Alzheimer’s disease Essays

Alzheimer’s disease Essays Alzheimer’s disease Essay Alzheimer’s disease Essay This specific instance is about Eli Lilly developing a new drug which is said to cure Alzheimer’s disease. However, when patients started taking the drug, their condition even regressed. Moreover, they risked developing skin cancer. Although there are various aspects involved here, the problem that this paper will address is that of ethical practices. Lilly obviously conducted laboratory tests which proved successful. When they tested the drug in real people with Alzheimer’s, they realized that it’s not working and it’s even contributing to a worse case of Alzheimer’s. But what could have been done in order to prevent this type of scenario? The next question here is, to what degree must human testing be done in order to serve the common good? Given that the experiment was successful, the next the Lilly will do is to mass produce and manufacture this drug and sell it to people with Alzheimer’s. But now that it turned wrong, were the experiment participants insured before the experimentation began? Should the experts considered stopping the experimentation when the first few symptoms of regression appeared? Lilly is a global pharmaceutical plant leading in most researches to discover new medications for various types of disease. However, in this particular experimentation procedure, pharmaceutical ethics were not applied. There could be a â€Å"greater good† which needs to be attained- even though it means sacrificing other people to do so. Anyway, since the experimentation was not successful and Lilly expressed that it will not continue the research on this drug anymore, then goals were not met. There was no wonder Alzhemier’s drug that was created and it even caused more suffering both to the Alzheimer’s patients who tested the medication and their family. Bibliography Kolata, G. (2010, August 18). Doubt on Tactic in Alzheimer’s Battle. Retrieved August 21, 2010, from nytimes. com/2010/08/19/health/19alzheimers. html? _r=1ref=health Appendix A Doubt on Tactic in Alzheimer’s Battle By GINA KOLATA Published: August 18, 2010 The failure of a promising Alzheimer’s drug in clinical trials highlights the gap between diagnosis - where real progress has recently been made - and treatment of the disease. It was not just that the drug, made by Eli Lilly, did not work - maybe that could be explained by saying the patients’ illness was too far advanced when they received it. It was that the drug actually made them worse, the company said. And the larger the dose they took, the worse were patients’ symptoms of memory loss and inability to care for themselves. Not only that, the drug also increased the risk of skin cancer. So when Lilly announced on Tuesday that it was ending its large clinical trials of that drug, semagacestat, researchers were dismayed. â€Å"Obviously, this is disappointing news, to say the least,† said Dr. Steven Paul, an Alzheimer’s researcher and a recently retired executive vice president at Lilly. Beyond the setback for Lilly, the study raises questions about a leading hypothesis of the cause of Alzheimer’s and how to treat it. The idea, known as the amyloid hypothesis, says the disease occurs when a toxic protein, beta amyloid, accumulates in the brain. The idea is that if beta amyloid levels are reduced, the disease might be slowed, halted or even prevented if treatment starts early enough. The Lilly drug, like most of the more than 100 Alzheimer’s drugs under development, blocks an enzyme, gamma secretase, needed to make beta amyloid. It was among the first shown to breach the blood-brain barrier and reduce levels of beta amyloid in the brain. And, company studies showed, it did reduce amyloid production. â€Å"We did get enough in the brain to have an effect,† said Dr. Eric Siemers, medical director of Lilly’s Alzheimer’s disease team. â€Å"Unfortunately, the effect was not what we wanted. † Now researchers are focused on what went wrong, and why. Some, like Dr. Lon Schneider, an Alzheimer’s researcher at the University of Southern California, say the drug’s failure may mean the field is rushing off a cliff in its near single-minded focus on blocking the production of amyloid. Dr. Schneider, like most leading Alzheimer’s researchers, consults for a number of drug companies, including Lilly. The Lilly study’s failure, he said, â€Å"chips away at that approach to testing the amyloid hypothesis. † â€Å"We don’t know what the drug targets for Alzheimer’s disease are,† Dr. Schneider said. â€Å"We don’t know because we don’t know the causes of Alzheimer’s. † At the very least, said