was against private possession of running water, an aspect that was present in the European legal traditions. In 533-34 AD, the Institute of Just inian publications posited that water alongside air and wildlife was among the things that could not be owned privately by and individual (Bruns, Ringler, & Meinzen-Dick, 2005). River and water were public properties and only the government had the right to prohibit any person or group of persons from accessing the resource. However, seasonal water sources were considered privately owned by those owning

Children's Literature- focus on language and literacy Essay

Children's Literature- focus on language and literacy - Essay Example He even decided to appear at his own funeral just so as to surprise the people that were mourning him. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a 1876 story set out in Hannibal, Missouri along the Mississippi river. The choice of the setting for the novel is probably influenced by the fact that Mark Twain, the author, lived in the region. The society of Missouri was a peaceful society and that provides a great backdrop for the conflict that Twain draws in his novel between the adults and Tom Sawyer and his buddies who eventually run away in pursuit of their freedom. This novel is directed to young children. Twain deliberately used the present day slang in his writing. He was more interested in communicating effectively to the young ones than in meeting the editorial standards of his time. Here is an excerpt to illustrate this: â€Å"Hang the boy, cant I never learn anything? Aint he played me tricks enough like that for me to be looking out for him by this time? But old fools is the biggest fools there is. Cant learn an old dog new tricks† (Twain 2). I chose to review this book not only because it is considered one of the best American novels but also because it is packed with adventure. The adventure in the book would make any child enjoy reading it. However, the book may easily send the wrong message to the young ones. The fact that the protagonist rebels against every law and still enjoys his life might just inspire children to be rebellious. The carefree attitude that Tom Sawyer has throughout the attitude was meant to show the importance of freedom but this might not be interpreted so by young readers. Parents and educators should therefore play an active role to ensure that the children to not get the wrong message from the novel. This book was written as novel so it is better read individually by the children. However, group readings

New Business Venture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New Business Venture - Essay Example In this case, it is advised to look in for a more structured form of finance rather than unstructured financing option like funds from relatives and friends. This is because structured finance has several advantages which funds from relatives may not have. 2. Decision Making: Moreover, just as in the case of "Gift Baskets", the fund giver has to be given a say in the decision making and strategic moves of the business. This may also result in delay in decision making. 3. Partnership: When one approaches a relative or friend for investment in the business, it is generally done by an offer of partnership. This means an additional person would be there to share the profits of the business. However, the other funding options do not require this. 4. No Expertise: The promoters of the business may be well aware of the industry and the market scenario. However, the relative who contributes to the business capital as an investment may not have similar expertise. This will result in hassles, when some necessary move is to be taken in the business and the relative does not agree with it. 5. Revelation of Secrets: The business happens to be the brain child of the promoters. A partner who can fund your business can as well take up your business idea and start his own business, if the matter is money. Banks are one of the known forms of funding the business financ... Let us now view a couple of structured funding options with their working and risks. Banks are one of the known forms of funding the business finance gap. However, banks are normally considered conservative lenders. One can avail long term loans for premises, machinery, furniture etc. with his choice of payment horizon or short term loans renewed per year for working capital with collateral of stock and book debts. Generally, banks prefer to fund the business on the creditworthiness of the promoter's future scope of the business and the value of the collateral. They also expect secondary collateral in the form of some asset like insurance policies, fixed deposits, land, building etc. Positives Funds happen to be less expensive Bank credit happens to build up reputation of the business A choice of variety of loans suiting business requirements. Integration is possible with other financial services No infringement in business decisions Risks Conservative covenants and condition Delay in sanction of loans Paper work and requirement of business paper fulfilling all laws High collateral or mortgage Venture Capital Venture capitalists look for funding businesses with good future prospects and have an aim of having good returns through capital appreciation. This requires a solid and clear business plan with a long term view. However, they would also intend to have certain rights of control over the business. But, it would be right to note that, it would be in the best interest of the business as they are typically intending to make good out of their investment so as to make the business flourish to give them returns on their investment. The positive side of this source of finance is the good amount of availability and the risk involved is that of

Mass Media Effects Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mass Media Effects - Assignment Example various advertisements like Coca-Cola which infiltrates the mind with regular visit to the site and makes the interfaceof the various websites attractive.Through this, mass media gets its way into the people of different walks of life. The advertisements featuring Coca-Cola involve participation of the young generation at their prime with a lot of energy.The other one involve all age groups and the obvious audience in this advertisement is the young population of the Coca-Coala global market who would like to associate themselves with such an imaginary life full of entertainment. The values associated with the advertisement is all about team spirit and cultural diversity and this is the common denominator between the two adverts. From the example of the role of media in spreading Nazi propaganda against the Jews, it can be seen that mass media is one of the most lethal tool for influencing behavior of the mass(Cogan, Brian, and Tony Kelso,168) .A typical recent experience of the effect of Media is the congoing Arab revolution that stated with media incitement of the citizens through social netwoirking sites like facebook and ther. The Rwandan genocide of 1994 in Africa is also a quick remind of the influence of mass media in confusing people. The same influence of media has been used over time by some media channels like Aljazeera to propagate anti US ideas.US on the other hand uses the same tool like the live broadcast of the attack on AlQaeda mastermind to show the world its efforts towards elimination of terrorism. Media manipulaytes the psychology of a mass and once the majority shows interest towards a given course of action then any other antagonist or different idea islikely to be overwhelmed in an individual hence being swept into the opinion of the mass. Tis is the concept applied in political propaganda and

Evaluate the economic impact of free immigration on a receiving country Essay Example for Free

Evaluate the economic impact of free immigration on a receiving country Essay Impact of free immigration on the economic prospects still remains vague as experts provide juxtaposing view and arguments but it clearly manifest that immigration has a deep impact on the economy of a country. (Borjas, 1995) Migrants pay taxes, claim benefits, consume services and these results in the amplification of government spending. If the balance between the payment of taxes by these immigrants and government expenditure disturbs, then it results into the fiscal deficit. This can have adverse effects on the country’s economy. But studies (Home Office, 2007) showed that this balance remained migrants. This study says that â€Å"in the long run, it is likely that the net fiscal contribution of an immigrant will be greater that that of a non-immigrant† (Home Office, 2007; 10) Another added advantage of free immigration is the provision of labour. It remained a prime source of additional labour supply in the past and will serve the purpose of increasing productivity ion future. Free immigration often occurs due to economic needs and these migrants remain enthusiastic and productive within the workplace. Legrain is of the view that ‘when workers from poor countries move to rich ones, they too can make use of rich countries’ superior capital and technology, so they become more productive’ (Legrain, 2006; 64) Skilled and experienced migrants contribute in another way i. e. interaction between people with different experiences and ideas will supplement innovation and efficiency and production will increase. Furthermore, Migrants will produce a consuming class that boost productivity and will maintain/increase the economic growth rate. Legrain says, ‘Immigrants with different skills and abilities allow us to consume goods and services that were not previously available or consume existing goods and services at much lower prices’ (Legrain, 2006; 68). Although free immigration may have some adverse affects on the economy in the short-term but above-mentioned arguments and past studies shows that it has positive impact the macroeconomics inn the long term.

