Dr. Stephen Hawking; Man Of Mystery :: essays research papers

Dr. Stephen Hawking has been considered to be more brilliant then Einstein. Dr. Hawking was born on January 8 1942 in Oxford, England on the 300th anniversary of Galileo’s death. Is this a coincidence? After his studies at St. Albans School, he attended University College, Oxford. He wanted to study Mathematics, but because it was unavailable at Oxford, he concentrated on Physics and earned a degree in Natural Science three years later. Stephen went on to Cambridge to do research in Cosmology. After attaining his Ph.D., he became a Professorial Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. He left the Institute of Astronomy to become a professor at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge. He has held the post of Lacasian Professor of Mathematics since 1979. In the early 1960’s, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with the dreadful disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (A.L.S.), an incurable degenerative neuromuscular disease, also known as Lou Gerh ig’s Disease. He has been paralyzed unable to use every muscle in his body. The only muscles he has use of are those around his eyes. This explains why Hawking has become a theoretician rather than a â€Å"hands-on† scientist. He spends hour after hour in his wheelchair pondering complex ideas and formulating mind bobbling equations in his head. Dr. Hawking’s work is primarily in the field of general relativity and in particular on the physics of black holes. He uses his theory on the origin of black holes to help explain the creation of the universe. In 1971 he suggested the formation (following the big bang), of numerous objects containing as much as 1,000,000,000 tons of mass but occupying only the space of a proton. These objects, called mini- black holes, are unique in that because of their immense mass and gravity, they are ruled by the laws if relativity, while their minute size requires that the laws of quantum mechanics apply to them also. In 1974, Hawking proposed that, in accordance with the predications of quantum theory, black holes emit subatomic particles until they exhaust all their energy and finally explode. Hawking’s work spurred efforts to theoretically delineate the properties of black holes. It was previously thought that nothing could be learned about black holes. Now we know that each bl ack hole starts out as a star about ten times the size of the sun. Over time, the star burns all its nuclear fuel and explodes.