Dr. P. Murali Doraiswamy, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Duke University, the Lilly result â€Å"clearly tells us that our current views may be too simplistic. † Dr. Doraiswamy said he was not abandoning the amyloid hypothesis. But, he said, â€Å"this is a time of major soul-searching in the field. † â€Å"What worries me is that we don’t know if this was a toxicity unique to Lilly’s drug and this late-stage population or whether it also applies to similar anti-amyloid therapies given at earlier stages of the disease,† Dr. Doraiswamy said. The bad news came on the heels of what researchers see as a resurgence of hope in this challenging field. With new cooperation in research they have made advances in diagnosing Alzheimer’s, a disease that used to be uncertain until autopsy. And those new diagnostic tests are still exciting, researchers said. PET scans of amyloid plaques in the brain and tests of cerebrospinal fluid can show amyloid accumulation long before people have symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and, as recently reported, appear to identify people at high risk of the disease. Researchers believe the best time to try to alter the course of the disease is before memory loss. By then, brain cells are dead or dying and are unlikely to be restored. At this point, though, when there is no treatment, those tests are primarily a benefit for companies testing new therapies and researchers trying to understand the disease’s progress. . The long journey of semagacestat began more than a decade ago when Lilly scientists discovered it could block gamma secretase in laboratory experiments. Years of work followed, showing it appeared safe, that it got into the brains of people, that it reduced the production of amyloid in the brain. Finally, in 2008, Lilly began two large studies of semagacestat, enrolling more than 2,600 people with Alzheimer’s disease. The company did not expect its drug to reverse the disease - patients’ brains were too ravaged for that, said Richard Mohs, Lilly’s team leader in Alzheimer’s research. But it did hope to slow the disease’s progression. Now, with the abrupt end of the studies, patients will continue to be followed but no one will be taking any more of the drug. â€Å"The fact that people got worse means there is biology we don’t understand,† Dr. Mohs said. There are several possible explanations. One is that the drug altered the functioning of other proteins in the brain and body - it now appears that gamma secretase is involved in the production of about 20 proteins in addition to beta amyloid. Companies, including Lilly, are developing drugs that block gamma secretase from making amyloid but have little effect on other proteins. One company, Bristol-Myers Squibb, says that is what its drug does. Its drug is now being tested in two clinical trials. In one, the participants have Alzheimer’s. In the other, they have lesser memory impairment and have brain amyloid PET scans and tests of cerebrospinal fluid showing amyloid is accumulating in their brains, indicating that they are likely to develop Alzheimer’s. â€Å"We still like the amyloid hypothesis,† said Charlie Albright, a Bristol-Myers group director in neuroscience biology. The Lilly drug failure â€Å"doesn’t affect our enthusiasm about going forward. † Another possibility is that the enzyme is decreasing production not just of a dangerous form of amyloid, known as a beta 42, but also of another form, a beta 40, that may protect the brain. Companies are developing so-called selective gamma secretase inhibitors, Dr. Paul said, which only block the production of a beta 42. Lilly and other companies are also testing monoclonal antibodies to reduce amyloid levels. And companies are pursuing a more difficult target - blocking a protein, tau, that accumulates in dead and dying nerve cells after the disease is under way. But Alzheimer’s experts worry about the future. The research is extremely expensive - Lilly spent hundreds of millions of dollars on its failed drug - and it can take a decade or more to know if a drug works. It can take even longer if drugs are tested in people with mild symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or in people who are at high risk but have no symptoms yet - a direction many think is necessary to really make a difference. â€Å"Failures certainly don’t build energy and enthusiasm,† said Dr. Samuel Gandy, an Alzheimer’s researcher at Mount Sinai Medical Center. â€Å"The market is still there, but failures do take their toll. † A version of this news analysis appeared in print on August 19, 2010, on page A14 of the New York edition.