Collecting DNA Evidence Essay Example for Free

Collecting DNA Evidence Essay For many years, fingerprints were the gold standard for linking suspects to a crime scene. Today, the gold standard is DNA evidence because DNA can be collected from virtually anywhere. Even a criminal wearing gloves may unwittingly leave behind trace amounts of biological material. It could be a hair, saliva, blood, semen, skin, sweat, mucus or earwax. All it takes is a few cells to obtain enough DNA information to identify a suspect with near certainty. For this reason, law enforcement officials take unusual care at crime scenes. Police officers and detectives often work closely with laboratory personnel or evidence collection technicians to make sure evidence isnt contaminated. This involves wearing gloves and using disposable instruments, which can be discarded after collecting each sample. While collecting evidence, officers are careful to avoid touching areas where DNA evidence could exist. They also avoid talking, sneezing and coughing over evidence or touching their face, nose or mouth. The following list shows some common sources of DNA evidence: A weapon, such as a baseball bat, fireplace poker or knife, which could contain sweat, skin, blood or other tissue A hat or mask, which could contain sweat, hair or dandruff A facial tissue or cotton swab, which could contain mucus, sweat, blood or earwax A toothpick, cigarette butt, bottle or postage stamp, all of which could contain saliva A used condom, which could contain semen or vaginal or rectal cells Bed linens, which could contain sweat, hair, blood or semen A fingernail or partial fingernail, which could contain scraped-off skin cells When investigators find a piece of evidence, they place it in a paper bag or envelope, not in a plastic bag. This is important because plastic bags retain moisture, which can damage DNA. Direct sunlight and warmer conditions may also damage DNA, so officers try to keep biological materials at room temperature. They label the bags with information about what the material is, where it was found and where it will be transported. These are chain-of-custody procedures, which ensure the legal integrity of the samples as they move from collection to analysis. Analysis occurs in a forensic laboratory, the topic of our next section.