Breakfast cereal market analysis

The term â€Å"breakfast cereals† covers a wide variety of grain products that are usually cooked or processed to improve their texture, flavor and digestibility. Although these products are often made from flours, they differ from breads and other baked goods in that they are not usually leavened; instead they may be toasted to crispiness like crackers. The modern ready-to eat breakfast cereals are only about 100 years old.They owe their development to the Seventh Day Adventists, an American religious sect for whom Dr. JH Kellogg invented a granola-like ready-to-eat breakfast cereal/ later Dr.  JH Kellogg and his brother WK Kellogg founded the cereal company which still bears their name. Interestingly yet another pioneer of the industry was CW Post who had been a patient and ate Dr. JH Kellogg’s cereal and was inspired by it enough to make his own version of the product.The establishment of the breakfast cereal industry came about the time the United States began a t ransition from a predominantly agricultural society to a more industrialized urban culture. A strong selling point of the ready-to- eat cereal was and still is, is their convenience (Ensminger, Konlande, 1993, p.261-262). There seems to be indication that there will be steady increase in the consumption of commercial cereal products around the world as the developing countries attempt to feed their burgeoning population. The present paper presents an analysis of the Breakfast cereal industry as well as market. Characteristics of the Breakfast cereal industry Brand History Breakfast cereals are not a homogenous product. The ready-to-eat breakfast cereal industry may be characterized by relatively low economies of scale and relatively low levels of technology.In other words, the entry into this industry is easy. Between the 1950s and the 1970s there was no entry of new firms in the industry even though all the incumbent firms such as Kellogg, General Mills, General Foods and Quaker Oa ts, made significant profits. Later however, there was the entry of new low-end companies in the markets and the number of brands sold by these firms also increased substantially from 25 to more than 80, and this number is still on a rise (Cabral, 2000, p. 265-266). Pricing trends For decades the breakfast cereal market was one of the most profitable in the United States.The industry had a consolidated structure dominated by Kellogg, General Mills and Kraft Foods with its Post brand. Strong brand loyalty, coupled with control over the allocation of supermarket shelf space, helped to limit the potential for new entry. Meanwhile the steady demand growth of around 3% per annum kept the industry revenues expanding. Also Kellogg, which accounted for over 40 percent of the market share, acted as the price leader in the industry for years in the industry. Every year Kellogg increased cereal prices, its rivals followed and industry profits too remained high.However, this favorable structure started to change in the early 1990s when the growth in demand slowed and then stagnated as the lifestyle and hence food patterns changed and the market saw the rise of powerful discounters such as Wal-Mart that started promoting their own brand of cereal. As sales of cheaper store-brand cereals began to take-ff, supermarkets no longer were as dependent on brand names to bring in traffic and hence they started to demand lower prices from the branded cereal manufacturers.Initially, the branded cereal manufacturers tried to hold against these adverse trends. However, in 1996 Kraft which was then owned by Philip Morris aggressively cut prices by 20 % for its Post brand in am attempt to gain market share. Kellogg son followed with a 19 percent price cut on two-third of its brands and General Mills quickly did the same. However, this too did not change the consumption pattern the growth rates of which remained flat and revenues then started going down for all the branded cereals (Hill, Jones, 2009, p. 52).The trend continued in 2000s also and the situation worsened with the private-label sales continuing to make inroads, gaining over 10 percent of the market. To top it all off, the sales of breakfast cereals started to contract at 1 percent per annum and the period between 1998-2001 saw the market leader Kellogg sliding down to the 2nd position for the first time in its history since its inception in 1906, by General Mills that continued to launch expensive price and promotion campaigns. To cover the rising cost General Mills raised prices in 2001 and competitors soon followed the trend.However, both Kellogg and General Mills tried to move further away from price competition in the industry by diversifying and focusing on brand extensions such as Special K on the behalf of Kellogg and new varieties of Cheerios. Special K was instrumental and helping Kellogg recapturing its market leadership position from General Mills and this renewed focus on non-price competitio n halted years of damaging price warfare (Hill, Jones, 2009, p. 52). Target markets The breakfast cereal industry targets several diverse markets but focuses upon two large ones namely the baby boomers and their children.Since a high proportion of the baby boomers are highly educated, health appeals are paramount. Thus many brands have placed emphasis on various types of oat-bran cereal. The other sizeable market, targeted to children is also highly developed. Various brands have successfully used sports personality and trade characters such as Tony the Tiger to attract the children towards their products and retain brand loyalty. The breakfast cereal industry has been adept at target market segmentation and promoting favorable brand images.The strategy of the overall industry especially Kellogg, the market leader, has been to provide a comprehensive assortment for the retailers targeting specific market segments (Michman, Mazze, 1999, p. 109-111) Competition Breakfast cereal indust ry faces competition from hand-held breakfast products such as bagels, muffins, doughnuts etc. These have in fact led to a decrease in the growth of the breakfast cereal industry. The industry also faces competition from frozen waffles, pancakes, and French toast brands which have proved to be a concern both in the past and the present.Many analysts consider that the competition is due to the change in dietary habits, though some also say that this has been due to th increase in cereal prices for the branded segment (Michman, Mazze, 1999, p. 112-113). Advertisements and Promotional activities From the time of WH Kellogg, the breakfast cereal industry has been dependent on marketing strategies and expensive promotions. In fact in 1909 itself the advertisement budget of Kellogg had reached 1 million per annum. Needless to say this is a major problem in the industry which has become price sensitive in present times.This activity has led to a decrease in profits and considering that the market share has not increased since the 1990s, this has become even more of a problem. There were also many insufficiencies generated by coupons and in-store promotions. For instance, more than 95 percent of the cereal coupons were thrown away and not redeemed and approximately half of the promotional expenditures did not reach the consumers in the form of lower prices. Because of these inefficiencies, as well as congressional investigations and competitive treats, the breakfast cereal industry has moved to lower prices.As the returns earned by the cereal manufacturers exceed most other grocery products, there is fierce competition among manufacturers (Michman, Mazze, 1999, p. 113-114). Factors contributing to success and failure There are a combination of variables that contribute to the successes and failure of the breakfast cereal industry. These variables and strategies include innovation, target-market segmentation, image, physical environment resources, and human resources. Such factors must be combined in various degrees for success. The breakfast cereal industry has shown innovation in product and packaging strategies.In addition to this, breakfast snack bars are a new innovation. The image of the breakfast cereal industry has been positive enough to withstand the assault of private-label brand sot a large extent. Also cereal manufacturers with their successful track records and huge advertisement budgets do not have much difficulty in convincing retailers to give their new product introduction a chance. In 1970s, Kellogg designed shelf space allocation programs for supermarkets. Sophisticated computers and programs developed by members of the breakfast cereal industry now help to allocate shelf space according to turnover.The breakfast cereal industry has also been successful in designing packaging for shipping and for display purposes. To sell their product brands and retain the company brand value, the breakfast cereal manufacturers have developed the strategy that links the brand name to the company name instead to identifying brand products by their individual brand names. For instance, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Special K, as well as General Mills’ Total Raisin Bran and Total Corn Flakes use this strategy. To fend off private brand competition by offering product line depth and high brand identification (Michman, Mazze, 1999, p. 114-115).