The Development of Terrorism essays

The Development of Terrorism essays The development of terrorism in Herfried Mnklers The New Wars The book The New Wars by Herfried Mnkler deals with the main differences between the, so called, old wars and new wars, and its origins. Compared with the old wars a char-acteristic of the new wars is that because of the proceeding globalization constitutional states do not have an explicit monopoly on the use of military force any more , i.e. that theoretically everybody who has any political, ethnical, or social demand could buy weapons and, thus, be a source of danger. Consequently, the new wars consist of two or more war parties not having the same military, monetary and constitutional conditions. As a result, there are war parties which do not respect the traditional conventions like the distinction between combatants and non-combatants. Furthermore, economic interests are mixed with political goals. Mnkler embeds the term terrorism in the wider context of the new wars. Generally spoken, terror-ism can be defined as a form of violence used in order to push through a political w ill with the help of the indirect effects of violence. Originally, terrorism was a part of the war strategy of partisanship supporting the smouldering so called low intensity wars and later became an independent war strategy itself. Terrorism in the nineteenth century, with respect to the Russian revolutionaries who fought for social interests, and in the twentieth century, with regard to the rebellions against the colonial power in the respective colonies, was characteristic of one decisive quality: the limitation of terrorist violence. Terrorists in the nineteenth and twentieth century mostly fought in the name of a certain social or ethnic minority. On the one hand this created a justi-fication for their terrorist acts and the possibility of obtaining human or material supplies from this minori...

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Generation of Electricity - Assignment Example However, the PVs may also be ustilised in the production of alternating current when appropriate appliances are utilised. According to Knier (2002), photovoltaics uses the atomic level to convert light directlt into the generation of electricity. These involve using materials that can absorb light photons and later release electrons, such materials are said to have photoelectric effect. The capturing of the electrons produced by the photoelectric effects helps in the generation of electricity. According to the diagram above, rays from the sun are tapped by the photovoltaic cells. A common photovoltaic cell is a silicon cell that consist of N-type and P-type silicon. Thses silicon are located at the top most part of the material. The generation of electric field takes place at the upper part of the cells where the two silicons are situated. They comes into contact with the junction of the materials (referred to as P-N junction) (McNichol, 2006; Bazilian et al., 2013). The sunlight strikes the electric filed to induce motion of the electron that results in the flow of current. The size of the surface area of the PV cell determines the amount of electricity generated. The intensity of the rays from the sun also affects the amount of current generated. The larger the size of PV cells and the more intense the rays, the higher the amount of electrons generated hence increased electric supply. For instance a cell with an area of 150 cm^2 will generate 2 watts power. When a solar panel is exposed in the sunlight as shown in the diagram below, it will generate electricity that can be measured. The voltage produced is around 100volts on a single day when there is optimal sunshine. This can be stored on batteries arranged in series as shown in the diagram below. The results of such a strategy depends on the size of the panel and the amount of sunshine ( Knier, 2002; Wolfgang, 2013). Primary batteries are cheap because

The Internal Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Internal Assessment - Essay Example Service spending showed a modest rebound in the later parts of the year. The core inflation declined in the year 2013 to as low as almost full percentage point below the Board of Governors of Federal Reserve System’s long term target. The Board of Governors of Federal Reserve System’s long term target was at 2%. The bank also experienced an increase in US household net worth in the year 2013. There was an approximate growth of 12% in the home prices in the year 2013. However, signs of deceleration were seen in the final parts of the year. The treasury yield also experienced a rise over the course of the year despite the speculations that the Federal Reserve would adjust their pace of purchasing mortgage backed securities. Despite the fact that there was a federal government shutdown in the month of October, there was very minimal impact on the performance of the economy of the United States of America. the federal reserve made an announcement that it will reduce its security purchases in the year 2014. However, they had no intentions of raising the federal fund rates unless the employment rate had reaches the 6.5% threshold. Non-interest expense experienced a decrease from $2.9 billion to $69.2 billion. With relation to the project New BAC, which was first introduced during the third quarter of 2011, the bank continued to get cost saving in some noninterest expense categories (Adrien, Anderson, Garden, Lusthaus and MontalvaÃŒ n 89). This helped them in the process of streamlining their workforce. The bank expects the total savings from this project to get to $12 billion by the year 2015. $1.5 billion per quarter of the same has already been realized by the year 2014. The bank’s effective tax rate for 2013 was driven by their recurring tax preference items and by some tax benefits relating to non-U.S. operations, including additional tax benefits from the 2012 non- U.S. restructurings. These benefits were partially offset by the $1.1 billion