Market share of banglalink

Market share of banglalink 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Origin of the Report This report is the accomplishment of the class assignment program as required for the completion of the PGDBA TERM 2 course at College of Technology London.Project for the program was assigned by the institutions course teacher Carole Still 1.2 Objective of the Report Objective of this report is to give a general idea about the organization, business and operations of Banglalink, a mobile telecommunication company and to explore information about the market position, Marketing strategy and measures to improve the product and services of Banglalink. 1.3 Company Overview in Brief Banglalink was formed in 2005 by the Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) under the registered name â€Å"Banglalink. Before that it was called Sheba Telecom Ltd. In February 10, 2005 the company changed its name to Banglalink, as a part of global think process. In Bangladesh Banglalink is a very fast growing telecommunication company. The major products and services of the company are listed below: General prepaid Ladis first prepaid Misti Kamala Upper Class Professional SME and SOHO Package Corporate post paid package. The company has customer care center in Dhaka and Chittagong. The corporate Head Office is located at 28, Gulshan, Land View Tower, Gulshan Circle-2, Dhaka. Banglalink is a subsidiary of Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) which is a leading mobile telecommunications company operating in nine emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Established in 1998, the company has acquired nine operating licenses in this region. With nearly 520 million people and an average mobile telephony penetration of only 5% falling under these licenses, Orascom Telecom has positioned itself as a leading telecommunications conglomerate in the emerging markets of this region. The organization has managed to build an amazing subscriber base of around 15 million in just a short span of six years by the end of 2005. 1.4 Methodology Both primary and secondary sources of information were used for this report. For the organization part secondary sources were the major source, whereas for the project part primary sources of data had used. Primary data were collected through personal interviews to target groups, which include Banglalink employees, distributors and customers. Open ended, close ended, structured questionnaire were used for collecting information at different stages of the report for different groups. For example, interviews with employees for organization part included open‑ended nonstructural questions, but for project part close‑ended structured questions were the majority. However, most of the questions were direct and non‑disguised in nature. Stratified random sampling method was used in the survey. Sample size was 75. Data analysis techniques used for the project part included graphical presentations, frequency distributions, percentage ranking, cross tabulations and normal distributions. Data was analyzed by MS Excel. 1.5 General Limitations Resource Constraints Efforts have been made to accomplish the project according to the objectives. But as the research team consisted of only one member, therefore, it was difficult to cover areas in detail. Moreover, there was constraint of other resources also. Time Limitation The type of study required a detail interview of customers and retailers. Difficulty was faced in getting access to this different group of people. Manpower Limitations This type of work requires extensive fieldwork. Due to lack of adequate manpower it was very difficult to work with large sample. Efforts have been made to accomplish the project in accordance with its objectives. But as the research team it consisted of only one member, therefore, there were difficulties to cover more details. 1.6 Report Preview The report is divided into two different parts. First part of the report is the organization part, which will give a general picture of the organization Banglalink as a whole, including the businesses it does. The other part is the project part, is assigned by the organization to fulfill the requirement of the internship as well as the need of the company. The topic is â€Å"Analysis of Marketing Strategy, Market Share and Future Action Plan of Banglalink. In this regard, four packages namely; Ladis First, Misti Kamala, Upper Class and SOHO-SME were considered. VIEW OF BANGLALINK 2.1 General Information The company aims to make a difference in the lives of the people. Its vision is to â€Å"understand peoples needs best and will create and deliver appropriate communication services to improve peoples life and make it easier†. Their mission is, therefore, to reduce the total cost of ownership of buying and using a mobile phone. Moreover, to achieve this vision, the company has established some values that it tries to instill in its employees. They want their employees, and the company as a result, to be straight forward, reliable, innovative and, above all, passionate. As Sheba Telecom, the worst performing network operator in the industry, the company had only 30,000 subscribers. To dispel this image, OTH had re-branded Sheba as Banglalinkâ„ ¢ in an attempt to give it a completely new image. Finally, they have successfully achieved their goal. With that kind of a reputation at its disposition, the Banglalinkâ„ ¢ management has placed one of the highest priorities on improving its network. In this respect, they have installed state-of-the-art equipment from Siemens and Huawei and brought in over 1,000 people, including experts, from 15 countries around the world to set up the required infrastructure. The system took a record of four months (less than half the normal time) to build. In 2005 alone, Orascom plans to invest $120 million, earmarking close to another $300 million for future investments. 2.2Vision Banglalink understands peoples needs best and will create and deliver appropriate communication services to improve peoples life and make it easier 2.3 Values They have the following four underlying organizational values. Straight Forward Reliable Innovative Passionate 2.4.1Marketing The Marketing team also consists of several teams, which includes PR Communications, VAS, Loyalty Retention and International Roaming. The teams all report to Omer Rashid, the Marketing Director. The Loyalty Retention team is responsible for the designing of the special offers launched from time to time in an attempt either to increase customer base or to increase ARPU. The VAS division is responsible for the continuously adding valuable services to provide a complete solution to existing customers, for example, for making conference calling ring tone/logo downloads possible. These two teams together are in charge of making the customers experience with our network more satisfying. PR Communication is responsible for designing and developing all promotional materials for the marketing of any new product/package and any other activities. They coordinate and work directly with the advertising agency and other vendors. While other companies have an entire department for promotions and branding, at Banglalinkâ„ ¢ this division, consisting of only a handful of people is responsible for this task. Although Banglalinkâ„ ¢ does not have any International Roaming facility now, this team is working on developing the service soon for post-paid subscribers. 2.4.2Human Resources Aside from recruiting and training employees, the HR department is also responsible for disseminating internal communication to all users and in the process of developing compensation packages for its employees, such as medical insurance under the group plan, life insurance and running several activities such as the Vaccination Program for all. Training activities are continuously taking place to develop and hone the skills knowledge of the personnel, such as the English Language MS Project Courses for selected employees and conducting a GSM Orientation session for all employees, especially the Sales, Marketing Customer Care Departments who have to deal with customers. 2.4.3Customer Care Rumana Reza, the only female director in the organization, is the head of the Customer Care department. This too is segmented, consisting of the Customer Care division itself, and then there is Care Line, Credit Management Unit and the Support Services Unit. They are responsible for handling customer queries and providing solutions to any problems faced by the subscribers. While the above departments are all located in the headquarters in Gulshan 2, the Customer Care people are divided between the head office and the Call Center (Star Tower) between Gulshan-1 and Gulshan-2. 2.4.4T Billing The IT Billing department, as is evident from the name, is in charge of all the hardware, software and program requirement of the other departments. They also generate the bills for the company subscribers (post-paid). 2.4.5Administration Apart from the Administration division, the department also consists of the Legal division and the Project Management Office. 2.4.6Finance The finance department is the largest department at the head office with an entire floor devoted to their needs. They consist of the Procurement Cash Management divisions among many others. 2.5 Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats (SWOT) Analysis 2.5.1 Strengths Huge capital investment: As mentioned earlier, Orascom Telecom has great plans for Banglalinkâ„ ¢. Wherever OTH has gone, it has become the industry leader there or is on its way there. A possible explanation is that the organization kicks of its companies with a huge capital outlay to help get rid of or solve all the hitches. In 2005 alone, Orascom will invest $180 million, earmarking close to another $300 million for future investments. Expertise: As mentioned earlier, OTH had over 1000 people, including 15 experts, working on the infrastructure to get the company started in a record four months. These experts, with several years of experience in the telecom industry, now help in the day-to-day operation of the business. Tight control over sales process: Many people in the industry do not know the sales process, since its is dealt by their distributors and dealers. However, with the Direct Sales Booth, the people involved know the sales process intimately and are responsible for achieving the sales target and project implementation, thus giving the company a strong control over the process. 2.5.2 Weaknesses Network: The greatest weakness of Banglalinkâ„ ¢ and also the most widely criticized service is its network. While the reception is quite clear when the user is out of doors, once inside, the reception breaks up. The worst part is the company has entered a market where the industry leader has been reigning supreme for years now and people are bound to compare the leaders services with Banglalinks performance, even if it is fairly new to the market. People tend to forget that it had taken the leader more than three years since its start to provide its subscribers with a decent connection; hence it is with Grameens present performance that Banglalinkâ„ ¢ is compared and sure enough the latter does not fare well. Unorganized structure: OTH bought off Sheba (Pvt.) Limited last September and immediately started changing the structure of the loosing concern. They are constantly recruiting people, adding/deleting levels to the organogram. Thus, the environment is constantly chaotic, with many people not knowing who to contact or whom to report to and who is responsible for what. This takes away time and energy away from the selling activities. Inadequate human resources: While many people drop off their CVs at the office on a regular basis, finding sufficient numbers of people, with the correct qualifications, has become hard to find. Hence, a handful of people are doing the work of many leading to back log of work. Bureaucracy: The new management is trying to create a system where each individual is responsible and accountable for his duties. While it is a good idea, it has also created a bottleneck at the administrative financial level, where work gets stuck and stays stuck until all papers are properly signed and taken care of. 2.5.3 Opportunities Re-invent itself: As mentioned earlier, the company created a strong buzz when it entered the market. Previously an unknown entity, many people now know of the existence of Orascom Telecom. They have done their studies and know that OTH stands for success. Thus, the people are ready to see Banglalinkâ„ ¢ as a total different entity from its predecessor and are willing to give it another chance to re-invent its image in the market; not an issue to be taken lightly by the company. 