Racial Formation Summary Essay

Racial Formations by Michael Omi and Howard Winant, in my eyes, successfully explained how we as a society view race and gives us a sense of how it is observed within social contexts. Omi and Winant used media, ideas, and everyday examples to portray their views about race. Omi and Winant’s article began with the Susie Guillory Phipps’s case about how she had (Omi and Winant 2014) â€Å"unsuccessfully sued the Louisiana Bureau of Vital Records† (p.13) because she wanted to change her racial distinction from black to white on her birth certificate. Phipps argument was that racial classifications were unconstitutional. However, the court had upheld the belief that classifying individuals based on race was indeed constitutional. The Phipps case demonstrated for many centuries, that the United States had always tried to define race and how it is to fit within our social context. Omi and Winant then goes on to say this struggle to define race is not only seen in the U nited States, but is seen in other locations around the world, such as Europe. With exploration of the new world, many Europeans had believed that anyone who was not white had to have lesser freedom, if any at all, because these non-white were seen as inferior and less fit for society. Even to this every day, many individuals try to discover the â€Å"scientific meaning† of race. These individuals want to argue that race in not (Omi and Winant 2014) â€Å"social, political, or economic determination† (p. 15) but instead race can be found within an individual’s underlying characteristics which can be identified through skin color or physical attributes. Omi and Winant further showed how race can be seen as a social concept as well. For example, they explained how many people in contemporary British politics use the term black to mean any nonwhites, which surprisingly has not lead to any retaliation by any people. As a matter of fact, some Asian and Afro-Caribbean youth are using the term for self identity. Omi and Winant explains this phenomenon as â€Å"racial formations† which refers to the (Omi and Winant 2014) â€Å"process of by which social, economic, and political forces determine the content and importance of racial categories, and by which they are shaped by racial meanings† (p.15). Omi and Winant also goes on to explain within everyday life, individuals tend to create racial identities for others. These preconceived thoughts are like expectations we give  ourselves about other races. These preconceived thoughts did not just occur over night, they are a result of the historical events that has occurred over time and still shape the way we think about other races to this very day. Constructing Race, Cheating, White Privilege Constructing Race, Creating White Privilege by Pem Davidson Buck illustrated from the beginning of European colonization, there was a sense of how white individuals granted themselves privileges that no other race could have. To keep these racial privileges separate, laws such as the one in 1691punished European women who married African Americans or Native American men. The white individuals were so driven to separate themselves from other races, that European men who had children with an African or Native American, or any slave for that matter, were not responsible for the children. This meant that African American or the Natives did not become wealthy and was done so that the white people did not feel threatened by other race’s power. Buck then goes on to say that (2014) â€Å"Whites had an equal interest in the maintenance of whiteness and white privilege, and that it was the elite† (pg.35). This meant that white supremacy was taught to others and thus engraved in their minds for years after. All this was created so that whites would have power over other races. Additionally, whites reserved the right to whip African Americans; however, it was illegal to whip white people. On top of this, African Americans were denied the right to having a family just because husbands could have authority for their wives and not their owners. Buck then goes into talks about Psychological Wage. Buck describes psychological wage as having a feeling of superiority for the poor whites because their whiteness made up for the terrible economic situation they were in. This sense of superiority further helped the rich whites because the poor had supported this separate racial system and thus the rich had control of labor and the economy.