Threats To Ict System And Organisations Information Technology Essay

Threats To Ict System And Organisations Information Technology Essay Scanners Various methods are used by people to attack systems using scanners. People are able to download scanners from the internet in order to scan addresses and obtain information about TCP ports. People can discover IP addresses by mapping using DNS. Hackers use this potential tactic assuring what systems are active and available to hack. Range of addresses This is a scanner which is very simple, visual and fast at scanning as it searches for a range of addresses. Deep probe in order to reveal essential information of a device then completing a deep probe is the useful way moreover, it can also be used when there is a remote fault. Scanning a wireless system If there is no encryption can result wireless systems to be very vulnerable. When looking at mobile networking, wireless access points need to be established as they can be accessed when connected to the laptop, PDA, or mobile. Windows has a feature that contains a tool that can allow you to click on a network icon for your wireless network connection. ARP poisoning Within the system these are known as switch based networks that are very secure as they create micro-segments. However, there is still an issues of attack in many networks. In order to tackle this problem, the memory must be monitored of many network by checking MAC address as they appear in locations more than once: here is a diagram to help your understating Default Gateway Victim Victim Default Gateway Man in the middle Magic disk are known to be boot disks that can be downloaded on the internet for the purpose of restarting the computer and subvert the operating system. There are some very good magic disks for instance the ultimate boot CD that can resolve issues of viruses and Trojans moreover, drive, hardware and operating system failures. In order to avoid anyone using a magic disk it is vital is password lock the BIOS and also USB sticks, floppy disks and CD/DVDs should not be used as boot devices. Key loggers Key loggers are applications that are used to record key stroke also can be used for mouse activities then interestingly sends the information to a file or in some case that are often used remote network location. There are very difficult to track as they are hidden but can be found using anti-virus software application. If suspecting there is a threat, run a protocol scanner, which works by looking at contents of every data packet. Access causing damage to data or jamming resources Unauthorised access to software can result to damaged data or restricting resources. There are attacks that can access systems without the need of damaging however, an intrusion can always have an effect on the system. Virus Attacks in all computer systems, virus attacks can occur when rogue code has entered in to the system. Viruses work by hiding themselves in ordinary executable code. They can damage the system by opening and closing the CD/DVD door, swapping key responses or can spread themselves by self reproducing and can serious damage the hard drive. There are virus scanners which will detect a virus by opening the file and scanning the code. Trojans Trojans are programs with a hidden identity and seem to look as a program or a file in which it can be normal or harmless to your PC. Worms Worms have a process of forwarding through the use of emails from the data of your contact list. Piggybacking, Tunnels and probes Knowledge is required for data for when forging data or spoofing and that knowledge network programming languages ranging from; Java, C++ or VB.NET. Hackers have the ability to hand craft a data packet in order for an application to be forced or information given away by server, lead to a service attack or piggyback/tunnel in which that happens into a system via an acceptable protocol. Phishing and Identity theft This is a recent developed method that allows unauthorised to systems. Phising works by luring people into showing their personal information in which this is done through social engineering for instance; when you receive emails supposedly to be from banks saying ISP etc. asking you to follow this link to lead you to their site in order for you to change your details in which that can be a HTTPS which that can be in operational. Natural Disasters Natural disasters can occur to many systems ranging from power outage, flood or fire leading to serious major damage. Organisations have computer systems that are specifically built to cope with these series of issues. The disaster policy have several ways to implement the following: Remote storage of all data to be done