Disparity between the Rich and Poor Essay

The poor hating the rich has already occurred earlier a few years back, when people started hating the rich because they were selfish and use money inappropriate ways. People eventually started developing jealousy among these rich people, and slowly away did they start riots and protests. There are many reasons why this has happened. Firstly this has happened, because these rich people and poor people are simply just different, any time there are different groups, especially two different groups. And over time people start to notice the differences because they’re divided into classes, and get angry because of the stereotypes of how rich people are snobby and look down on the poor, but it’s stupid to hate someone because of their money rather than hating on their personality. Secondly the poor people are jealous of how the rich tend to lead better lives than the poor, which the poor resent. It’s because of how rich people feel the need to just use money, even if it’s on useless things just to get rid of the money, the poor people are jealous of how they’re throwing things away, that they’re never going to have in their lifetime. And finally, the rich controls how the places run, governmentally and economically. And sometimes they feel like they’re being pushed around because the rich are already richer than them and now being able to bark orders at them, building even more resentment. To solve this issue, the government can start out by setting long term and short term policies. Short-term policies can be used to help the poor people like insurance and help them cover the percentage of the salary and help them regain their path. As for long term policies, it should be provided for the extremely poor people have are almost bankrupt to begin with, meaning it will be the same as short-term policy but longer, for at least 1-2 years. Secondly the rich can also help resolve this issue by holding many charity events for the poor people, charity events games that let them collect money. Then an extremely discounted store just for the poor people. Therefore the poor will not have as much resentment on the rich after they have done this many things for them to live on. This is to build a harmonized society, for the rich and the poor to cooperate with one another.

Explore Joe Gargery’s role in Great Expectations Essay

In Great Expectations, Joe acts as a father figure to Pip, when he is in fact his brother-in-law, as Joe married Pip’s sister, Mrs Joe Gargery. We are introduced to Joe as a â€Å"mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow†. Pip describes him as a kind and gentle man, making the reader immediately like him. â€Å"Good-natured† and â€Å"sweet-tempered† give Joe an endearing quality, so the reader is drawn to him. However, â€Å"foolish† introduces a potentially negative side to his character, like he is stupid, although this too could be considered endearing. Perhaps Dickens does this so that we can understand Joe’s actions better, or at least don’t view him too negatively when he can’t protect Pip from Mrs Joe. In contrast to his gentle personality, he is a blacksmith, and therefore a strong man. Pip thinks of him â€Å"like the steam-hammer, that can crush a man or pat an egg shell†. He is likening Joe to a machine in the forge, giving Joe a sense of power. Although, â€Å"crush† is quite a violent word, suggesting Joe to be violent, which he definitely is not. Perhaps Dickens included this detail to make us respect Joe, which is important for later on in the novel, so we don’t just view him as a â€Å"sweet-tempered† man. But there is a sense of this good natured man in the word â€Å"pat†, it could potentially have paternal connotations. Perhaps this links to the image of the egg shell as well, as it is a fragile protector of life. Furthermore Joe could almost be seen as the protector of Pip’s life, as he saves him several times. Also egg shells can be strong, but have weak sides if they are put under stress, just like Joe has a weak side  œ he can’t protect Joe from Mrs Joe Gargery. As well as this, there is the idea that Joe is in control, in the words â€Å"can† and â€Å"or†, he can choose which side of himself to be, strong or gentle. This is a very adult concept, but Joe can sometimes be very childlike. Joe can’t deal with the idea of death, despite being a strong blacksmith. When Pip asks Joe if Miss Havisham died, he eventually replies â€Å"she ain’t living†. This is a very backward way of saying it, a way we don’t normally use, showing Joe’s childish innocence. He avoids the subject of death again, when Pip asks him if he had heard of Magwitch’s death. Even though Joe never knew him personally, he avoids saying the words, instead he says he heard â€Å"something or another in a general way in that direction†. The vagueness of this statement is almost humorous, he can’t even just say â€Å"yes†. Joe is unable to confirm a person’s death, he just brushes over the subject, not fully acknowledging or possibly understanding it, like a child would. Another way Dickens portrays this childishness is through making Joe illiterate. Pip writes him a letter, and all he can read is his name: â€Å"Why, here’s three Js, and three Os, and three J-O, Joes, in it, Pip!† The exclamation mark at the end implies he is excited and proud that he has managed to read, and that he is wanting Pip to recognise his achievement, like a child would want their father too. This childishness makes Joe a lovable character, the reader wants to see him do well. Perhaps it also makes Pip’s behaviour towards him seem worse, from the reader’s perspective, as Joe is such an innocent character. Whilst Joe may not have great knowledge or academic skills, he possesses something most of the other characters don’t have, self-knowledge, he recognises he is illiterate and ‘stupid’. He tells Pip on two separate occasions that he is â€Å"most awful dull†. He is accepting of himself, he knows he is not the cleverest, in fact â€Å"awful† suggests that he thinks he is very stupid. Moreover, â€Å"dull† could imply many things, not only that he is stupid, but also that he isn’t sharp. Perhaps this is a reference to him being a black smith, that he is like one of his hammers, only good for physically things, he’s not sharp witted or clever. â€Å"Dull† could also intimate that he thinks he is boring, perhaps why he struggles to talk to, or be in the presence of people in a higher class to himself, because he considers himself boring and unworthy. But this ‘dullness’ does not stop him from being wise. Throughout the novel, Joe gives Pip many pieces of advice, for example â€Å"if you can’t get to be oncommon through going straight, you’ll never get to do it through going crooked†. Joe, even though he is perhaps the most uneducated character (shown in the wording of the sentence) he can sometimes be the most wise and honourable. Because of this he acts as a hidden role model for Pip. Not only is he honourable and wise, he understands his place: â€Å"I am wrong out of the forge† he tells Pip at their awkward reunion. Dickens suggests (through Joe) that people should stay in their class, and not aspire or try to move up; he argues for social immobility. Joe tells Pip that if he ever came back to the forge he’d â€Å"see Joe the blacksmith, there, at the old anvil, in the old burnt apron, sticking to the old work.† Joe labels himself â€Å"the blacksmith† implying that he believes it is all he is good at. The repetition of â€Å"old† makes him seem experienced, as he has been doing it a long time. There is also the idea that he clings or latches onto his work, in the word â€Å"sticking†, he fixes himself onto it so much that it has become how he defines himself. The fact that he feels himself â€Å"wrong† when not in the forge could be the reason why he can’t talk to Miss Havisham: â€Å"Joe†¦persisted in addressing me.† It is like he cannot deal with the formality of he occasion, as he feels he doesn’t belong there. Dickens humiliates Joe here, presenting him as a shy and awkward character, making the reader sympathise with him. This is another negative quality, helping to balance out the character of Joe. Joe also finds it difficult to deal with Pip when he is a ‘gentleman’. When Pip is ill, and needing Joe’s help, Joe is happy to call him Pip and treat him like he did when he was younger. But as soon as Pip starts getting better and gaining strength, Joe reverts to calling him â€Å"Sir†: â€Å"I shall be happy fur to see you able, sir†. This could show Joe’s insecurity, that when he is no longer sure if Pip needs him, he becomes very polite, and address Pip as if he is in a higher class again. However, Joe does treat everyone equally, for example when Magwitch confesses about stealing the pie, Joe says that whatever he has done, â€Å"we wouldn’t have you starved to death for it, poor miserable fellow-creature.† This shows how Joe views the world, and the people on it, that we are all of the same kind, and all have the same rights. As well as this, â€Å"creature† implies that Joe believes humans are animals, perhaps why he struggles with classes and formalities. This may relate to the fact that Joe never shows a real desire to learn to read or write, because he thinks we are animals that just do physical things, such as make things, like a blacksmith does. â€Å"Poor† also implies that Joe sympathises with the convict, despite knowing it was his own fault that he is in the position he is in, showing that Joe is very forgiving, which the reader respects him for. Joe shows this forgiveness on a number of occasions, for example, when he tells Pip about his abusive father, and how he came after him and his mother. He tells Pip it was because his â€Å"father were that good in his hart that he couldn’t abear to be without us.† One could argue that this was Joe’s innocent view on the world, and that he couldn’t accept that someone would deliberately want to hurt someone else. But, more likely, it is Joe forgiving his father for what he did. Forgiveness (or the lack of it) is a common theme throughout the novel, but Joe seems to be one of the only one who offers it readily. Not only does Joe forgive his father for abusing him, but also Mrs Joe. He tells Pip that she is a â€Å"fine figure of a woman†. This is somewhat ironic as Mrs Joe has no feminine qualities, not even a female name. It also shows Joe’s respect, if not affection, for Mrs Joe, despite her treating him so badly. For example she regularly abuses him: â€Å"she knocked his head for a little while against the wall behind him.† Joe puts up with her, although he could easily fight back. The image if almost comic, especially the phrase â€Å"for a little while†, it makes it sound like she is just casually doing it for the sake of it. It could also link to the phrase ‘knock some sense into him’, perhaps this is what Mrs Joe is trying to do? At any rate Joe is submissive, showing his selflessness, as he lets her do it so she doesn’t hurt Pip as much (as he explains later). The reader pities Joe, as he is such a kind man, married to an abusive woma n, who takes advantage of his kindness. Joe is very loyal to Pip, and is always there when he needs him. One of Joe’s ‘catch-phrases’ is â€Å"ever the best of friends†. â€Å"Ever† shows his loyalty towards Pip, and gives a sense of stability, he gives Pip something to come back to. As if to prove this loyalty, he pays of Pip’s debts. This is such a big gesture as Joe is the poorest of all men. The moral and emotional image of debt appears a lot throughout the novel, perhaps because debt was a personal issue for Dickens. His family were imprisoned for debt, therefore stopping Dickens’ education, and he bailed his father out many times. In the novel, Pip becomes Joe’s debtor, an image of ownership, like Joe owns Pip. One could argue that this was to do with Joe’s insecurity, and that he needs something solid to connect him to Pip. However, throughout the book, Joe has been completely selfless, so this act could just another example of Joe’s kindness. Ther e are also religious overtones to this, he is doing a Christian deed. There are several religious links associated with Joe, for example, Joe takes in Pip a a child â€Å"God bless the poor little child, there’s room for him at the forge.† This could be a reference to the Nativity story, when the innkeepers turn Mary away. Add this to the Christian deeds he does (like paying off Pip’s debt), give Joe an almost saint-like quality. But Dickens needs to balance the character, otherwise we may just view him as a perfect religious figure and would then find it hard to view him as a realistic role model for Pip. So Dickens makes Joe childish, innocent, illiterate and also includes some comedy moments. For example, when Joe has learned to write, he writes a letter to Biddy. Dickens writes this in a very comedic way, possibly overly so. Joe â€Å"constantly dipped his pen into space, and seemed satisfied with the result†, it is almost mocking him. As well as this, it is written like a performance for Pip, but throughout the novel Joe has been the only one who can’t act (e.g. he can’t deal with formal situations and pretend to be something he is not) or pretend. So why does Dickens include these humorous details? Possibly it could be to balance out Joe as a character, for if he was just a religious prophet, he would lose his power in the novel. Or alternatively, it could be to lighten the mood and relieve the tension between Pip and Joe. Or perhaps it is to show Joe fulfilling his mother’s expectations, of Joe being a â€Å"scholar†, to show that it can be done. This may provide hope for the reader, that Pip might be able to fulfill his own expectat ions eventually. Although that wouldn’t explain why it is so over the top. Some characters only see this side of Joe, the awkward, clown-like side. Pip says that Jaggers â€Å"recognised in Joe the village idiot and me his keeper.† Jaggers doesn’t understand Joe, he doesn’t know about Joe’s forgiving, loyal nature, he just sees an â€Å"idiot†. This could be reinforcing our first introduction to Joe, where he is described as foolish. Again this could be to balance the character of Joe, rather then make the reader view him negatively, as we know Joe is a very wise character. Jaggers believes this because Joe cries when he tells him about Pip’s expectations, and has to be comforted by Pip. Joe demonstrates many female tendencies throughout the novel, especially when he is caring for Pip at the end of the book, â€Å"Joe had actually laid his head down on the pillow at my side.† This is ironic considering his strength. Perhaps he is compensating for Mrs Joe’s lack of femininity, or he is filling in the gap left by her death, showing Joe to be a father figure for Pip. Ultimately, Joe is the only true father to Pip, he gives him â€Å"the wealth of his great nature†, which is more than Magwitch ever did. He may not have a lot of money, but he is a true gentleman in character. Ironically, the poorest of all the men is the most gentlemanly. Moreover, Pip eventually comes to realise this: â€Å"there was a simple dignity in him.† Now, whilst he is recognising Joe’s dignity, he doesn’t sound very respectful. The tone sounds quite patronising, and â€Å"simple† implies stupidity. Overall, Joe is the only constant in the book, he can’t act, he can’t pretend to be something he is not, he doesn’t change for anyone – â€Å"whoever came about me, still settled down into Joe.† Even the use of the word â€Å"settled† gives the idea of stability and constants, Joe is always there for Pip. He acts as a role model for Pip, and the other characters, even if they don’t realise it. But he does have his negative qualities, he is childish and awkward. However, this gives him more power in the book, as the reader can relate to him, and not just view him as a religious saint-like figure.