Behavioural Perspectives of Mental Health

Question 1: Describe what is meant by a â€Å"behavioural perspective† of mental health and illness. Use examples from the literature to show how medical and behaviourally-based approaches differ. Behavioural perspectives concerning mental health and illness include bio medical and psychological approaches. Bio medical approaches incorporate pharmacological treatments, heritability, criterion – based diagnosis, and the ability to examine structures and functions of the brain. Psychological approaches comprise psychoanalytical, cognitive, non directive psychotherapy, and behavioural analysis.When making a behavioural perspective concerning a client’s mental health and illness it is important to â€Å"distinguish how problems are conceptualised, what is important to target for change, the process of behaviour and how to change the behaviour† (M. Burkhardt, personal communication, 2010). To distinguish how a behaviour is caused physicians need to examine the behaviour and consider the clients environmental antecendents and consequences concerning their behaviour (M. Burkhardt, personal communication, 2010).Behavioural perspectives concerning mental health and illness have changed over time and continually vary in regards to people’s thoughts, point of views, theories and studies. There are many psychological and biological theories and studies that can impact on the treatment decision, conflicting between psychological and pharmacological treatments (M. Burkhardt, personal communication, 2010). The choice of treatment can depend greatly on the client and physicians views and beliefs. Medical approaches are an important and popular intervention for many people who have been diagnosed with a mental health problem. There are many studies and research surrounding mental health and illness in regards to the medical approach of treatment, evidence in support of the medical approach and biological causation generally falls into two categories, family studies and brain structure/ function studies (Wyatt, 2009). Through the use of functional imaging scans researchers have found that there are differences in the activities of the brains with a range of psychiatric illnesses (Leach, 2009).Frith and Johnstone (2003) as cited in Leach (2009) suggest that â€Å"People diagnosed with schizophrenia have noticeable differences in certain aspects of their brain structures compared to others without that diagnosis†. Genetic factors have been linked to making a contribution to mental illnesses, â€Å"both depression and schizophrenia have been linked to differences in brain chemistry, and researches have suggested genetic patterns of inheritance for these conditions† (Leach, 2009).Studies have found that there are â€Å"biological differences to those who are and are not prone to depression, confirmed by the fact that drugs that have no effect on mood in normal people relieve depression in those who are ill, and the observation that a depressed mood can be precipitated in people who are prone to depressive illnesses simply by manipulating the tryptophan content in their diet† (Delgado et al, 1990 as cited in Kendell, 2009). Many clients who seek help for mental illnesses desire medications due to the fact that they are convinced that their illness are caused biochemically or genetically (Wyatt, 2009). Mental illnesses can be explained in many cases to be cause from a ‘chemical imbalance’ within the body, the medical approach to treat these chemical imbalances is through the use of pharmacological and psychotropic medications to improve their condition by re-balancing chemicals within their body. Behaviourally based approaches involving mental health and illness, consist of non-medical approaches studying client’s behaviours and thoughts, why they exist and what they can cause, also discussing and creating alternative measures to overcome these thoughts and behaviours.Behavioural analysis focuses on behaviours a client presents with and the relationship these behaviours have with the environment, by analysing these relationships, scientific principles of behavioural analysis can contribute to helping people change the way they think, feel and behave. Client’s behaviours are a response to particular circumstances and through the use of behavioural therapy these responses can be modified, changing harmful and unhelpful behaviours that the client may have.Behavioural treatment approaches explores the client’s present situation, considering where their distressing thoughts, feelings and behaviours come from, what reinforces them and how they can be changes (Leach, 2009). When examining a mental illness through the use of the behavioural analytical approach the first step is to have an insight of what the client say’s and does to themselves and others, if the client has severe depression and is participating in self injuries behaviours then it is important to find out what these behaviours are.To recognise and solve these behaviours there needs to be an understanding of the client’s physical condition, setting and environment and the events occurring prior and accompanying these behaviours, such as when the client is in a depressive state having feelings that they ‘don’t want to live’ or ‘fe el like this anymore’, that is when they perform these behaviours such as cutting their wrists, this needs to be established by the physician before interventions can be designed. To achieve positive results by decreasing and diminishing these behaviours their need to be consistency with the interventions and scientific methods.Another non-medical approach structured around behaviour is cognitive behavioural therapy, â€Å"the basic premise of this approach it that an individual’s appraisal of personal life events largely determines how she or he feels and behaves† (Leach, 2009). The key purpose of behavioural approaches is to help client’s understand their behaviours, beliefs and thoughts and how they can used interventions and scientific methods to overcome these issues. It is evident that the medical and behavioural aspects concerning mental health and illness differ greatly in the two separate approaches.Medical based approaches are centred around heritability, genetic factors, examining client’s brain structures and functions, and stabilising ‘chemical imbalances’ through the use of pharmacological and psychotropi c medications. In contrast the behavioural approach looks into the client’s thoughts, beliefs and behaviours, the relationship between behaviours and environment are considered, and once the cause and effects of the behaviours are established interventions and scientific methods are put into place to decrease and diminish these behaviours.