in daily back up Duplication of critical servers Malicious damage constantly there are malicious damages occurring internal and external to systems. Malicious damage can be caused by external hackers. The hackers then attack the systems. There are many security ways of preventing this however, hackers always find a way to do what they do best. Technical Failure There is always technical failure that occurs a lot now at days for instance when sever storages are lost, or bad internet connection that can cause disruption to the whole organisation. The large use of network technology for instance voice, video and CCTV can lead to a commercial damage and disrupt the security of the system. Human Errors Human errors occur unpredictably however, it does happen very frequently due many things for instance being forgetful, ignorant, or having lack of knowledge. This then results to system failure. Users can forget to back up data which then leads to loss of data is something happens to the system etc. Theft An Organisation or individuals can be damaged heavily in which that can be long lasting impact due to theft of data. Theft occurs in the cyber sense in which that is known as to be hacking, or physically removing data by CD/DVDs, memory sticks etc. Integrity and completeness of data This is a critical matter integrity and completeness of data as damaged can be caused if there is incorrect data. Incorrect data can result to distress and legal action especially the data in medical records, police systems as well as credit reports. You need to have appropriate people to check the data correctly maybe of customers or personal details by asking a colleague or customer to check if correct. Physical Security Systems can be safe with the latest the latest anti virus and firewall however, that is all useless if anyone can have access to the sever room and manages to get critical data on to a USB memory stick by copying the data. In organisations there should be security features that need to be present; lock and key security, equipment identificatyion, CCTV, Detection of intrusion etc. Lock and Key Security There is a need to secure devices such as laptops by inserting a padlock chain. In buildings there are many locks and key systems that operates a system that is master/submaster system. Equipment Identification this involves stolen properties identified for instance if a computer from school/college is stolen, it can be identified from the marking clearly showing ownership and origin which can lead to prosecution. Equipment can be identified through the use of indelible ink which labels the property of the owner in which it is invisible and ultra-violet sensitive ink. CCTV (Closed circuit television) This involves cameras used 24/7 in monitoring people or events. There are several advantages to its use for instance, central centres that are centralised can be monitored, a record of 24/7 events are maintained, and lastly mentioning that CCTV is at present to prevent bad behaviour to occur. Intrusion detection systems intrusion detections are used by many organisations which can detect human presence in many ways. The operate through various ways for instance, body heat is sensed by passive infrared, detect many movements through the use of microphones, doors and windows have circuit breakers for access etc. Staff visitor identification systems many from small to large organisations have systems that can identify staff or visitors in order to prevent unknown people to access. People can be identified through the use of identity cards in which it is a must for everyone in the premises to wear them. Biometrics Biometrics involves the use of finger printing to recognise, retinal scans and voice recognition. Fingerprint recognition this biometric form is commonly used in detecting in crime scenes. Our fingers contain a water solution which enables the detection on finger printing to work. There are several scanners that finger prints by detecting ridges in our fingers. Finger printing can also work in identification for passports and visa. Retinal Scans The retina is located at the rear of the eye and it is very similar to a finger print as it contains unique configuration. However, there is a difference between them as a finger print can be changed when the skin is removed through cuts or burns whereas it is impossible for the retina to be changed unless someone attempts to tamper with the eye bow which is highly unlikely. Iris scanning This is another unique identification eye method which is the iris. The difference between the retina is that the iris can be scanned when the recipient is wearing glasses or contact lenses. Voice Recognition This form of biometric is not being commonly used as voice can change due to various reasons for instance if someone is ill, stressed or has a throat infection that can affect someones voice. Software and network security Organisations all need to have security, techniques to manage data and technologies in order to combat intrusion and superverion of computers that are networking to prevent data being damaged or resources being affected. Encryption Encryption involves the conversion text, images and media information in to a format. RSA encryption is a Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Len Adleman in they are mathematicians who enforced the public/private