Competing through Operation: KFC Report Essay

INTRODUCTION The report focuses on KFC – the leading chicken fast food restaurant in the world, and one of the largest players in the fast food market. By using five performance objectives and various research methods, the report aims to  analyze how the restaurant perform and manage its operation capacity in order to provide qualified food and service to the customers. Besides, the restaurant’s capacity constrains and capacity strategies are discussed base on the primary data from KFC Union Street, Bristol City centre. It would link to the relationship between Capacity strategy and five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004), as well as, how they support each other. COMPANY PROFILE KFC first starts in 1930s, when Harland Sanders opened his restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. KFC now spreads out to more than 100 countries with around 15500 outlets worldwide. Of these, there are more than 800 restaurants located in the UK. The restaurant has concentrated on fried-chicken-on-bone products under the name Original Recipe and expanded the offers with other items include chicken sandwiches and chicken wings, as well as, biscuits, mashed potatoes, corn, potato wedges and desserts. The new line-grilled chicken with fewer calories, fat and salt than the Original Recipe- was launched in 2009. It was called â€Å"one of the biggest new product rollouts in the history of the company† by the KFC president Roger Eaton. Being tested in many regions included the UK; this new line has been well received as a healthier alternative which retains good in taste. The following part will discuss about how KFC applies five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) into its operation and which of the five objectives is concentrated on. FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES The theory has been applied for many companies worldwide for over 10 years in order to manage operating performance. Due to the limitation of resources, each company tends to put only some of the five objectives in priority  during particular periods. It is considered as one of smart methods to maximize profits. Source: (Adapted from Slack et al, 2004) FIGURE1. FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES Figure 1 explains the idea and meaning of five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) in general. QUALITY is the responsibility to always provide the good product or service that company has claimed. It also requires doing the right thing at the right time and meeting customer specifications, which give customer satisfactions. In KFC, main factors listed as Quality objective are quality of food (delicious, tasty, fresh, healthy, etc), quality of service (clean, supportive, friendly, etc)†¦ SPEED is defined as how fast the company responds their customers. This is one of the most important things required in fast food restaurant, especially in rush hours. Applying to KFC restaurant, speed objective is considered as the elapsed time between customers’ placing orders and the food or services being delivered. FLEXIBILITY measures how much variety in products, services, and solutions for a dynamic market environment in order to meet customers’ need. It is shown as KFC’s various menus, the launch of line â€Å"Grilled Chicken†, the more customization, etc DEPENDABILITY is doing things on time as promises. It not only gains customer’s trust but also has an influence on cost, which are saving money, saving time and giving stability to improve the efficiencies (Strecker, Ulrich, 2011). In KFC, it is on-time deliveries. COST is the product or service price that enables company compete the market, as well as ensure the return. The company aims to maximize their profit;  therefore, reducing the cost is necessary. Cost objective in KFC is measured by the cost of food, cost of manager and staff’s salaries, etc. The Polar diagram below shows how KFC restaurant performs in manager, staff and customer perspectives base on the data that was collected. (Adapted from Slack et al, 2004, p58) FIGURE2. POLAR DIAGRAM OF KFC RESTAURANT The Polar diagram is designed by the result of KFC manager’s interview, staff’s questionnaire and customers’ questionnaire (Appendix 1.0, appendix 2.0 and appendix 3.0). According to KFC manager, the restaurant is performing quite well in quality, cost and dependability objectives while speed needs to improve, especially in rush hours (16:00pm to 20:00pm). Staff and customers have the same opinion about improving speed objective in KFC. â€Å"Although we have 8 queues† – as the manager – â€Å"it is hard to serve a large number of customers at 19pm. However, we tend to give the staffs more training sessions to increase their speed in taking order and cooking. Focusing on people will push up dependability, flexibility and speed all.† (Appendix 3.0) It is the fact that most of the customers want a lower price for their food and services. However, with a fixed price tag, the restaurant tries their best to prove that the food and service offered to customers are worth their paying. The next part of report will focus on how the restaurant meets its customer’s fluctuating demand. CAPACITY The capacity of an operation is the highest level of value added after certain period of time that the process would be able to achieve under certain conditions (Slack et al, 2001). It includes: actual output, design capacity and effective capacity. FIGURE3. CAPACITY OF KFC RESTAURANT ON UNION STREET, BRISTOL Planned losses Avoidable losses Actual capacity 1929 people Planned losses Effective capacity 2331 people Design capacity 2680 people (Adapt from Slack et al, 2001) The figure is resulted from calculations below. DESIGN CAPACITY Design capacity is â€Å"the capacity which its technical designers had in mind when they commissioned the operation† (Slack et al, 2001, p335). The KFC restaurant on Union Street is the largest KFC outlets in Bristol which can serve maximum 100 customers a day (approximate number from KFC manager). Design capacity Daily 100 people Weekly 670 people (7 working days, less working hours on Sunday) Monthly 2680 people EFFECTIVE CAPACITY While design capacity is â€Å"everything according to a plan†, effective capacity helps to show what might happen if something not goes as a plan. Effective  capacity is calculated as design capacity minus planned losses, which is 13% (from KFC manager). Effective capacity Daily 87 people (100 – 100Ãâ€"13%) Weekly 582people (670 – 670Ãâ€"13%) Monthly 2331 people (2680 – 2680Ãâ€"13%) ACTUAL OUTPUT Actual output is the amount of a product that a production facility actually produces, as opposed to the amount that it could produce if it were to run at full theoretical capacity. It is calculated as design capacity minus planned losses and avoidable losses which is 15% (from KFC manager). Actual output Daily 72 people (100 – 100x[13%+15%]) Weekly 482 people (670 – 670x[13%+15%]) Monthly 1929 people (2680 – 2680x[13%+15%]) Planned losses: Public holidays (Christmas, New Year, etc) Human issues (Illness, pregnant †¦) The time customers waiting to be served Avoidable losses: Weather (Storm, heavy snow, etc) Machine failure. CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS Capacity constraints are considered as factors that limit the number of customers served by operation (Dettmer, 2003). For KFC, these are: number of staffs, number of queues, available eating space, speed of cooking and delivering. These factors would push the restaurant to its limit points of operation, which called Bottle necks. NUMBER OF STAFF: There are many shift of working hour a day in KFC. The maximum number of staffs that needed in rush hour is 12 people approximately (with 8 front-men taking customers’ orders and cleaning, 2 middle-men making burgers and chips, and 2 cooks in the kitchen working strenuously). At the busiest hour, the staffs face pressure of too many customers waiting in the queues, shortage of food available, and the mess in eating place. 2 or 3 front-men have to make burger and chips in order to provide food on time. NUMBER OF QUEUE: It often happens in the fast food restaurant that long lines of customers are waiting to be served. Although KFC Union Street has 8 queues, it does not mean that there are always staffs available. AVAILABLE EATING SPACE: It is hard to find a clean table in rush hours because of the large number of customers and the busy staffs. SPEED OF COOKING AND DELIVERING: To ensure the fresh of food provided to customers, the middle-men just make some available. Hence, if a big order is placed or many orders are placed at once, it will take time to make more burgers. Some constraint factors would be solved by staff’s working flexibility, some, however, could not avoid because they links to other factors. For example, KFC could make more burgers available to avoid customers’ waiting time and increase speed performance objective; however, the foods will not as good as the just-in-time one, which reduces quality performance objective. Therefore, it is essential for the restaurant to decide which objectives are priorities. The analysis of KFC’s capacity and capacity constraints lead to the following part which will discuss about which strategy it uses to manage the operation. CAPACITY STRATEGY (Sasser, 1976) There are 2 evidences from the data collected that shows Chase demand plan (Sasser, 1976) is the strategy KFC following. There are different staff numbers and the amount of food ready in a day. Due to staff contracts, the manager arranges a large number of staffs for rush hour, which is from 16:00pm to 20:00pm each day while reduce staffs at the opening (9:30am) and the closing time (22:00pm). In 30 minutes before closing, the kitchen stops working and the front-men focus on cleaning rather than standing behind order place. This arrangement is based on which time customers usually come to the restaurant. It helps reduce cost of staff salaries and avoid human surplus on the time not many customers. Besides, working flexibility is required for all the staffs, which are ability of working in different positions (front, middle or in kitchen), doing different tasks and even overtime, if needed. The other one – amount of food ready in a day – does show that KFC is applying Capacity leads demand theory (Sasser, 1976). KFC always provides the amount of food slightly over than customer’s demand so as to ensure available service in working time. The food left changes to waste because it could not be stored due to KFC’s quality standard. This waste, according to the manager, is not significant and enables to bear with. From the analysis above, it is clear to see that KFC is doing right because the strategy not only fits to identity of fast food market, but also expresses KFC’s customisation, which highly focus on satisfy its customers. After discussing about five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) and capacity strategy (Sasser, 1976), the final part will clarify relationship between those and how they support each other. THE RELATIONSHIP OF CAPACITY STRATEGY AND FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES (Slack et al, 2004) Before having strategy, the objectives have to be set. It could be simply explained that objectives are the place you want to drive to while strategy is vehicle that helps to get there. For KFC as a whole, the company expresses its concentration on Quality objective through the slogan â€Å"Don’t worry. Eat happy† (http://www.kfc.co.uk/dontworryeathappy) and various actions to be healthier for the customers, such as â€Å"Get fresh inspiration from our Deli Deluxe Range†, â€Å"We’re fighting trans-fats, not flavour†, â€Å"We’ve done away with 25% of saturated fats†, or â€Å"Fitted out with green energy†, etc. Quality is known as the vital factor to compete with other big brands like Subway, MacDonald’s, Burger King†¦, and gain fast food market share when customer’s health concern is increasing more and more. (http://www.propertyweek.com, Domino’s pizza tops the market article) FIGURE4. FAST-FOOD MARKET SHARE IN THE UK However, for smaller scale, according to the manager of KFC Union Street, the  restaurant put Speed objective as their first priority to strive because quality standard as well as promotions is already fixed. â€Å"It is KFC Company’s job to upgrade and spread out how good the food is.† – Said the manager – â€Å"Our job is to provide food with the same standard, and serve the customers those come to our restaurant best services, and it is speed†. Hence, the restaurant tends to increase the factor it can control, which differentiates it among the others. Following the objective above, the Chase demand plan (Sasser, 1976) is decided to make it done. This strategy fits to fast food restaurant’s identity so as to utilize time, human, and money resources. Then, considering either capacity lags demand, which allows demand never less than capacity or capacity leads demand (Sasser, 1976), which is that capacity always meets forecasted demand, KFC Union Street chose the second one. The restaurant gives up waste in order to better its service for customers. Amount of food available reduces waiting time for delivering, as well as, waiting time to be ordered. The customers would be more satisfied thanks to fast service. CONCLUSION To sum up, the report is designed from result collected at KFC Union Street, Bristol. With five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004), capacity, capacity strategy (Sasser, 1976) analysis, it clarified how KFC operates and how theories links to each other, as well as, are applied into practice with particular circumstances. REFERENCES Dettmer, H.W., 2003. Strategic Navigation: A Systems Approach to Business Strategy. ASQ Quality Press. James, P., Rowland-Jones, R., O’Brien, L., 2010. Operations and Business Systems management, 2nd Ed., Harlow: Pearson. Samuelson, Paul A., Nordhaus, William D (2009). Economics, 19th Ed., McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 3rd Ed., London: Pittman Publishing. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 4th Ed., London: Pittman Publishing. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 5th Ed., Harlow: Prentice Hall. Schoenborn, G., 2009, Personal Communication. Strecker, S., Ulrich, F., 2011. Information Systems and E-Business Management. A modelling method in support of the reflective design and use of performance measurement systems [e-journal] 7(1). Available through: Springer. http://www.kfc.co.uk/dontworryeathappy

Social Effects of Media Anonymity Research Paper

Social Effects of Media Anonymity - Research Paper Example Anonymity is one of the Internet’s attractions that allow users to surf endlessly without being known. You can make comments, you can divulge or keep some secrets, you can criticize people or even the powers that be without being known, or you can express and find love even if you are shy. But like any other medium, it is also being abused by people – criminals, dissidents, opportunists, etc., people who want to do their thing with deceit, or say something against people and just vanish into cyberspace. Internet anonymity is said to be a double-edged sword. This is because while this is being safeguarded by the U.S. Constitution, as upheld by the Supreme Court, it is also used to suppress other people’s rights and not be held responsible or accountable for their actions. There are many good things that the Internet can offer. You can ask for help for an immediate reply, you can promote good governance or preserve the environment using its many features, and the p reacher can even preach worldwide using the Web; we can even protect ourselves by being anonymous. But the criminal too can do his/her thing without being known. How is it possible to be anonymous on the Internet? Let’s start with this revolutionary technology – how it all started? The Internet’s identity is reproduced by a mix of fandom community, commerce and business, linked by technologies that are both private and publicly owned and variously regulated. The Internet came into existence as the result of numerous factors, accidents, passions, collisions, and tensions; these tensions are between economic and regulatory factors and communicative practices (Lister et al 163). It is possible to regulate anonymity on the Internet. Internet experts say that in theory, it is not really that impossible to remain anonymous because an Internet user can almost always be identified by the IP number and can be traced back through the ISP (Internet Service Provider) to det ermine his/or her identity (Lambert 8).

Difference and similarities between modern orthodox, hasidic, and a Essay

Difference and similarities between modern orthodox, hasidic, and a unaffiated jew - Essay Example Reuven: I m a modern orthodox, I believe woman is part of modern American culture we need to engage with. i believe in the modern ways but one should still hold on to the jewish tradition. Engage in the secular world is what makes our believes survives in these days. On the other side of the podium we have girls from all of the Jewish background. All of the 24 lights were still on at this time. There are two female guest we are known of. Malkie and from the story Who Knows Kaddish, the narrator. I named the narrator â€Å"Kaddish†. Malkie: Hi Reuven. I’m Malkie, I am from hasidic orthodoxy, but some what I agree with your opinion. I really prefer spiritual in the Jewish faith. I think be a part of the modern world is an important part of Judaism. there should be acomplement between the the secular and the traditional believes. I’m interest in you. Kaddish: Hi, Reuven. I’m Kaddish. I am unaffiliated Jew. I don’t have much belief in Jewish, but I live around it and I like how it bonds within the culture. My families were Jews but we lived like Unitarians, and celebrated the secular trappings of Christmas. But we celebrate no Jewish holidays because as far as we knew, they werent any fun (Kirshenbaum, 174). Reuven: I had my secular education at Yeshiva University and I read a lot of books my father recommend me. But I am still a faithful Jew. Don’t say that reading books would make you less religious because now I have both knowledge and faith as the outcome. My father is a great guy. He didnt restrain me much on the choice of my education. My father is a modern Jew he devote his life to his faith in modern orthodox, he also promoted a Jewish state. (cite and connect to lecture?) Malkie: My parents didnt allow me to get a secular education and this is what i have grown up with. I really adore my parents devotion into hasidism. We