2.5.4 Threats Price wars: While in the true sense it had been Banglalinkâ„ ¢ who started this price war with its M2M package, it has created a series of price cuts that many cannot afford. After eight years of high call charges, Grameen has finally decreased its rates. BTTB has also entered this battle with Teletalk Bangladesh Limited. With free TT incoming and outgoing, this is sure to become popular once it gains access to other operators networks. 3.0 INTRODUCTION OF PROJECT 3.1 Background of the Study Bangladesh has one of the lowest tele-density and the lowest telephone penetration rates in the world and even in the South Asia. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report, the telecommunication revenue as a percentage of the GDP is also low in Bangladesh compared to the other regional countries. Among the SAARC countries per 100 inhabitants Maldives has the highest tele-density while Bangladesh has the lowest. There are five telephone operators in Bangladesh at the moment. Among them one is Government owned telephone operator: Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) and the other four are privately owned companies namely Grameen Phone Ltd. Telecom Malaysia International Bangladesh (TMIB) Sheba Telecom Ltd and Pacific Bangladesh Telecom Ltd. (PBTL). Banglalink is a subsidiary of Orascom Telecom Holding (OTH) which is a leading mobile telecommunications company operating in nine emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Established in 1998, the company has acquired nine operating licenses in this region. With nearly 520 million people and an average mobile telephony penetration of only 5% falling under these licenses, Orascom Telecom has positioned itself as a leading telecommunications conglomerate in the emerging markets of this region. The organization has managed to build an amazing subscriber base of around 15 million in just a short span of six years by the end of 2004. The present situation of market share, marketing strategy and action plan of Banglalink is the basis of this study. 3.2 Problem Statement The problem statement of the research is, â€Å"analysis of marketing strategy, market share, future prospect and action plan of banglalink† 3.3 Scope of the Study The research is limited within the some selected product of Banglalink and it is confined in Dhaka city only. There are number of product of existing telecom operators having varied features. This study covered some fast moving products namely; Ladies first, Misti Kamala, Upper Class and SOHO-SME packages of Banglalink. 3.4 Limitations of the Study The area of the research was too scattered to reach conveniently for gathering information within the specified time of the internship. However efforts were made to limit the area of observation through sampling method and experience judgment. Target populations of the research were not enough knowledgeable to understand and explain the required information needed from them. The studies were carried out on four products namely ladies fast, upper class, orange sweated and ipack. The researcher scope was not enough to amalgamate the whole strategy including all products. 3.5 Exploratory Research To formulate research objectives an extensive measure to unearth the real situation was under taken in the form of exploratory research. The secondary data analysis and the pilot survey i.e. the interviews with the company people, dealers, retailers and customers were the major types of exploratory research that were followed to reach the research objectives. This research is based on qualitative method. After formulating the problem statement, a detailed background study was conducted. This background survey helped to determine the specific objectives. 3.5.1 Checklist Keeping the problem statement in view and the preliminary research being an unstructured one, a number of questions in the form of checklist had been formulated. This checklist had been the main tool for asking relevant questions to the primary data sources to formulate the operational definition of the problem statement and precisely find out the area of study. Perception of customers about different operators of Bangladesh and the selected products of Banglalink were found from the checklist. 3.5.2 Exploratory Research Findings From of exploratory research the following points were discovered: Banglalink made a huge splash in the Bangladesh mobile industry on February 12, 2005. Banglalink made the mobile service affordable to the general people at a cost of only Tk 3400, which is the lowest in the market. About 12% of the market share is occcupied by the Banglalink. Presently, Banglalink is selling SIM at a price of Tk. 132 only, which is the lowest in the industry. The Banglalink connections also allow subscribers 125% credit limit where all other counterparts allow only 100%. It means that a client can talk upto 125% of his deposit in case of postpaid connection. 55% of the customers expressed that strength of network is the prime factor for choosing a particualr mobile operators among the existing competitors. About 78% of present customer were satisfied with the service of Banglalink. Higherst stisfaction rate found among the GP subscribers. More than 30% of the total customers willing to switch Banglalink from other mobile operators. About 10% of the customers expressed that there is an assoiation between higher sales and lower call charge of Banglalink. 3.3 Research Objectives After considering all the relevant aspects research objectives are formulated as under: Broad Objective Broad objective of the present study is to have an idea about the marketing strategy of mobile telecommunication industry of Bangladesh to survive in the competitive world, especially in the case of Banglalink. Specific Objectives Specific objectives of the study are as follows: To explore the market share and position of Banglalink in the mobile industry of Bangladesh. To explore the business level marketing strategy of Banglalink. To assess the perception of customers toward the product of services of Banglalink. To explore the strength and weakness of Banglalink in comparison of other mobile operators. To explore the growth potentiality of Banglalink To explore the future action plan of Banglalink to be the market leader in the telecommunication industry. 3.7 Literature Review Review of related literature in any research is a necessity in the sense that it provides an opportunity for reviewing the stock of knowledge and information to the proposed research. These knowledge and information give a guideline in designing the future research problem and validating the new findings. With this end in view, literature and research works in line with the present study, were searched in the relevant libraries, research institutes, offices and websites (internet). attractive packages to the customers. A significant change has been taken place in the mobile telecommunication sector after launching the Banglalink in the industry. At this moment, all operators are trying to keep their products at the top position. Present study will help to identify the strategic competitiveness and pitfalls of Banglalink and to find out the new horizon to be the market leader in the industry. 4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS AND PROPOSALS 4.2 Recommendations It was found that few operators in the market are trying to meet the growing demand of the city dwellers need for communication. For the high demand of the mobile phone there are many unmeet demand are waiting to acquire. Banglalink has to run to meet those demand of customers by providing the product and services at a affordable and minimal price. People are gradually becoming informed about the value of information and understand the fact that timely access to the right information slants the balance of market information in their favor. Governments of developing countries in general and Bangladesh in particular, have to address this issue of increased basic telecommunication connectivity to keep its population in the fast track of economy. Finally researcher has suggested (Proposed) few points to make telecommunication industry healthy: It is better to Promote competition and investment by private firms. The company has to ensure access to advanced services in rural and high-cost areas. It has to ensure access to advanced services for schools and libraries also. Provide and promote education of what telecommunications and information services can do and how to use them. Banglalink has a threat of price war from its competitors. In fact, mobile telecommunication industry has tremendous competition. All operators are coming up with different attractive products and services. So, it has to consider the following point to be a market leader in future: Strengthening the network system. Expand the coverage as soon as possible. Launch less product rather than multiple products at tie. Add value to particular product. Reduce the call charge. Tariff should be user-friendly and comprehensive. Billing system should be improved. Improve the standard of advertisement. Advertisement should be more appealing. Spend money wisely to minimize the cost which leads to maximize the profit. 4.3 Conclusion With respect to the identification of the market position of Banglalink from the above study it can conclude that Banglalink possesses about 12% of the market share in the telecommunication industry. It was found from the study that 37% GP subscribers want to change because of call charge, 24% GP subscribers want to change for TT connection, 13% GP subscribers want to change for product features. 37% Aktel subscribers reason to change is network coverage, 26% respondents change for call charge, 21% respondents change for product features and rest respondents changes for TT, billing system etc. A large number of CityCell subscribers like 61% subscribers want to change for network coverage, 22% CityCell subscribers change for call charge, rest for other reasons. 71% Banglalink subscribers reason to change is network coverage, 8% Banglalink subscribers change for call charges Bibliography Books: Malhotra, Naresh K. Marketing Reseach, 5th Edition, Prentice-hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi, 2000 Kotler PhilipChase, Marketing Management, Millennium Edition, Prentice-hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi, 2000 Lesikar, Ramond V. Flatley, Marie E. Basic Business Communication: Skills for Empowering the Internet Generation, 10th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2006-2007. Fred R. David. â€Å"Strategic Management†, 10th Edition, Prentice Hall of India (PHI) Internet Resources: www.banglalink.com