key encryption through the use of prime numbers. In encryption there are many ciphers that exist for instance Caesar cipher, in which relies on simple key of changing one letter with the letter a fixed number of places down the alphabet. The operation of this works by using shift of four places meaning A becomes E and B becomes F etc. DES (Data Encryption Standard) is a cipher uses key 56 bits in length in which this can be mathematically explained. A public/private key can be used by RSA encryption; with an example of how the security certificate is issued by a website. As the creation of a key is done the certificate is a public key part of the exchange. Call back Dial up systems use call back where remote workers or network administrators are able to dial into a network or devices that have network and it will then call them back. In order to call back the number is pre-configuared. Users are unable to connect from any location but only the ones which are trusted and registered lines. Handshaking When data is being sent through a medium in WAN systems it in which it is not trusted, in order to obtain the trust the devices are each tested in a challenge as it carriers username and password in order to indentify the device. Diskless networks There are common ways data is stolen for instance when data is transferred from a computer to a mobile device storage. Backups Backing up data is important in order to restore critical data to assure that it is safe and secure, if data is not backed up very frequently will result the organisation loosing data in which that can be costly. Audit logs Audit logs are used for the purpose to keep records of network and database activity to also have a record of who has done what, when they did it and where. There are various purposes for instance, to maintain records that are detailed on how many systems are being used. Syslog is a commonly used system that is able to store simple, auditable records system activities. Firewall Configuration This enables users to be able to remove filters depending on various conditions: IP Addresses: Every machinery running of the internet each has an assigned address called the IP address. The IP addresses consist of 32 bit number and can be understood as octets in number which is decimal dotted. Domain Names: The sequence of numbers that produces the IP addresses can be hard to be remembered since a change of IP addresses tends to occur. Norton Security has a firewall as well as the Norton 360. How to check your FIREWALL settings Windows has a firewall that can be configured through control panel by opening it. The exceptions tab need to be selected and you will view a list of automatically configured expectations. You then select the add pot option. Virus Protection software Firstly, computers can be a victim of virus, worms and Trojan attack from the internet access as well as emails. There are various ways of protecting the computer from such things which are sadly created by virus writers A virus scanner can only be used when the user initiates it. There is a virus start up scanner that begins to run as soon as the booting process begins by checking for sector viruses. A memory resident scanner software checks for incoming emails as well as browser document by doing an automatic check on the environment of the computer. There are various types anti viruses all ranging with different abilities and some are much more secure than others and can be downloaded on the internet. These anti viruses can work through doing file emulation, file analysis, Heuristic-based detection, Malicious activity detection and Signature based detection. An anti virus basically examines the files for known recognisable viruses through the virus dictionary as well as to identify unrecognisable activities of behaviour in the computer to see if an infection may be occurring. A virus dictionary consist of list of viruses known and to be put by the producer of the software and so when an anti virus detects a virus it then refers to the dictionary to confirm, then initiates the deletion of the infection or it can quarantine the virus in order for it not to be accessible to other programs as well as stopping it from spreading or the attempt re-creating its self. Anti viruses also consist of suspicious alert in which it immediately alerts the user if it is suspecting or has suspected of a threat occurring then it ask the user if they want to proceed or what to do. The most destructive and spreads widely is argued to be the macro viruses, and mostly affects Microsoft as they need to overcome their security flaws in the out look in order to pr event this destruction occurring to the documents. A common way how viruses normally access the computers is through networking of local networks even through the internet by going through unprotected security patches which can be holes in the software or having an infected sent thought the use of email, downloads or disk sharing. Some of the viruses may set in to Excel or word file or has been created to initiate through email, and as soon as the computer it is infected it can carry on its destruction to other computers without the awareness from the user. Anti virus software updates are highly vital as new viruses can be created and the older softwares may not be able to protect you from it. VIRUS It is called a