Social Impact of Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Impact of Tourism - Essay Example In addition to the misrepresentation of identity, changes may occur in community structure, family relationships, shared customary life styles, services and ethics (Din, 1988). Tourism can cause positive social impact as well by means of supporting for peace, promoting cultural traditions and helping circumvent urban repositioning by creating local jobs. Socio-cultural impact becomes indistinct when various cultures meet at the single point of intersection as it may be perceived by some of the groups as positive whereas it may be perceived as negative by some of the groups as well. This paper aims at finding out the social impacts of tourism. Tourism has positive impact on environmental condition. Tourism has the capability to encourage social development by virtue of employment creation, capital distribution and poverty mitigation (web link 6). Travelling is an influential dynamic element that brings individual into get in touch with another individual and a culture into the contact with another culture, as tourism consists of learning element, it may provide knowledge among individuals and cultures and offer cultural exchange among hosts and guests. This eventually results in increasing mutual understanding, mutual respect and in reducing the reciprocated prejudices for each other. - Reinforcement of communities Tourism may adjoin to the strength of communities in several fashions. Example includes the events or carnivals during which the local inhabitants may play the role of primary participants and the spectators may participate as the secondary components and revitalize the events which are further progressed by the interaction of tourist interest. Tourism industry can create jobs that contribute as a vital enticement in order to decline in emigration from country areas. Local individuals as well as local events can contribute in the development of tourism industry and enhance their job and production prospect by means of receiving tourism related professional training as well as business and organizational skills development. - Benefits received by local residents as a result of facilities provided by tourism sector Tourism focuses on the development of services inclusive of communal public services to entertainment services which eventually brings in higher living standards in the local sector of the target destination. The uplifting of standards may include in an improvement in infrastructure, enhancement in health sector and transportation, introducing new recreational facilities, restaurants, and public sectors as well as an arrival of improved commodities and food (Cohen, 1984; Pizam, 1978). - Revaluation of culture and traditions Tourism can enhance the safeguarding and conduction of cultural and historical practices, by means of contributing to the preservation and prolonged management of natural possessions, the conservation of local traditions, as well as a revolution of aboriginal culture, arts and crafts. - Encouragement of civic involvement and pride Tourism has a great impact in raising mass awareness about natural resources and its financial value as well as about cultural significance. Additionally, it may also arouse a feeling of pride in local and national traditions and may encourage

Compare and contrast market systems and the role of an economist Research Paper

Compare and contrast market systems and the role of an economist within these systems - Research Paper Example Perfect Competition is a market system defined by a large number of buyers and sellers, similar type of products and a low cost of production (Pass, Lowes & Davies, 1993). In Perfect Competition, the role of an economist is to identify the barriers that may hamper the free play of demand and supply. Monopoly is a market system that comprises of a single seller and a product with no close substitutes (Pass, Lowes & Davies, 1993). Contrary to Perfect Competition, in a Monopoly, the seller commands a significant control over the price of the sold goods or services. Any economist dedicated to capitalism ought to extend a theoretical and ethical resistance in a monopolistic scenario. An Oligopoly is a market system dominated by a few sellers (Pass, Lowes & Davies, 1993). The products sold are usually identical or similar and are mostly associated with high cost investments, thereby discouraging the entry of the new players. The primary job of an economist in an oligopolistic market system should be to strive for a more efficient distribution of resources, thereby enabling the entry of new firms and an augmentation in

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

Neurobiology - Essay Example In this article, two types of behaviors, classical conditioning, and instrumental conditioning will be analyzed with the use of an example to enhance the understanding. Classical conditioning which is also known as Pavlovian conditioning was named after the person who made it famous. It is a type of conditioning which relates a stimulus that initiates the response known as unconditional stimulus with a response that does not initiate stimulus known as the conditional stimulus. Several articles have been written regarding this topic with scientists such as John Watson concluding that the conditioning explains every aspect of the human psychology. Classical conditioning became the basis for the development of the famous behaviorism theory used to explain different phenomena in the field of psychology to date. The theory of behaviorism has several assumptions that are all based on the classical conditioning. The first assumption is that the acquisition of behavior or rather learning takes place due to existence and interactions in a particular environment. The assumption contradicts the biological opinion that some characteristics of an individual or animal, in general, might be inherited from the parent. Shaping of the behavior takes place due to environmental forces. It is a point that can be related to adaptation for survival in a particular environment that is evident from the various examples if comparisons of behaviors of people in different parts of the world. The third assumption based on classical condition is that mental thoughts and emotions of an animal have nothing to do with behavior and character. A closer look at the three assumptions and one can clearly see the similarity whereby they all try to relate behavior and the environmental factors likely to affect the behavior of the animal. The classical conditioning theory can be divided into

Human Nervemuscle Interaction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Nervemuscle Interaction - Essay Example When the threshold potential or firing level was reached, an action potential was created causing Na++ influx. This in turn made the inside of the cell more positive causing it to be depolarized. This action potential was propagated along the entire length of the nerve by salutatory conduction. As the nerve nears its termination, it loses its myelin sheath and divides into terminal buttons. The action potential caused the voltage-gated Ca++ channels to open resulting in Ca++ influx. The Ca++ then triggered the synaptic vesicles containing the neurotransmitter (in this case, acetylcholine (AcH)) to fuse with the plasma membrane causing it to release its contents to the neuromuscular (NMJ) junction. The AcH then fused with the nicotinic receptors on the motor end plate of the muscle consequential in the opening of Na++ channels. This created an end plate potential until it reached its threshold potential and brought about the potential to be conducted away in both directions along the muscle fiber. The potential traversed down the T- tubules and reached the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The end plate potential caused a conformational change in the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) which initiated the ryanodine receptor (RYR) to release the Ca++ (Berne, et.al, 2006). The Ca++ then binds with the Troponin C, causing exposure of the active site in the actin. The myosin head then attached to the active site, and with ATP, performed a "power stroke" causing shortening and contraction of the muscle. This is the contraction seen when the thumb moves towards the palm (abduction). However, the contraction seen as a response to the electric stimulation is not tetanic, meaning it is not sustained; therefore a relaxation period occurs as well. In order for the muscle contraction to stop, the Ca++ attached to the Troponin C must be sequestered back to the sarcoplasmic reticulum. This is done by the Ca++ -Mg++ ATPase. Only when there is cessation of the interaction between actin and m yosin can muscle relaxation occur. Consequently, in order for repolarization of the motor end plate, the AcH that has attached to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on the motor end plate is broken down by acetylcholinesterase, which hydrolysis Ach to acetate and choline. Re-uptake of these products then occurs by the pre-synaptic neuron for synthesis of new AcH. 2.) The normal nerve conduction velocity for myelinated nerves is 50-60 m/s, depending on the diameter of the nerve and as to its myelination. The greater the diameter size, the faster the conduction velocity. Similarly, myelinated neurons are also faster conductors than unmyelinated neurons. Our results yielded a NCV of 44 m/s which is not within the range but is near the accepted values. Latency or time that the impulse took to travel within the axon is expected to be longer from the elbow compared to the wrist due to the increased distance from the thumb. However, if we are to consider the fiber type of the ulnar nerve, which is an -motor neuron, the NCV that we got was significantly less than the known conduction velocity of 70-120 m/s. Several factors can affect the NCV such as age and temperature. The conduction velocity decreases significantly with decrease temperature and the distal latencies become correspondingly prolonged. (DeLisa, 2005). The standard temperature used in l aboratories is 32oC. It was also found out that the conduction ve

Leadership Blog Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership Blog - Assignment Example Therefore, the managers need to identify the leadership approaches which can help in integration of activities of the employees and achievement of goals and objectives of the organization. The traditional theorists regarded leadership as an integrated approach which focused on team work. Later, it was regarded as a powerful relationship which had the ability to influence its followers (Evans, 2003). The modern leadership theories proposed that the master servant relationship should be replaced by superior subordinate relationship. The leadership theory occurred in groups which involved the employees working together in unification towards a share goal. As per Author Adair (1984 cited in Mullins and Linehan, 2005) leadership can be expressed as a relationship with other individuals. Leadership can occur in various groups or social context and they should have followers. Leadership theories are concerned with how to convince the employees to attain the goals and objectives in a systema tic method. Leadership can provide direction, guidance and activity for a collective group (Mullins and Linehan, 2005). ... The approaches of the managers need to align with the business goals and objectives. One of the main objectives of the organization is to increase the presence of the organization internationally and create a niche for itself in the market. The Cross - Vergence theory focuses on the economic ideology that believes in integration of cultural values with western influence (Theimann, April and Blass, 2002).The theory identifies the significance of the cultural values and its impact on an organization. Therefore, the theory recognizes the importance of national, sub culture, and the economic ideology influences. For example HSBC is pervasive in more than 88 countries worldwide and follows the Cross Vergence theory for guidance purposes. It is not possible to develop a universal theory of leadership which can be applicable to all organizations and in all situations hence a manager needs to identify the various approaches required at different levels and act accordingly. The difference in the cultural values of the countries may lead to the adoption of different approaches by the managers. It is not possible for every manager to adopt a leadership approach which aligns with the cultural values of the countries. The followership theory proposed by Brown & Thornborn (1998 cited in Evans, 2003) categorized the employees in four types; sheep people, yes people, alienated survivors and exemplary followers. Sheep people are extremely uncritical and passive but yes people are completely dependent on the leaders for opinions. Survivors keep adapting to changes and exemplary followers are able to think creatively and independently. Managers can devote certain portion of their time for in development of their emotional intelligence which can help in understanding the