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Retributive justice is a type of justice, which believes a punishment should be both rightful and proportionate to the immoral act. This type of retribution is similar to that of the concept â€Å"what goes around, comes around† and is prominent is various unethical acts such as an individual committing the act murder and then going to prison. Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and William Shakespeare’s King Lear are perfect examples of literature that integrate retributive justice into the plot. Both literary works have characters that make similar decisions and therefore go through similar experiences: they make poor decisions, ignore their conscience, and seek personal justice. The role of retributive justice is evident within both The Kite Runner and King Lear and becomes clear through the outcomes of Baba and Lear’s poor decision-making. At the beginning of the novel, Amir characterizes his father as an honest, wealthy man with strong moral values; in fact, Baba spends a lot of time trying to impose his goodness onto Amir. An important turning point of the story for Amir is when Rahim Khan shares a horrifying truth; Baba is a sinner and goes against his beliefs by lying about Hassan’s birth. At first, the reader assumes that Baba keeps Hassan’s birth a secret so he is not frowned upon for having an affair with Ali’s wife. Although Baba tries to make up for his poor decision, he still experiences retributive justice by losing Hassan and Ali: â€Å"Then I saw Baba do something I had never seen him do before: He cried†¦ I’ll never forget the way Baba said that, the pain in his plea, the fear.† (Hosseini 107). B aba never lets go of the fact that he loses his son: â€Å"I wish Hassan had been with us today† (Hosseini 133). Baba does not say anyt... ...eventually decides to try to become the preferred child by plotting his brother and father against one another. As the play progresses, Edmund eventually desires kingship and is willing to do anything to gain power, which includes using both sisters: â€Å"To both these sisters have I sworn my love;/ each as jealous of the other, as the stung/ Are of the adder. Which of them shall I take? / Both? One? Or neither? / Neither can be enjoyed/ If both remain alive.† (V. i. 56-59) Immediately the audience can sense that Edmund is slowly being consumed by his ambition and the chain of events that he causes through the play is to blame for his eventual death. Once again, it is unusual for death to be a form of retributive justice; however, Edmund brings death upon himself. His traitorous acts towards several of the characters- specifically Edgar- backfires, and for that he dies.