virus because it spreads everywhere and enables data to be deleted as well as corrupt files. WORM Worms have a process of forwarding through the use of emails from the data of your contact list. TROJANS Trojans are programs with a hidden identity and seem to look as a program or a file in which it can be normal or harmless to your PC. POLYMORPHING This is a clever ability a virus has for when changing its appearance, size, signature for every turn it attacks the computer because it makes it difficult for a virus software to recognise it. Software Utility Purpose Screenshot VIRUS PROTECTION Anti-Virus Protection Anti-Spyware E-mail Scanner ID Protection Link Scanner Resident Shield VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKS (VPNs) Organisations are able to communicate from site to site in a public system through the use of VPN for instance the internet, via tunnel in which that is the route for all encrypted traffic. VPNs have a trusted connection on a system that has not been trusted. Passwords Managing passwords is very essential, organisations must ensure that the protection of the password is very safe to prevent troublesome. If the password is forgotten will lead to many problems. The password must not be written down Change the password for at least every 3 months Put a very strong password Software Update Software update is very important as it ensures that the system is safe from possible faults and vulnerabilities from various application. When the software updates it is an automatic update in order to remove the need of worrying on the update of the system. REFERENCES USED BTEC National Information Technology Practitioners Book 1 by Jenny Lawson

Swot Analysis †Wal-Mart

Strengths †¢Best positioned global retailer †¢Established business objective & philosophy that is understood organization wide †¢Firm focus on the strategy of cost leadership by offering everyday low prices (EDLP) through everyday low costs (EDLC) †¢Efficient procurement and logistics system †¢Strong and stable financial performance and positive cash flows for reinvestment in improving operations Weaknesses †¢Significant dependence on the US market to maintain strong sales performance †¢Wal-Mart’s mass market approach as a retailer creates opportunities for ‘market nichers’ to capture specific market segments which may be overlooked. Wal-Mart’s extensive range of products limits its ability to give direct attention to understanding all its customers as opposed to its more focused competitors. †¢FIFO method of accounting for inventory, in the international markets, may not effectively support the strategy of everyday l ow prices. Opportunities †¢There are opportunities to expand in countries with emerging economies †¢There are also opportunities to resuscitate growth in the US market †¢Innovations in technology present the opportunity to further integrate the value chain for increased efficiency to drive EDLC. Threats †¢The unstable economic climate in the USA will continue to negatively impact on Wal-Mart’s performance †¢Wal-Mart can lose customers to more focused competitors if they (competitors) are able to develop a value proposition greater than the simple offering of everyday low prices. †¢Wal-Mart’s global exposure exposes the organization to currency risk, political influences, and other uncertainties that can affect its operations. †¢Wal-Mart’s cost leadership strategy creates intensive price competition which poses a serious risk to profitability if operational costs are not ffectively managed. Wal-Mart is a large retailer that is keenly focused on the business philosophy of saving people money so they can live better. This philosophy drives the organization-wide quest of achieving EDLCs which are leveraged in delivering EDLPs. Based on corporate information, Wal-Mart has a total of 9700 retail units spread across 28 countries, as at Augus t 2011. This represents approximately 985 million square feet of retail space from which sales are generated. This broad network of superstores, discount stores, neighbourhood markets, suppliers, and customers are interconnected in a value delivery network fuelled by information technology. In this system, suppliers are able to track Wal-Mart’s inventory levels in real-time to ensure that products are available on time, in the right quantities, best quality, and at the lowest possible price. Simultaneously, Wal-Mart is able to track purchasing patterns, brand preferences, register customer feedback, and capture other related information for their sales and marketing programme. When it is all put together, Wal-Mart’s use of information technology empowers it to consistently deliver on its promise of everyday low prices, a reliable supply of its vast range of products, and capture an understanding of its customers and members that it serves over 200 million times per week. This, in turn, drives customer satisfaction and loyalty which is reflected in Wal-Mart’s strong financial performance compared to other global retailers. For the 2011 financial year, Wal-Mart’s sales grew by 3. 4% to US$419b and operating income grew by 6. 4% to US$25b. EPS grew by 12% to US$4. 8 and a total of US$19. 2b was paid out to shareholders through dividends or share repurchases. Between the 2009 and 2010 financial years, Wal-Mart has maintained a ROI of 19. 3% falling slightly to 19. 