Albert Camus Essay Example for Free

Albert Camus Essay This is the commentary on the book The Outsider written by Albert Camus. I decided to set up my commentary writing about: characters, theme, style, time place and symbolism. The Outsider is a story about a man called Monsieur Meursault, who lives his life in total simplicity and simple enjoyment, but whom society eventually roots out, humiliates and crushes. He lives for the truth. The novel is divided into two parts. In part one his mother dies and he has to go to the funeral. He does not about his mother, so he does not mourn his mother at all. Next day he meets a woman called Marie, with whom he used to work with and they start dating. Meursault invites her out, they go to the cinema and afterwards they sleep together. Later Meursault helps his neighbour Raymond to write a letter to his girlfriend, which leads to the culmination of the book. Raymond and Meursault are now friends and they go to a party where they meet Raymonds girlfriends brother and the Arab, a fight breaks out and the brother attacks Raymond. Meursault goes back to the beach and kills the Arab. Part two is about his trial for murder. The prosecutor is very cruel and Meursault is to be guillotined. At the end he argues with prison chaplain about God and religion. Finally, Meursault finds peace and he thinks perhaps after death his existence may be less absurd; he may be more closely aligned with the universe. He accepts his destiny with clear understanding. In the book Outsider there are three major characters and three minor characters I am going to write about. Characters in Camus novels and plays are keenly aware of the meaninglessness of the human condition, assert their humanity by rebelling against their circumstances. Monsieur Meursault is the central character in the novel. He is emotionless and a careless person; society sees him as an outsider or even a monster. Even though he is honest and as a character he is both disturbing and fascinating. He only seems to care for the most fleeting of sensations and gives no thought to future consequences, for example killing the Arab. For him the events that are important for most people do not mean anything, like the fact that his mother is dead, that Marie loves him and wants to get married. He simply does not care about that. Meursault is amoral; he cannot make difference between good and bad. Raymond asked him to write the letter for his girlfriend, which Meursault does without realising the consequences. Meursaults indifference seems to apply solely to his understanding of himself. At the end of the novel he realizes that the universe is like him, totally different to human life and that peoples life do not have any meaning or importance, so at the end he is completed as a character. Raymond Sintes is a friend and a neighbour of Meursault. Raymond is a bit like Meursault, he is lonely, he keeps away from other people and he is a cold person. Raymond definitely dislikes women. If Meursault is just different and annoyed with himself, then Raymond on the other hand is a cruel and a violent person, and he knows how to use other people, as he uses Meursault. For example, he has problems with his ex-girlfriend, he beats and abuses her. He says to Meursault that he needs to punish her, which actually leads to conflict with the Arab. Raymond initiates action. Although he only seems to use Meursault, he actually testifies for him and feels a bit responsible. Marie Cardona is the girl who loves Meursault and he likes her as well, but he does not love her. Marie seems to be good-hearted, she accepts everything that Meursault does, including his behaviour and careless. Marie is cheerful, honest and loyal to Meursault. Marie loves Meursault a lot and wants to marry him; she says that she probably loves him because he is so peculiar. Marie also delights in physical contact; they do not kiss in public places. Maries physical affection for Meursault signals a deeper sentimental and emotional attachment. Marie acts in a strange way, because Meursault does not care about her at all, but Marie just forgets that and loves him still, and she stays loyal to him even when he is in the prison, she goes to see him. Probably, she enjoys the freedom, because Meursault does not take any interest in her life when they are not together. Marie never grasps the indifference of the universe and she never comes to understand the redemptive value of abandoning hope. Salamano is Meursaults neighbour. An older man living with his dog (spaniel). He seems to be a very lonely and depressive person and he is filled with anger that he expresses by beating his dog. Meursault does not know him very well, but he always hears Salamano fighting with his dog. Once Meursault hears him crying and he goes to see what has happened, Salamano tells him that his dog is missing and he is really upset. From that, you can see that even if he was beating his dog, he actually loved it very much and the spaniel was the only friend he ever had. Salamano testifies for Meursault in the trial. The Arab is the friend of Raymonds ex-girlfriends brother and he actually plays only a small role in the novel, which is important. You can see that The Arab is a person who wants revenge and he and Raymonds ex-girlfriends brother are the ones who follow Meursault and Raymond to the beach and start the fight. Meursault is quite cruel to him, after he falls down, Meursault shoots him four times. Maman is not a living character, but is still important. Meursault has a very cold relationship with her; he sent her a home, where she lived out her remaining days. The fact that she is dead, and how Meursault acted in the funeral causes much trouble for him even later. His mother sets in motion societys negative image of his personality. The novel Outsider was established in 1940s after the Second World War in France. There is very big effect of the war on peoples religious beliefs. The meaninglessness of human life is one of the major components of Camus absurdist philosophy. He finds that human life has no redeeming purpose and the only thing that makes sense is death. In the novel you can see that Meursault finds his peace at the end. He understands that it does not matter whether he dies by execution or normal death. Meursault realizes that he is so different from the universe and the universe is indifferent to him. Like everyone else on this earth, Meursault was born, he will die, and he will not have any further importance to the universe. The importance of the physical world. Meursault is more interested in the physical aspects of the world around him rather than in its social or emotional aspects. In the Outsider, Meursaults attention centres on his own body, physical contact with Marie, on the weather and on the nature. For example at his mothers funeral the heat causes much more trouble to him, than the fact that his mother is dead. He also suffers on the beach, because of the sun. Which represents the obsessive effect of society. The story is written in the first person, in the kind of spare, economic style. The flat, impersonal style is perfectly matched to the subject matter. Sentences to not follow upon each other in a logical train, they succeed each other, almost without apparent connection. Camus tries to avoid causal conjunctions, but the ones Meursault uses are and and then, word which do not show motivation. At the end of the book, the language changes a bit. From being very passive it suddenly becomes an obsessive and legal language. The last two paragraphs are the culminating ones, blissful expression of passionate love of life. The sun is one of the symbols in the novel. The sun is usually associated with positive and good things, like societies generally, however they both can become overpowering. They beat down on people, smothering them just like the sun beats down upon Meursault. The sun is presented whenever the force of society is strong within Meursault. There is sun during the funeral, in the court hall, which claims to possess the right to judge people, and on the beach when he kills the Arab. But there is no sun in the cell, because the overpowering force society has been removed. The crucifix symbolizes Christianity, which stands as antagonism to Camus absurdist worldview. Christianity conceived a rational order for the universe based on gods creation and direction of the world. The chaplains insistence that Meursault turn to god does not represent a wish that he should accept particularly Christian beliefs so much as a desire that he holds the principle of a important universe in general. When Meursault defies the magistrate by rejecting Christianity, he totally discards all systems that seek to define a realistic order within human existence.

OGrady Apparel Company Essay Example for Free

OGrady Apparel Company Essay Analyzing Risk and Return on Chargers Products’ Investments Junior Sayou, a financial analyst for Chargers Products, a manufacturer of stadium benches, must evaluate the risk and return of two assets, X and Y. The firm is considering addng these assets to its diversified asset portfolio. To assess the return and risk of each asset, Junior gathered data on the annual cash flow and beginning-and end-of-year values of each asset over the immediately preceding 10 years, 1997-2006. These data are summarized in the table below. Junior’s investigation suggests that both assets, on average, will tend to perform in the future just as they have during the past 10 years. He therefore believes that the expected annual return can be estimated by finding the average annual return for each asset over the past 10 years. Junior believes that each assets risk can be assessed in two ways: in isolation and as part of the firms diversified portfolio of assets. The risk of the assets in isolation can be found by using the standard deviation and coefficient of variation of returns over the past 10 years. The capital asset pricing model (CAPM) can be used to assess the assets risk as part of the firms portfolio of assets. Applying some sophisticated quantitative techniques, Junior estimated betas for assets X and Y of 1.60 and 1.10, respectively. In addition, he found that the risk-free rate is currently 7% and that the market return is 10%.