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Tara J. Yosso’s book Critical Race Counterstories along the Chicana/ Chicano Educational Pipeline uses a unique set of critical race counterstories focused on teachers and students in the Chicana / Chicano community. It reveals a great deficiency in appropriate U.S. education and investment but demonstrates the richness of the culture of minorities and interest in innovative approaches to education. This innovative work, in comparison to works published by many leading researchers, uses critical race theory to give stories along the educational pipeline from primary school to university. It is an absorptive work giving voices to the largest minority in the United States, presenting the latest demographic research on the status of Chicana / Chicano students’ education at the time of its publication in 2006. Within the first chapter, we are presented with the foundation for this research and the sad reality of Chicana/ Chicano education within the United States. In the U.S. the group with the lowest educational progress is the fastest growing racial / ethnic minority population – in o...

The Spoils ( A Look At The Islamic Faith) :: essays research papers

The Spoils of God   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Islamic faith, if one is a true believer they will be dignified and forgiven, and a generous provision will be made for them by God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Quran refers to the spoils as to belonging to God and the Apostle. The spoils being treasures of war and fights for justice. Muslims believe that God sends them on these missions and gives them the courage and strength to overcome their opponent. In the end they are told that it was not them who had slain the unbelievers but God. To help his people, God would have the caravans of unbelievers, who were to be attacked, seem smaller. This would heighten the Muslim’s courage that would have faltered at the sight of the large band. God’s presence is very important to the Muslim community. These reassuring stories help aid the Muslim’s in their correlation with religion and politics. In saying that God was supportive and responsible for these actions takes away from their accountability and liability of the situations. The Quran also makes a point of saying that God would punish those who did not believe and those who did not follow. The Muslims feel the presence of God in their actions but are still aware of his power and superiority. He is their strength and pillar but can also be their damnation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  God, or as the Muslims call him Allah, is everything the Muslims are not and in return they are everything he is not. This separation does not hinder God’s activity in human affairs. God is the almighty. Nothing can compare to his greatness. He is the creature and a teacher. He is a confidant and a leader. He is everywhere. God takes on many human qualities, such as anger and love but according to the Quran he is everything we are not. God adapts his ways for us to easily understand him. We are meek and would never be able to realize or appreciate his greatness if he was shown to us in his true form. God owes nothing to us and we owe everything to him. That is a main point of the Quran, the Torah, and even the Bible.