2% in 2011 due mainly to economic challenges within the US market. For comparison, Wal-Mart’s closest global competitor, Carrefour Group, generated a USD equivalent of app roximately $158b in sales for the 2010 financial year (latest full year results available). At the close of the second quarter of their 2011 financial year (August 31, 2011), Carrefour experienced a 2. % increase in sales at the USD equivalent of $58. 3b. However, underperformance in France, Greece, and Italy, due to struggling economies, resulted in a 22% reduction in operating income at a USD equivalent of $1. 1b. These results cements Wal-Mart’s position as the world’s largest and best positioned retailer with respect to sales revenue. On the flip side, Wal-Mart appears to be dependent on its dominance in the US market which showed a flat performance by generating US$260b in sales for the 2011 financial year, compared to US$259b in 2010. Despite expanding during the year to create more retail space, there was reduced customer traffic due to rising unemployment and a 2. 3% reduction in the income of the middle class according to the US Census Bureau. A 1% increase in the poverty rate to 15. 3% also had a negative impact on Wal-Mart’s performance and highlights the challenges within the US economy. In the international segment, the FIFO approach at inventory management and accounting may not entirely support its established strategy of everyday low prices as it does not allow for cost savings to be quickly passed on to its customers. It may also distort the true picture of the company’s financial performance. Putting it all together, the assessment of Wal-Mart’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats identifies the need for a strategic approach towards achieving its objective of 4-6% growth in sales revenue for the 2012 financial year and beyond. Given its dominance in the US market, the company should strategically move to hold/defend its market position by continuing to leverage IT for EDLCs and EDLPs. Aggressive sales promotions, especially through eCommerce, should be used to improve on the flat sales performance for 2011. Wal-Mart should, however, look to the emerging economies for further growth and expansion as they show a faster rate of economic recovery and a growing middle class. China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia are ranked in the top five on the market potential index for emerging markets with respect to market growth rates. China, India, Russia, Brazil, and Indonesia are ranked in the top five based on market size. Pending further PESTEL Analysis, these emerging markets could potentially hold the key for Wal-Mart’s future expansion.

Africville by Maxine Tynes Essay

Examples of personification include â€Å"We are Africville† and â€Å"I am Africville†. This is personification because they cannot really be â€Å"Africville†; this is because Africville is not a person, or an adjective usually appropriate to be paired with humans. However in this case the author does it quite well. For example comparing â€Å"I am tired† to â€Å"I am Africville† one can quickly tell that this is a personification on Africville, in the sense of making Africville an adjective describing who they/she are/is respectively. To be Africville, in this case would be someone conveying their sense of pride and attachment to their beloved former town, to carry with them the unforgettable, unforgivable past that was eviction of their town. An example of a metaphor would be: â€Å"No house is Africville. No road, no tree, no well. Africville is man/women/child in the street and heart of Black Halifax, the Prestons, Toronto.† No house, no tree, or no well can be Africville because there are these things everywhere. The trees aren’t what makes Africville special, it is the people in it and their stories and history. The section goes further to explain how even post-dispossession the people of Africville are still together in black Halifax and Toronto. This implies that this town was so unified that even widespread eviction cannot break their bonds. However, the concrete metaphor in this passage is â€Å"Africville is man/women/child† because this is an unlike comparison without using like or as. These literary devices (personification and metaphor) create a pseudo-atmosphere where readers cannot take anything literally. However, I overlooked the pseudo-atmosphere because of the great depth it adds to the poem. The recurring personifications and metaphors also show point of view quite easily, as seen here: â€Å"We are Africville† and â€Å"I am Africville†. This is clearly stating who the speaker is. In an addition to the atmosphere and point of view the literary devices show, they also sharpen the overall message of the poem which I believe to be that the people of Africville are literally detached from each other’s lives they all share the same story and are therefore still connected. I think that Africville was a town in which Maxine Tynes (the author) was born in, during the year of 1949. It was settled by Black Loyalists and was in Nova Scotia, Canada. It was a very connected town, as seen here: â€Å"so black with community† â€Å"with life† â€Å"with pride† â€Å"with memories†. However, everyone in this town was evicted, as seen here: â€Å"we are the dispossessed Black of the Land† â€Å"creeping with pain away from our home†.