Counterculture Analysis: Blackbeard

Counterculture Analysis: Blackbeard Zachariah Chiles Many groups have been established as countercultures throughout the course of history. However, what makes those groups actually be considered countercultures? Author W. LaVerne Thomas attempts to answer such a question in his book, a group [that] rejects the major values, norms, and practices of the larger society and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns (Thomas). One group that significantly follows Thomass definition are the Blackbeard pirates. This group rejected the cultural patterns of the British monarchy to live their own cutthroat life of stealing, killing, and raping. To this day pirates are still a significant threat to those who tread international waters, and even those who live in third world countries. Before Blackbeard acquired his name, he was known as Edward Teach or Edward Thatch. As far as origin goes, not much is known about Thatch. However, it is recorded that he joined the British navy as a privateer during the Queen Annes War, and turned to piracy shortly after (Division of Archives and Historys Office of State Archaeology). Blackbeard began his pirating in 1713 under the Captain Benjamin Hornigold (Ossian). Once given a smaller ship by Hornigold and able to command his own crew as a captain, Blackbeard found the French slaver ship La Concorde. This esteemed ship would be known to many as the Queen Annes Revenge, La Concorde was big, fast, and powerful. With such a vessel, Blackbeard knew his men could cause more havocà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Woodard). In 1717, the two pirates were so deadly that the British monarchy offered both Hornigold and Blackbeard currency in exchange for putting down pirating. Hornigold accepted, whereas Blackbeard denied the offer, and continued ravaging the Caribbean on his esteemed Queen Annes Revenge. However, his time came to an end on November 22nd, 1718 when facing a British Royal Navy Contingent sent by Governor Alexander Spottswood. Blackbeard and his crew mainly raided ships for one thing, and that was gold. Everything they did was based upon how much loot they could take, and although he has died many years ago, his reputation and name still stands out in the history of pirating. Both the sociological perspective and the sociological imagination can be used to explain the actions of Blackbeard and his crew. According to author LaVerne Thomas, The sociological perspective helps you see that all people are social beings. It tells you that your behavior is influenced by social factors and that you have learned your behavior from others (Thomas). Many heard and saw the stories of Blackbeard and his ferocious crew. Because of this, many saw his actions and adopted them, to continue pirating and adapting Blackbeards techniques for more efficient plundering. His name alone put fear in the hearts of men, so many see that fear and want to become it; inspiring many to take up piracy and life on the seas. C. Wright Mills believes the sociological imagination is, the capacity to range from the most impersonal and remote [topics] to the most intimate features of the human self and to see the relationship between the two (Thomas). In other words, this describes the insight of how your social environment shapes you, and how you shape your social environment (Thomas). Blackbeard and his crews environment most likely included a poor social background, and the loss of a loved one. Many who are greedy and kill, have often grown up in these conditions. They surrounded themselves with murderers and thieves, and thus became murderers and thiev es themselves. They shaped their social environment by surrounding others with the same negative behavior, thus having new people join Blackbeards crew. The more people in his crew, means the more people that go out and tell the infamous story of Blackbeard, the cutthroat killer. Ethnocentrism is a large part of any culture. It is described as, [the] tendency to view ones own culture and group as superiorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Thomas). Countercultures are subcultures, therefore Blackbeard and his crew is technically a subculture of the larger society the British monarchy. Blackbeard and his crew saw these norms as superior to the restricting life in the monarchy, and therefore ethnocentrism formed. Also, the British already having ethnocentrism, saw the opposing moral standards set by Blackbeards new found subculture, and rejected their views, making Blackbeard and his crew a counterculture. Many examples can be made as to why he and his crew is a counterculture. One such case is that there was no law against killing on Blackbeards ship, whereas it was outlawed in the British monarchy. Another similar case would be with stealing, where Blackbeard plundered and stole from other ships for loot, whereas such atrocities were against the law in the British monarchy. Cultural relativism can be defined as, the belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards rather than by applying the standards of another culture (Thomas). Looting, pillaging, and killing is what pirates know. These simple standards cannot be judged outside cultural beliefs without noticing the large moral negativity that follows. Blackbeard and his crew had no moral compass, so their actions should not be justified through the eyes of the British monarchy. From a logistical point of view, them being strong, picked on the weak in order to gain wealth and become stronger in the world. Although they may know what they do is morally unacceptable and goes against the laws of many larger societies, they followed their own standards and traditions and should not be judged outside of that. My counterculture Blackbeard and his crew, have many intriguing norms and standards that oppose that of many societies of that era as well as modern times. However, this does not excuse the actions of Blackbeard and his crew. Killing, stealing, and plundering all leave large marks on this world. Anywhere from crushing the economy of a British town to killing the last son of a lonely French mother, cultures that directly affect the larger societies in a negative manner should not exist. Cultures having opposing standards is completely fine, as long as the opposing standards does not actively contradict those of a larger society. Blackbeard and his crew have very free standards, however the deaths that have been caused forces me to disagree with the philosophy and norms of their counterculture. References Division of Archives and Historys Office of State Archaeology. Queen Annes Revenge Project. n.d. 12 3 2017. Ossian, Rob. The Pirate King. n.d. 12 3 2017. Thomas, W. LaVerne. Holt Sociology: The Study of Human Relationships. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2003. Woodard, Colin. The Republic of Pirates. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2007. Customer Segments in Retail Supermarket | Analysis Customer Segments in Retail Supermarket | Analysis CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND In todays dynamic retail environment, customers are offered with a tremendous range of choices and their loyalty is increasingly becoming transitory due to the severe impact of competitors actions on existing relationships (Reinartz and Kumar, 2000). This increased competition to satisfy the diverse needs of the customer, forces the traditional production and selling focus of the retailers towards customer relationships. In the context of retail supermarket, this has resulted in large investments in retail information systems to collect the shoppers data to understand the customer shopping behaviour (Brijs.T et al 2001). Several tools and technologies of data warehousing, data mining, and other customer relationship management (CRM) techniques are exploited to manage and analyse this data. Especially through data mining, simply means extracting knowledge from large amounts of data which helps the organisations to find the patterns and trends in their customers data, and then to drive improved customer relationships (Rygielski, Wang and Yen, 2002). According to Witten Frank, (2005), some data mining techniques include decision trees (DT), artificial neural networks (ANN), genetic algorithms (GA), association rules (AR), etc., are usually used to solve problems related with customers in various fields like engineering, science, finance and business. In retail supermarket domain, data mining can be applied to identify useful customer behaviour patterns from large amounts of customer and transaction data (Giudici Passerone, 2002). Consequently, the discovered information can be used to support better decision-making in retail marketing. Data mining techniques have been mostly adopted to make predictions and describe behaviours. During the past decade, there has been an array of significant developments in data mining techniques. Some of these developments are implemented in customized service (Chen et al, 2005) which is vital in retail markets to develop customer relationship. Therefore, this research focuses to provide customised service to distinct customer segments in retail supermarkets, by implementing data mining techniques with the help of data mining tools. Related Work Researchers proposed various approaches to mine sales transaction data of a retail supermarket to improve customer relationships. Previously, the customer behavioural variables such as (RFM) Recency-Frequency-Monetary variables are associated with demographic variables to predict customer purchase behaviour (Chen et al, 2005). Current research improved significantly, as Business Intelligence tools and advanced data mining algorithms are implemented to analyse the data in a much more reformed way. Liao et al, (2008), proposed a methodology based on Apriori and K-means algorithms to mine the customer knowledge from household customers for product and brand extension in retailing. Bottcher et al, (2009), presented an approach which aimed to mine the changing customer segments in dynamic market through deriving frequent itemsets as representations of customer segments at different points of time, which are then analysed for changes. Problem Definition Effective management of sales transaction data is as important as any other asset for a retail supermarket store. The sales transaction data usually contains great amount of information distributed through numerous transactions. This study focuses on applying data mining techniques to analyse the sales transaction data of a retail supermarket store and suggests recommendations to provide customised service to defined customer segments. This research specifically uses two data mining techniques namely clustering and association rule discovery. The research starts with identifying different customer segments based on their purchase frequencies, in order to find out the differences in their purchase behaviour. The definition of behaviour in retail supermarket domain covers different meanings. For example, retailers often distinguish between light, medium and heavy users or weekday or weekend customers etc (Brijs et al, 2001). In this research, the differences will be discovered by identifying frequently purchased items for each customer segment and comparing their combinations. The retailer may use this information to customize his offer towards those segments and also to further examine the underlying relation ships between those items for purposes of pricing, product placement or promotions. AIM OBJECTIVES The aim of this research is to provide customised service to defined customer segments in a retail supermarket, by implementing data mining techniques on sales transaction data with the help of data mining tools. OBJECTIVES To conduct a critical review of the literature and present the current research within the discipline. Obtain the customer sales transaction dataset, in order to apply the data mining algorithms. Based on the literature review, select the appropriate data mining approach to pre-process the dataset and to implement the algorithms on the pre-processed data. Analyse the results obtained from the data mining algorithms and propose recommendations to provide customised service. Draw conclusions, discuss the limitations of this research and suggest the areas of future research. Research Approach This research follows the quantitative methodology by obtaining the dataset and analysing the data with data mining tools. The dataset for analysis was obtained from ABC retail supermarket store, Canada, which was available online (http://www.statsci.org/datasets.html). The data required for this project is selected