Organisational Behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisational Behaviour - Assignment Example Reaching goals in this manner is a form of performance management as "performance management includes activities to ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. Performance management can focus on performance of the organization, a department, processes to build a product or service, employees, etc.," as reported by McNamara (1997-2006). creation of shareholder wealth over time," reports Stewart (2006). TCS uses EVA as a tool to measure the value that has been created by the company within a certain amount of time. In other words, TCS's monetary value at the beginning of a time period is subtracted from the monetary value at the end of that period in order to come up with the EVA. The workforce's pay and bonuses were then based on this EVA. This created a close relationship between work performance and pay. Most of TSA's workforce scope of EVA, only a few were able to benefit from Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Retirement Terminology (n.d.) states that an ESOP "gives employees the opportunity to invest in the potential growth of their employer. If the company prospers, stock will follow suit. But, stock can decline if the fortunes of the company take a turn for the worse. Also, employees can become over invested, and be vulnerable to inadequate portfolio diversity." From management on down, all benefited from the advantages of EVA. Employees realised that they played a part in increasing the EVA of the unit and the organisation. They also realised the importance of their responsibilities as there was a close link between performance and pay. The bonus banks also confirmed the connection and the importance of responsibilities. Due to an increase in EVA resulting in an increase in pay, teamwork was better achieved and all acquired a sense of belonging. All were involved in making decisions which empowered the staff members. They benefited from pride of ownership which causes people to work harder. Employees received credibility as they were rewarded for their performance and those who fell below par were given Organisational Behaviour 4 additional training. Other benefits included focusing on long term goals and increased transparency as communication amongst all staff members, particularly within a unit, had increased. The company revealed one of the lowest attrition rates of the Indian IT businesses. The average employee turnover rate at that time (2004) was 15% yet