Human Kind and Extraterrestrial Life Essay

For centuries ever since man has first looked up at the night sky and wondered what other things existed beyond Earth he has continued to explore the heavens in search for answers. Over a few hundred years the quest for truth has yield substantial amounts of data. It is true that ancient astronomers did nothing more than just attribute mythical and religious meaning to different celestial phenomena. Stars have been given their respective names—a group of them are even linked to gods and mythical figures as constellations, and were used as a timetable for various human activities like navigation and agriculture. However, the improvements in modern astronomy have changed the rules of the game from mere nomenclature to a more profound exploration of space and the myriad possibilities that it brings. The quest for knowing other life outside the planet has never been more exciting and providential as it had been before. Slowly we are beginning to realize that the chances that there are advanced life-forms out there waiting to be discovered are significantly high to support the claim that we are not alone. To say that the entire universe is a big place is to make the biggest scientific understatement. Science has revealed that the universe is so big that there are no mathematical figures to approximate its size. In order to define the known borders of space there is a need to express terms in a special unit called a Light: Or the distance that light travels in one year. Recently, the Hubble Space telescope has pegged the perimeter and edges of the universe to a width of millions and millions of light years (O’Brien, â€Å"Long Live Hubble†). Such distance alone beggars description. Within that given space, there are billions of individual galaxies each with roughly 400 million stars in the system on average. There could be less but there could also be a dozen times more. At any rate, there are an estimated millions of stars with planetary systems like our own. Roughly a fraction of a percent of that number may have planets that host organic elements of life both simple and complex. Some of the complex life-forms may evolve into intelligent life capable of developing competent scientific knowledge and even perhaps communicate with their neighbors using advanced radio technology just like we had been doing at the turn of the last century. Planet Earth appears to be the only planet in the Solar System viable for life. Most planets have noxious environments and harsh atmospheres. Our closest planetary neighbors, Mars and Venus, are either too cold or too hot (Sagan, â€Å"Heaven and Hell†, 76-79). The primordial soup which made life on Earth possible will freeze or dry up anywhere else in the Solar System. Indeed, religion waxes poetic that our world is an astounding and thought-provoking miracle of life. However, evolutionary scientists would say that we are just fortunate that the environment, at one point of our planet’s history, has been conducive to the formation of life and the same has not been interrupted by any outside cause (Dawkins 19). Some planets in other stars may theoretically be as lucky to be able to give rise to life, and theoretically intelligent beings too (21). But just like Mars, Venus and other planets in the Solar System, the chances of life are rare. Even with Earth alone, the statistics reflect how fragile the occurrence of life began millions of years ago. Unless there are kinds of biological species that can withstand even extreme environments and thus would continue to develop despite harsh conditions, then Earth life might just all there is in the universe. Thanks to recent discoveries, however, scientists are inclined to believe that a certain kind of bacterium can live in the highest or lowest temperatures, impervious to both heat and cold, makes it possible that life may still develop or artificially introduced in Mars and Venus or elsewhere regardless of hostile environments (Sagan 9). If that is the case, the chances of life may be higher than previously expected. While scientists are busy in attempting to find life out there, the rest of the world is perpetually fascinated with the idea of the existence of extraterrestrial life. Science fiction and Hollywood movies are in the forefront of providing us with hypothetical images and scenarios of aliens visiting our planet. Alien invasion is one of the most titillating themes that fire up our imagination. H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds and Steven Spielberg’s Independence Day bespeak both our universal desire to feel that we are not alone and the irrational fear that beings more intelligent than us would destroy the planet. The realm of the unknown viz. extraterrestrial life has never been simultaneously awe-inspiring and scary. In addition, fiction writers and film-makers present extraterrestrial beings as creatures that appear, behave and live entirely different from humans. Similarly, if we are to accept the premise that conditions for life in other planets were vastly peculiar, then it is fair to expect that the aliens would probably have tentacles, communicate through ESP, possess superhuman powers, spit venomous saliva, eat through metal or have human like bodies but with pasty white skin and large, black oval eyes. Although they seem to be portrayed differently, the literature on aliens share the common feature that they are antagonistic creatures out to invade and kill all humans Scientists theorize that if other life-forms were capable of making interstellar travel they must have evolved as a species and as a civilization to eschew violence. Otherwise, if such aliens were warmongers as movies and science fiction stories would suggest, then they would have obliterated themselves way before they have developed complex means of space travel. In fact, alien tourists, if there have been some, would have more reasons to fear us than we would have to fear them. Carl Sagan writes that it is more likely â€Å"that the mere fact that they have survived for so long is because they have learned to live with themselves and others† (258). Similarly, he adds that perhaps our fears reflect our own backward thinking as a civilization, â€Å"an expression of our guilty conscience about our past history: The ravages against civilizations only slightly backward than we† (259). In other words, the conquests done by Western civilization against their contemporaries time and again are so imbedded in our history that we expect advanced life-forms to have the same colonizing tendencies. The fascination for extraterrestrial life grows with such gusto that several years after alien hype has reached feverish pitch, numerous sights Unidentified Flying Objects all over the world have been reported. Likewise, people claim to have been abducted and subjected to strange experiments by our curious alien visitors. The encounters are few and far between but each of them fuels our imagination. Thus far, none of the sightings have been confirmed to be true although we desperately believe that one or two are real (Cook, â€Å"UFO’s: the Secret Evidence†). As several critics of alleged alien encounters rightly observes, the relation between alien encounters and weird and wacky people who report them only proves the fact that these reports are a hoax. Meanwhile, humanity has yet to mature as a civilization before we even begin to welcome other intelligent species. Accordingly, science fiction writers posit the theory of the Fermi paradox stating the reason why aliens have not paid us a visit is because they, â€Å"the advanced alien community has cordoned off the earth in a galactic nursery, until the time that we have reached an adequate stage, ready for contact† (Tee, â€Å"Extraterrestrial Life†). Yet scientists and writers remain optimistic about the existence of intelligent life-form. The famous Drake equation translates the possibility of extraterrestrial life into a mathematical formula where N is the number of advanced civilizations in our Milky Way galaxy. It is the product of values assigned with respect to the number of stars in the galaxy, the fraction of which that have planetary systems, a percent of which are suitable for substantial biological formation, the probability that life arises, the variable pertaining to its evolution, intelligence and further multiplied to the reasonable time that intelligent life is able to survive taking into account the possibility of self-eradication due to wars, environmental changes and the like (Ford, â€Å"What is the Drake Equation? †). The value of N could be any number more than one what with the number of stars and galaxies in the universe. Even if the estimate hovers on an insignificant value of 1 or 3, the prospect, that one or more planetary systems have intelligent life and such have survived and evolved into complex societies, is truly astonishing. The statistical computation of the probability that Extraterrestrial beings exist leaves little to the imagination. Scientists are convinced that life exists in other planets that they have established extravagant methods of getting in touch with them. One of the most ambitious projects of making contact to outer beings to date is the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) program. The name of the project sums up what it sets out to do—to search the heavens for signs of intelligent life. It sends radio signals and broadcasts them to specified points in space, such as candidate stars and planets. 50 years of sending the messages, a reply has yet to be received. Of course, this does not disprove the claim of alien life, what with the distance that the radio signals have to travel to and fro the recipient, but rather, this only inspires other scientists to develop quicker and more effective means of communication (Shostak, â€Å"Finding Them, Finding Us†). In addition, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been continuously sending golden discs into outer-space, ever since it sent the first men into the moon, containing details about human civilization and how far it has progressed (Sagan 264-265). To this day, the discs hurl into the infinite void with the hope of one day crash-landing into a planet with beings capable of deciphering the code. We have long been fixated on our earthly problems and conflicts, and took pride with all our achievements, but the moment that contact is made, the event would change how we look at ourselves and how we appreciate our place in the universal magnitude of things. If before we could not care much about how badly we treat our close neighbors in the planet, we might fare better as an intelligent species by the mere thought that we are not alone. As such, we have to find ways to learn how to live peacefully and progress scientifically if only to survive long enough to meet our interstellar neighbors. Nevertheless, the question whether or not there is extraterrestrial life remains to be answered conclusively, whether we are alone or not: Either conclusion is mind-boggling. Works Cited Cook, Nick. UFO’s: The Secret Evidence. 18 Mar. 2006. BBC Online Documentaries. 1 May 2008 . Dawkins, Richard. The Selfish Gene. London: Oxford University Press, 1990. Ford, Steve. â€Å"What is the Drake Equation? † Aug. 1995. The SETI League. 1 May 2008 < http://www. setileague. org/general/drake. htm>. O’Brien, Miles. â€Å"Long Live Hubble†. 31 Oct. 2006. CNN International. 1 May 2008 < http://edition. cnn. com/2006/TECH/space/10/31/hubble. obrien/index. html>. Sagan, Carl. Cosmos. New York: Ballantine Books, 1980. Shostak, Seth. â€Å"Finding Them, Finding Us†. 28 Feb. 2008. SETI Institute. 1 May 2008 . Tee, Brian. â€Å"Extraterrestrial Life†. The Ten Big Questions. 1 May 2008 < http://www. 123infinity. com/extraterrestrial_life. html>.