and loaded onto data mining tools SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) and Weka, the tools selected for this research to mine the data. The data mining algorithms that are selected for this study are k-means algorithm for Clustering and Apriori algorithm for association rule mining, the reason behind the choice of these algorithms is justified in the literature review. These algorithms are implemented on the dataset with SPSS and Weka. The results obtained from these algorithms needs to be justified with the help of charts, tables and graphs. Microsoft Excel is used to plot the charts, tables and graphs. Finally, the recommendations are made based on the ana lysis of results. Dissertation Outline This chapter presents the essence of this dissertation, highlighting the aim and objectives of this research. The rest of this dissertation is structured as follows Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive literature review of different aspects relating to the research topic under study. Chapter 3 discuss in detail about the research methods and the data analysis techniques followed, in order to achieve the aim of this research. Chapter 4 presents the analysis of the results obtained from the application of data mining algorithms on the data and provides recommendations. Chapter 5 summarises the entire project and gives insights on limitations of this research and points out the areas of future research. CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction This chapter provides a critical review of literature addressing the application of data mining in retail supermarkets. It begins with an introduction to data mining, followed by its evolution and applications in todays business world. Then explore the role of data mining in retail supermarkets to improve customer relationships, followed by a discussion about the typical data mining approach. It also discusses the techniques and algorithms implied in this project and the reason for their choice. Data Mining: An Introduction The word mining means extracting something useful or valuable, such as mining gold from the earth (Lappas, 2007).The importance of mining is growing continuously, especially in the business world. Data mining is a process of finding interesting patterns in databases for decision-making. It is one of the fast growing and most prominent fields, which can provide a significant advantage to an organization by exploiting the vast databases (Rygielski, Wang and Yen, 2002). Finding patterns in business data is not new; traditionally business analysts use statistical approach. The computer revolution and huge databases ranging from few Giga Bytes to Tera Bytes changed this scenario. For e.g. companies like Wal-Mart stores huge amount of sales transaction data, which can be used to analyze the customer buying patterns and make predictions(Bose and Mahapatra, 2001). Data warehousing technology has enabled the companies to store huge amount of data from multiple sources under a unified schema. Data mining has been considered to be a tool of business intelligence for knowledge discovery (Wang Wang, 2008). Many people consider data mining as Knowledge Discovery from Data (KDD), but it is actually a part of the larger process called knowledge discovery which describes the steps that must be taken to secure the desired results (Han and Jiawei, 2006). Typical data mining process implicates various iterative steps; the first step is the selection of appropriate data from a single database or multiple source systems followed by cleaning and preprocessing for consistency. The data is then analyzed to find patterns and correlations in the data. This approach compliments the other data analysis techniques like statistics, OLAP (On-line analytical processing) etc, (Bose and Mahapatra, 2001). Every organization follows a different data mining and modelling process to achieve their business imperatives. The Evolution of data mining It all started with the need to store the data in computers and improve the access to it for decision-making. Today the technology enables the users to access and navigate the real time data. At the beginning of 1960s, the data was collected for the purpose of making simple calculations to answer the business questions like the total average revenue for a specific period of time. In 1980s 1990s the usage of data warehouses to store data in a structured format emerged, policies regarding the format of data to be used in an organization were implemented (Therling.K, 1998). The data warehouses extended to be multi-dimensional that facilitates the stakeholder to drilldown and navigate through the data. Nowadays, online analytic tools assist to retrieve the data real-time. Now computers can query data from past to until the current. In recent years many technologies like statistics, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and machine learning have been evolving as core sectors in data mining field(Rygielski, Wang and Yen, 2002). So these technologies combined with relational database systems with data integration provide potential knowledge from the data. Data mining applications Data mining can be implied in many fields depending on the aim of the company. Some of the main areas in todays business world where data mining is applied are as follows (Apte.C. et al, 2002): Finance Telecom Marketing Web analysis Insurance Retail Medicine Data mining for CRM in retail supermarkets Swift (2001) defined CRM as an Enterprise approach to understanding and influencing customer behaviour through meaningful communications in order to improve customer acquisition, customer retention, customer loyalty, and customer profitability. According to research by the American management association It costs three to five times as much to acquire a new customer than to retain the existing one and is especially evident in services sector (Ennew Binks, 1996). Therefore it is very important to create a good relationship with the existing and new customer rather than expanding the customer base. A large number of companies are adopting various tools and strategies to enhance a more effective CRM, in order to gain an in-depth understanding about their customers. Data mining is a powerful new technique, which helps the companies to mine the patterns, trends and correlations in their large amounts of customer, product, or data, to drive improved customer relationships. It is one of the well-known tools given to customer relationship management (CRM) (Giudici Passerone, 2002). In the context of retail supermarket these patterns not only assists the retailers to offer high quality products and service to their customers, but also helps them to understand the changes in customer needs. Data mining applications for CRM in retail supermarkets Data mining improves customer relationship in retail supermarket, which is a wide area of research interest. Depending on the retailers objective, there are various application areas in which data mining can be applied to enhance customer relationship management. Some of the major data mining applications in retail supermarket, identified from literature are as follows: Cross-selling (Brijs et al 1999, Feng and Tsang, 1999) Product recommendation (Shih and Liu 2005, Li et al 2009) Customer behaviour modelling (Baydar.C 2003, Cadez, 2001) Shelf space allocation (Chen and Lin 2007, Chen et al 2006) Catalogue segmentation (Ester et al,2004, Lin and Hong, 2006) Direct marketing (Bhattacharyya, 1999, Prinzie and Poel, 2005) Prize optimization (Chen et al 2008, Kitts and Hetherington, 2005) THE DATA MINING PROCESS Ivancsy Vajk, (2006), defined the three main stages involved in the data mining process which are: (i) preprocessing, (ii) pattern discovery, (iii) pattern analysis/interpretation. Preprocessing Famili .A, (1997), defined data preprocessing as all the actions taken before the actual data analysis process starts. It is essentially a transformation T that transforms the raw real world data vectors Xik, to a set of new data vectors Yij. Yij = T (Xik) Such that: Yij preserves the valuable information in Xik, Yij eliminates at least one of the problems in Xik and Yij is more useful than Xik. In the above relation: i=1 n where n = number of objects, j=1 m where m = number of features after preprocessing, k=1. . . l where l = number of attributes/features before preprocessing, and in general, m ? l. The most common data used for mining the purchase behaviour in retail supermarket is customer and transaction data (Giudici and Passerone, 2002). With a huge collection of customers sales transaction data available in the databases, it is necessary to pre-process the data and extract the useful information from it. In the context of retail supermarkets Pinto et al, (2006), suggested four key tasks in data preprocessing, they are data selection, data cleaning, data transformation, and data understanding. The first preprocessing task is data selection. Here the subset of the data is identified on which pattern discovery is to be performed. This task is especially helpful in solving the problem of large amounts of data through precisely evaluating and categorizing the data into much smaller datasets. Computational requirements necessary for data analysis and manipulation are also hugely reduced by preprocessing large datasets through data selection techniques like clustering or vector quantization (Famili .A, 1997). The second is data cleaning where basic operations include removing noise and handling missing data (Fayyad et al, 1996). Other issues regarding the data quality like errors and insufficient attributes which may complicate data analysis are also addressed in data cleaning. In most cases missing attribute values are replaced by attribute mean but traditionally, if more than 20% of attribute values are missing, the entire record is eliminated (Famili .A, 1997). To handle the outliers and noise data, techniques like binning (partitioning the sorted attribute values into bins), clustering and regression are applied. The next preprocessing task is data transformation. The application of each data mining algorithm requires the presence of data in a mathematically feasible format (Crone et al, 2006). Inaccuracies in the measurements of input or incorrect feeding of data to the data mining algorithm could cause various problems. Since, operations such as normalization, aggregation, generalization and attribute construction are performed. Normalization deals with scaling the attribute value into a specific range, whereas aggregation and generalization refers to the summary of data in terms of numeric and nominal attributes. Attribute construction handles the replacement or addition of new attributes based on the existing attributes (Markov.Z and Larose.T.D, 2007). Once issues regarding the data are solved and the data are prepared, understanding the nature of data would be useful in many ways. According to Famili .A, (1997), the majority of the data analysis tools have some limitations regarding the data characteristics; therefore, it is important to recognize these characteristics for appropriate setup of data analysis process. He further pointed out that techniques like visualization and principal component analysis are useful for better understanding the data. Pattern discovery Fayyad et al, (1996), defined that core of the process is the application of specific data-mining methods for pattern discovery and extraction. Pattern discovery is the key stage of the process in this research, which is where the data is mined. Once the data is pre-processed, and the irrelevant information is eradicated, it is then used for mining, using data mining techniques to discover patterns. However, it is not the intent of this paper to describe all the available algorithms and techniques derived from these fields. This research focuses on two main data mining methods that to helps to mine the data and find patterns. They are Clustering and Association. The reason behind choosing these rules is justified below. Clustering Clustering can be defined as a technique to group together a set of items having similar characteristics (Kuo et.al, 2002). In retail domain, cluster analysis is a common tool to segment the customers on the basis of their similarity on a chosen segmentation base or set of bases (Stewart.D.W and Girish.P., 1983). The actual choice for one or a combination of these bases largely depends on the business question under study (Wind, Y., 1978). Segmentation can be done on the basis of various variables/bases, such as 1) general or product-specific, and 2) observable or non-observable as classified by wedel M and Kamakura (2000). General