European Competition Law - The Market for Industrial Filters Essay

European Competition Law - The Market for Industrial Filters - Essay Example From their study of the documents and as a result of interviews conducted with representatives of the manufacturers in question, the Commission is of the opinion that a number of actions taken in concert by manufacturers of industrial filters in the European Union are in breach of current Competition Law, with particular reference to Articles 81(a)1 and 822. We have been asked by the Commission to study the facts and evidence relating to the case in question and, after careful consideration and research, to advise them on the relevance of such issues in respect of their breaches of the European Unions Competition Laws. In the preparation of this report, we have studied the information in hand and undertaken extensive research, including reference to other relevant Competition cases. Our conclusion, outlined in depth within the main body of this report, is that there is reasonable evidence to confirm that the manufacturers of Industrial Filters have taken action in concert to artificially influence the market and that such action is in contravention of current Competition Law. We have been presented with all of the evidence that has been collected and collated by the Competition Director, where they are investigating the possible breach of EU Competition Laws by the manufacturers of Industrial Filters. In our opinion, there are two main issues to be addressed in reaching constructive conclusions within this report. 1) Does the combination of all the undertakings3 in this event represent a dominant force within the industry in which they operate? 2) Have the same undertakings, arriving at decisions made jointly between them, abused their dominant position and conducted themselves in a way which may affect4 the objectives of free trade within the EU and its member states and, by doing so, committed breaches of the EU’s Competition laws and In what specific areas of the Articles have such breaches manifested themselves? There are a number of  different and varied categories of undertakings as defined within Articles 81 and 82.  Ã‚  

American Consumers and the growing energy crisisThe Effects on Essay

American Consumers and the growing energy crisisThe Effects on Transportation Industry - Essay Example Tremendous increase in the price of petrol and diesel and other fuel also has had an adverse impact on the transportation industry. This paper discusses the effects of the growing energy crisis on the transportation industry. There are many causes for the increase in the consumption of energy and, as stated earlier, the main reason can be attributed the population explosion. Mass immigration is the driving force behind this unprecedented and environmentally damaging surge in our population ("Alert Archive", 2001, March). Supply of fuel is too less to meet the demands. This increase in demand is in turn due to the increase in the population. The United States of America is the dream land for many people outside America. People become ecstatic if they get an opportunity to live in the USA and settle down there with family and friends. The funny part is that these immigrants do not realize that they would suffer because of themselves! So, this increase in population and in turn the increase in demand and the shortage of supply have led to what we call the energy crisis. This is the obvious reason. The Energy Crisis has two huge effects: Energy will become much more expensive and no longer abundantly available. This is severe: we use energy for almost everything, so this has an effect on all facets of live. First it will give a reach/distance contraction within the economy (less transport and less mobility, due to high energy prices). Second it will (due to the fact that energy is used for everything), make everything more expensive ("The Credit Crisis joins the Energy Crisis: Creating the Perfect Storm", 2008, para.4) This crisis has an impact on various areas like the stock markets, gold and so on. But it is relatively more on the transportation industry. In America, it looks like people would find themselves in a financial constraint to get to their homes from workplaces and vice versa! The issue of transport is now tugging at the sleeves of every person in America mainly due to the increase in cost of fuel. Especially, in a place like America where most of the people rely on public transportation, a bigger impact is felt. Here, the transportation industry includes not just the buses, cars and other vehicles but all other related factors right from the manufacturing of the vehicles, the infrastructure construction and maintenance and other facilities. Every process is affected because of this crisis. The transportation industry will suffer, because the consumption of energy is not restricted to refilling the fuel tank alone. There are many other areas where energy is consumed in various forms for different purposes. Some of them are stated below. Vehicle manufacture, maintenance and disposal. The energy spent for manufacturing and recycling vehicles is a direct function of vehicle complexity, material used, fleet size and vehicle life cycle. (Rodrigue & Comtois, 2006) Vehicle operation. Mainly involves energy used to provide momentum to vehicles, namely as fuels, as well as for intermodal operations. The fuel markets for transportation activities are significant. (Rodrigue & Comtois, 2006) Infrastructure construction and maintenance. The building of roads, railways, bridges, tunnels, terminals, ports and airports and the provision of lighting and signaling equipment