Counting cells using the pour plate method Essay

In the start of this assignment, I was told to choose one of seven other experiments to do. I chose the Counting cells using the pour plate method because I find it much easier than the other ones. In addition, I have had past experience therefore; it should be straightforward. I also have more knowledge of it than the other experiments. I will be testing the effects of various items on the growth of bacteria. I will investigate using the pour plate method in which I will be counting the cells of bacteria produced, of which are viable. The pour plate method can be used to establish the amount of microbes/mL or microbes/gram in a sample. It has the benefit of not have need of earlier arranged plate, and is usually used to examine bacterial contamination of foodstuffs. While using the pour plate method, a diluted specimen is pipetted in a sterile Petri plate, and next melted agar is tipped in and combined with the specimen. Using this technique permits for a bigger volume of the diluted specimen. This is normally in the choice of 0. 1 – 1. 0ml. This technique yields colonies, which produce colonies all over the agar, not only on the surface. Caution has to be taken with this technique to guarantee that the organism to be counted is able to resist the temperatures linked with the melted agar. Dilution Factor The dilution factor is a number used for getting the whole number of infected cells from the observed data. Microorganisms are usually counted in the laboratory using methods like the viable plate count, where a dilution of a sample is plated onto an agar medium. Following the incubation, plates with 30-300 colonies per standard-sized plate are counted. This number of colonies was selected because the number counted is high enough to have statistical accuracy, so far low enough to avoid nutrient competition among the developing colonies. Each of the colonies is supposed to have arisen from only one cell, but this may not be true if chains, pairs, or groups of cells are not entirely broken apart before plating. The sample has to be controlled so that it consists of a number of cells in the right range for plating. If the cell number is high, the sample is diluted; but if too low, the sample is concentrated. Dilutions are carried out by careful, aseptic pipetting of a known volume of sample into a known volume of sterile water, buffer, or saline. This is mixed well and can be used for plating or further dilutions. If the number of cells is unknown, then a range of dilutions is usually ready and plated. HYPOTHESIS: I predict that the more the dilution is, the lesser the number of colonies. VARIABLES: I have considered the accuracy of my measurements and come to the conclusion hat the dependent variable is the aseptic technique, which in this case was E. coli. This is because I had to measure how much I had to put into each of the sterile distilled water bottles. I did not have to make many measurements but other than measuring, the E. coli and a sample of dilution into the next solution then transfer 1. 0cm3 into the petri dish. Obviously, other events took place among these measurements. The independent variable was the Pasteur pipettes which I had to keep changing every time I used one so that my solutions will not get contaminated. My variables are continuous. This means that each time I done the experiment I had to do the same thing over again, therefore they are continuous. APPARATUS:   Six universal bottles, or capped containers – each containing 9. 0cm3 of sterile, distilled water   Twelve sterile Pasteur pipettes – plugged with cotton wool 1cm3 plastic syringe, fitted with a silicon rubber connector, to attach to Pasteur pipettes   Six sterile Petri dishes   Suitable culture for counting, e. g. E. coli or sample of pasteurised milk   Supply of suitable agar medium, molten, kept in water bath at 45i C   Bunsen burner China graph pencil or spirit marker pen   Discard jar containing disinfectant Incubator at 30i C   Adhesive tape   Alcohol. Ruler The different items must be the same amount as each other and these measurements must be accurate due to incorrect results. To make sure my results are reliable I will make sure I count the cells of bacteria twice so I know if I have made any errors. HEALTH AND SAFETY:   Wear protective clothing (gloves)   Wear eye protection (safety glasses)   Tie hair up   Make sure you don’t throw the plastic syringe and sharpened pencil around due to people being stabbed by a pencil   Make sure hands are washed before and after the experiment, thoroughly with soap and water. Working area must be clean during work   Must be aware of contamination   Everything must be labeled correctly due to confusion and a mix up in solutions   Industrial Methylated Spirit is highly flammable to be careful   If the alcohol in the beaker catches on fire, cover the beaker with a damp cloth PROBLEMS WITH PLATE COUNTS:   They need long incubation for colonies to even show   When cell clump, they can guide to an error in counting the viable cells It is extremely simple to have too less or too many colonies on a plate to precisely measure viable count. Avoidance of squashing usually involves serial dilution TO AVOID CONTAMINATION OR OTHER PROBLEMS: Wash hands with soap thoroughly before and after experiment   Disinfect table before and after experiment   Ensure lid of the plate is not took off completely Do not even put the lid on the table so other bacteria does not get onto plate   Do not cough or sneeze on the plates Work near bunsen burner METHOD: Set up equipment. Label containers of sterile distilled water 10-1, 10-2, 10-3, 10-4, 10-5 and 10-6 and the Petri dishes similarly. Label the Petri dishes on their bases. Shake the sample thoroughly to ensure that it is evenly mixed. Then using aseptic technique, transfer 1. 0cm3 of the container labeled 10-1, using the sterile pipette. After use, place the pipette into the discard jar of disinfectant. Mix this first dilution carefully then. Using a fresh sterile pipette each time, transfer a 1. 0cm3 sample of each dilution separately to each appropriate, labelled Petri dish. Again, using aseptic technique, carefully pour cooled, but molten, sterile agar medium into each Petri dish. Swirl each Petri dish very carefully to ensure that the samples and the agar are evenly mixed. Gently move each dish in a figure of eight pattern, but do not allow the agar to spill over the edge of the dishes. Allow the agar to set, and then fasten each lid with 2 pieces of adhesive tape. Invert the dishes, and incubate at 30i C. After incubation, count the number of colonies present in a dish containing a suitable dilution. Calculate the number of viable cells present in 1. 0cm3 of the original culture. As an alternative to pipetting a 1. 0cm3 sample into each Petri dish and then adding molten medium, a 0. 1cm3 sample may be transferred to a ready poured agar plate. The sample is then spread uniformly over the surface of the agar medium using an alcohol flammed glass spreader. 1. 2. 3. 4. Following a couple of days, various sorts of microbes grow as divided colonies. Cells from separate colonies could be picked up for a subculture. IMPLEMENTING This was a very quick process in which everything had to be complete straight after another. Therefore, measurements also should have been done quickly during the experiment straight away to put into whichever solution it may have been. My results have been recorded according to how much attempts I made. In each attempt, I have shown the dilution factor and how many cells I saw in each square using the see through round scale. The see through round scale had 64 squares in it. Some squares were completely filled therefore I have written that down too. I done three replicate to ensure my results were accurate. 10-6 1422 320 1088 943. 3 My results show that as the dilution factor increases the amount of colonies decrease, as stated in my hypothesis. The decrease is shown as exponential, also there no peaks. According to my results, the values are quite variable, but as predicted. The maximum value in average is at the 10-1 dilution factor, 10688 and the minimum value in average is at the 10-6 dilution factor, 943. 3. Here are my results shown on a line graph: ANALYSING CONCLUSIONS: My hypothesis stated that the more the dilution factor would be, the lesser the number of colonies. Well, according to my results, I was correct. As my dilutions increase, my colonies decrease. This is because, during the experiment when I had to take out 1cm3 of solution from 10-2 and put it into the next, which was 10-3, the E. coli was being shared, and decreased as it was let out through the syringe. When I poured it into 10-3, I had to shake it so it was mixed properly. Subsequently, I did the same again but to the next aseptic technique, which was 10-4. Again, the E. coli was being shared. Obviously, it was lesser than it was in 10-2 because it was also being shared in 10-3 and 10-2. This is why as the dilution factor raises, the colonies fall. ANOMALOUS RESULTS: As shown by my results, I only had one error. This was in my third attempt of the experiment at dilution 10-5. It may have been due to contamination while carrying out that particular part of the experiment. For example, I may have left the lid of the plate on the table, which could have not been disinfected, therefore it picked up other bacteria. Alternatively, it could have just been due to my infective flu, I probably sneezed unintentionally on the plate, which caused the whole plate to be filled with colonies. Other reasons include my hands being dirty. Next time I will make sure I wear gloves, or I sneeze to the side if I do and I ensure that I keep the desk disinfected encase I by chance leave the plate’s lid n the table. However since there was only one error, I do not think it made a huge difference to the experiment since my prediction was still correct. But next time I will be aware of these little mistakes. EVALUATION I think my results were reliable since I just made one error and did not have any other anomalies. However, i think if I was to do the experiment, again, I would improve on avoiding contamination and I would do more replicates to show my results as more reliable. My results do not have a specific trend or pattern in which they decrease in, but the fact that they do not keep increasing and decreasing shows its reliability. My replicate values are not very close together; therefore tell I should have done more replicates for accuracy. I think I may have made parallax errors when counting the cells. This means I may have miscounted the results or over counted them. This may have been because of my bad eyesight or due to distraction while counting. This could have been improved to accuracy if I counted each plate 3 times at least. So the correct amount of colonies in each plate would be certain and not doubted on. On the other hand, I could have used a different method to count the cells to make it easier for me, like using a counting meter. To achieve much accurate results I think, other than avoiding contamination, I could have changed around my method a little so it could have been done quicker or much accurately. For example, I could have just left the petri dishes in the incubator for a little longer or lesser period; I could have also used a different culture for counting. If I were to do the experiment again, I would repeat it more than just 3 times so my results can show more accuracy and I can identify where/when I went wrong. Furthermore, the next time I would limit the temperature to see if that would make a difference in allowing my results to be precise and I would also avoid causing any errors. BIBLIOGRAPHY   http://www. bio. fsu. edu/courses/mcb4403L/dilution. pdf   http://filebox. vt. edu/users/chagedor/biol_4684/Methods/platecounts.html http://biology. clc. uc. edu/fankhauser/Labs/Microbiology/Meat_Milk/Pour_Plate. htm   http://www. microbiologyprocedure. com/microbiological-methods/pour-plate-method. htm   Class notes   Class hand outs   http://www. mansfield. ohio-state. edu/~sabedon/biol4038. htm. Micro Organisms and Biotechnology, John adds. Erica Larkcom. Ruth Miller (Nelson) ISBN 0-17-448269-8   http://books. google. co. uk/books? id=AtjDUn5KfG0C&pg=PA185&lpg=PA185&dq=Counting+cells+using+pour+plate+method&source=web&ots=H1ulPxFpd3&sig=S9pvM8ulJXfrta7nuKb74VX4H5w&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPA186,M1.