bases for segmentation are independent of products, services or circumstances, whereas product-specific bases for segmentation are related to the product, the customer or the circumstances. Observable segmentation bases can be measured directly, whereas non-observable bases must be inferred. The combination of classification of segmentation bases is shown below. Twedt, D.W., (1967) as cited in Engel.J.F et.al, (1972), stated that the existence of huge amounts of transaction data in retail supermarket domain provides a great impetus for segmentation on the basis of purchase frequencies. Segmentation based on this divides customers into groups on their intensity of buying a product(s), such as light, medium and heavy buyers. According to Brijs.T, (2002), if customers are classified by their purchase frequency, these segments could then be treated differently in terms of marketing communication (pricing, promotion, product recommendation etc.) to achieve greater return of investment (ROI) and customer satisfaction. Therefore, in this research clustering is employed to segment the customers into various clusters on the basis of their similarity in purchase frequency. Several algorithms have been proposed in the literature for clustering, such as ISODATA, CLARA, CLARANS, ScaleKM, P-CLUSTER, DBSCAN, Ejcluster, BIRCH and GRIDCLUS (Kanungo.T. et al, 2002). It is not the objective of this research to use all these algorithms for clustering. However, as discussed earlier, k-means clustering algorithm would be used to cluster and its justification is given below. k-Means Clustering Algorithm The K-means has been considered as one of the most effective algorithms in producing good clustering results for many practical applications (Alsabti et.al, 1998). The main reason behind this is, when clustering is done for the purpose of data reduction, the goal is not to find the best partitioning, but simply needs a reasonable consolidation of N data points into k clusters, and, if necessary, some efficient way to improve the quality of the initial partitioning (Faber, 1994). Therefore, k-means algorithm proves to be very effective in data reduction and produces a good clustering output. The k-means algorithm clusters the data that are similar into various clusters namely Cluster 0, Cluster 1 to Cluster n (Kanungo et.al, 2002). Provided a set of n data points in real d dimensional space (Rd) and an integer k, the aim is to determine k points in Rd, called the centers, so as to minimize the mean squared distance from each data point to its nearest center. This measure is often called as squared-error distortion (Jain Dubes, 1988). The diagram below illustrates the standard k-means algorithm. It shows the results during two iterations in the partitioning of nine two-dimensional data points into two well separated clusters. Points in cluster 1 are shown in red, points in cluster 2 are shown in black; data points are denoted by open circles and reference points by filled circles. Clusters are indicated by dashed lines. The iteration converges quickly to the correct clustering; even there was a bad initial choice of reference points. Lloyds algorithm is another popular version for K-means clustering which requires about the same amount of computation for a single pass through all the data points, or a single iteration, like the standard K-means algorithm (Faber, 1994). Lloyds algorithm is similar to standard k-means algorithm, except when the cluster centroids are chosen as reference points in subsequent partition; the centroids are adjusted both during and after each partition. However, the k-means algorithm constantly updates the clusters and requires comparatively less iterations than Lloyds algorithm, thus, k- means algorithm is considerably faster. This is the key reason that leads to the selection of k-means algorithm, since it can group the customers which have similar purchase frequency into different clusters in less iterations. However, Faber, (1994), pointed two major drawbacks to this algorithm. Firstly, it is computationally inefficient for large datasets. Secondly- although the algorithm will always produce the desired number of clusters, the centroids of these clusters may not be particularly representative of the data. Association Rules Association rule discovery was proposed to find all rules in a basket data to analyze how items purchased by customer in a shop are related (Gery Haddad, 2003). The rule refers to the discovery of attribute value associations that occur frequently together within a given data set (Han Kamber, 2001). It is typically used for market basket analysis to discover rules of the form x% of customers who buy item A and B, also buy item C (Zaiane, 2001) and is an implication of the form (A, B) à ¨C. Some of the key definitions drawn from literature that characterize association rule technique are provided below (Agarwal, Imielinski and Swami, 1993). Itemset (i) Set of items that contain in a single transaction (e.g. {milk, sugar, curd}) Support (s) The support expresses the percentage of transactions in the data that contain both the items in the antecedent and the consequent of the rule. Confidence (c) Confidence estimates the conditional probability of B given A, i.e. P (B |A) and it can be calculated as Confidence (c) =s (A B) / s (A). Association rule discovery typically involves a two phased sequential methodology (Brijs T., 2002). Finding frequent itemsets The first phase involves looking for so-called frequent itemsets, i.e. itemsets for which the support in the database equals or exceeds the minimum support threshold set by the user. This is computationally the most complex phase because of the number of possible combinations of items that need to be tested for their support. Generating association rules Once all frequent itemsets are known, the discovery of association rules is comparatively straightforward. The general scheme is that, if ABCD and AB are frequent itemsets, then it can be calculated whether the rule AB à ¨ CD holds with sufficient confidence by computing the ratio confidence = s (ABCD) / s (AB). If the confidence of the rule equals or exceeds the minconf threshold set by the user, then it is a valid rule. For an itemset of size k, there are potentially 2k-2 confident rules. Association rules can help to discover frequently purchased combinations of products within a customer segment and provide customised service by promoting certain products or product combinations to the defined segments (Brijs T. et al, 2001). Therefore, in this research, frequent itemsets for each customer cluster will be generated and their combinations are compared to identify the differences in purchase behaviour to provide customised service. Traditionally, support and confidence are used in association rule discovery, but Aggarwal Yu, (1998), criticized this support-confidence framework for association rule discovery for the following main reasons. First of all, setting good values for the support and confidence parameters in association rule mining is critical. For example, setting the support threshold too low will lead to the generation of more frequent itemsets. But even if they would be statistically significant, their support is usually too low to have a significant influence. On the other hand, setting the support threshold too high increases the probability of finding insignificant relations and of missing some important associations between items. Further Agarwal Yu, (1998); Brin et al., (1998), as cited in Brijs.T,(2003), introduced the lift (also called interest) measure to overcome the disadvantage of confidence in not taking the baseline frequency of the consequent into account. Lift/Interest (l) Lift is computed as the confidence of the rule divided by the support of the right-hand-side (RHS). In other words, lift is the ratio of the probability that A and B occur together to the multiple of the two individual probabilities for A and B. Lift (l) = s (A B) / s (A).s (B) In order to perform predictive analysis, it is useful to discover interesting patterns in the given dataset that serve as the base for future trends. The best and most popular algorithm used for this analysis is called the Apriori algorithm (Varde et.al, 2004). Apriori Algorithm The Apriori algorithm was proposed by Agarwal et.al, (1994) (Varde et.al, 2004). The algorithm finds frequent items in a given data set using the anti-monotone constraint (Petrucelli et.al, 1999), as cited in Varde et.al, 2004). It works under the principle that all subsets of a frequent itemset must also be frequent. In other words, if at least one subset of an itemset is not frequent, the itemset can never be frequent anymore. This principle simplifies the discovery of frequent itemsets significantly because for some itemsets, it can be determined that they can never be frequent before checking their support against the data anymore. This is the key reason to select this algorithm, since the association rules for the items can be discovered more quickly and efficiently. Given a data set, the problem of association rule mining is to generate all rules that have support and confidence greater than a user-specified minimum support and minimum confidence respectively. Candidate sets having k items can be generated by joining large sets having k-1 items, and deleting those that contain a subset that is not large (where large refers to support above minimum support). Frequent sets of items with minimum support form the basis for deriving association rules with minimum confidence. For A à ¨ B to hold with confidence C, C% of the transactions having A must also have B. Though the algorithm is very efficient in association rule mining, it has certain drawbacks, found by Margahny Shakour, (2006). After discovering the 4-frequent itemsets this algorithm needs extra data structure and methods to process, since the further itemsets can be obtained by different ways. This method is fast only while handling small data. There are several tools available for clustering and association rule mining such as ARMiner, Clementine (SPSS), Enterprise Miner (SAS), Intelligent Miner (IBM), Decision Series (NeoVista). To mine association rules, WEKA is used, which is a collection of machine learning algorithms for data mining tasks and SPSS statistics 17.0 for clustering. WEKA is an open source software available online and very efficient in mining large datasets, where as SPSS statistics 17.0 is a statistical analysis package available at Brunel university computer labs. Pattern Analysis Pattern analysis means understanding the results obtained by the algorithms and drawing conclusions. This is the last phase in data mining process, where the uninteresting rules or patterns from the set found in the pattern discovery phase are filtered out (Cooley et.al, 2000). The uninteresting patterns are filtered out by applying appropriate methodologies on the results and produce some interesting statistical patterns. SUMMARY This chapter discussed the concept of data mining, its evolution and applications in todays business world. Then, it provided an overview regarding the role of data mining in retail supermarkets to improve customer relationships, followed by a discussion about the typical data mining approach. It also discussed the techniques and algorithms implied in this project and the reason for their choice. The following chapter will explain about the research approach followed in this dissertation. CHAPTER 3 : RESEARCH APPROACH Introduction This chapter will discuss about the research approach employed in this project. It starts with a discussion about the research and literature review methods, followed by the data collection and justification of data mining approach on the data. Research Methods The research approach depends upon the objectives and aim of the study, as it assists the researcher to elicit appropriate responses. Boyatzis (1998) defines research methods as taxonomic procedure used for problem solving where, first data is collected based on the research question, hypotheses are stated, data analysis is carried out using appropriate techniques, results are interpreted and conclusions are derived. According to Hussey et al (1997), research methods can be distinguished in two types they are Qualitative and Quantitative approach. Oates (2006) says that, quantitative research method is the data or evidence on numbers whereas qualitative research method includes all non-numeric. In this research, quantitative research methodology is used. Quantitative study makes use of the numeric data that has been collected from a group of people interested in the subject area which is then analysed and interprete

Aspartame :: essays research papers

I have had friends who were having symptoms, had all kinds of tests and were taking all kinds of medications and when they stopped consuming Aspartame, the symptoms disappeared. Written by Lisa Zak Physician Credentialer University Pediatric Associates, Inc. Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo: In October of 2001, a friend's sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed she was in so much pain. By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. Because of her pain and sickness, she was sure she was dying. She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of. She also wanted a last hoorah, so she planned a trip to FL (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd. On March 19th her brother called to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they >>> believe she had MS. He recalled an E-mail article I might have sent to him and asked his sister if she drank diet pop? She told him that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment. He told her not to open it, to stop drinking the diet pop, and then E-mailed her the aspartame articles sister called him within 32 hours after the phone conversation and told him she had stopped drinking the diet pop AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel 100% better, but she sure felt a lot better. She told him she was going to her doctor with this article and would call him when she got home. Well, she called, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they had consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda and literally dying a slow and miserable death. When she got to FL March 22nd, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning. Aspartame :: essays research papers I have had friends who were having symptoms, had all kinds of tests and were taking all kinds of medications and when they stopped consuming Aspartame, the symptoms disappeared. Written by Lisa Zak Physician Credentialer University Pediatric Associates, Inc. Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo: In October of 2001, a friend's sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed she was in so much pain. By March 2002, she had undergone several tissue and muscle biopsies and was on 24 various prescription medications. The doctors could not determine what was wrong with her. Because of her pain and sickness, she was sure she was dying. She put her house, bank accounts, life insurance, etc., in her oldest daughter's name, and made sure that her younger children were to be taken care of. She also wanted a last hoorah, so she planned a trip to FL (basically in a wheelchair) for March 22nd. On March 19th her brother called to ask how her most recent tests went, and she said they didn't find anything on the test, but they >>> believe she had MS. He recalled an E-mail article I might have sent to him and asked his sister if she drank diet pop? She told him that she did. As a matter of fact, she was getting ready to crack one open that moment. He told her not to open it, to stop drinking the diet pop, and then E-mailed her the aspartame articles sister called him within 32 hours after the phone conversation and told him she had stopped drinking the diet pop AND she could walk! The muscle spasms went away. She said she didn't feel 100% better, but she sure felt a lot better. She told him she was going to her doctor with this article and would call him when she got home. Well, she called, and said her doctor was amazed! He is going to call all of his MS patients to find out if they had consumed artificial sweeteners of any kind. In a nutshell, she was being poisoned by the Aspartame in the diet soda and literally dying a slow and miserable death. When she got to FL March 22nd, all she had to take was one pill, and that was a pill for the Aspartame poisoning.