Entrepreneurship Climate in the Organization Assignment

Entrepreneurship Climate in the Organization - Assignment Example How smart entrepreneurs harness the power of paranoia, n.d., p.62). The person who defines and designs various strategies is equally evaluated as for his forwarded strategies. The novel ideas arise from various innovations occurring to contemporary marketing and management necessities. Those identified new approaches are often accepted by almost every firm to a maximum extent as they wish to run with the pace of existing business scenario. But, it is a real-time fact that they are unable to implement those up to a cent percent limit; yet they are approaching of course. Innovation and changes are tried to be adapted and implemented to the organizational structuring and functioning because a delay to capture novel variations in trade sector will make position to be degraded from the current. Traditional approaches keep track of resources and their utilization and related strategic possibilities limited within themselves. This can never help a firm out to a higher status in a current market set up. â€Å"Opportunities are the focus of the entrepreneurially managed firm.† (What I worry? How smart entrepreneurs harness the power of paranoia, n.d., p.61). Organizations can meet their entire objectives only from chances they achieve in their field of play. So, it becomes to make up for an attitude to accept and work towards modernization and revolutionize organization’s age-old trends and approaches. Entrepreneurial culture can be cultivated to handle threats and challenges just to pace towards excellence of business and profit. The answer can be started with the words of Dave Lakhani who is the entrepreneur in Boise, Idaho saying â€Å"if you’re not a little bit paranoid, your complacent.....complacency is what leads people into missed opportunities and business failure.† (What I worry? How smart entrepreneurs harness the power of paranoia, n.d., p.61).  

The Psychological Effects of Ecological Disasters Essay Example for Free

The Psychological Effects of Ecological Disasters Essay The highly advanced technologies emerging nowadays bring many conveniences today that seemed impossible fifty years ago. Yet, such improvements and developments are expected to bear different consequences. Ecological disaster, although a natural phenomenon, is a consequence of man-made hazard. According to Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, and Nelson (1995), majority of the population have experienced â€Å"at least one traumatic event throughout their lifetime†. Although the frequency of traumatic events is high, many people, especially the adults, are able to survive from different forms of disaster and are likely to recover from any traumatic event. However, there are some who are unable to cope with the trauma from such events, such as the children who are prone to resilience. It is indeed a traumatic and stressful experience to be present in any occurrence of an accident, calamity, or a tragedy. Victims of disaster are likely to demonstrate some stress and emotional reactions such as grief, anger, fear, depression, anxiety, and somatization. Other victims of ecological disaster are observed to manifest behavioral expressions of stress which include changes in illness behavior, problems in role functioning at home and in work, troubles of substance abuse, and domestic violence. Moreover, people who are suffering from severe mental illness (SMI) are more prone to experience Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD (Bromet Dew, 1995; Havenaar et al. , 1997). One of the most severe and traumatic disasters occurred on April 26, 1986 was the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which took place for almost 10 days. The explosion resulted in the enormous release of radioactive materials (e. g. iodine and caesium radionuclides) in the areas of Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Belarus. Such radioactive materials are known to cause thyroid cancer (The Chernobyl Forum, 2003-2005, p. 10). Approximately five million people living in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were contaminated with radionuclides. Most of them were emergency workers and on-site personnel including army, local police and fire services, and power plant staff. Some residents of the said areas were also affected. The disaster response actions of the authorities such as the evacuation of people from affected areas somehow reduced the health consequence of the radiation exposures. Aside from thyroid cancer which hit the affected population, there is a notable increased in psychological problems among the residents of affected areas. Such was the result of disturbance and trauma brought by the explosion. People experienced stress and anxiety because of the lack of information about the effects of such radiation and its consequences to social and economic security (The Chernobyl Forum, 2003-2005, p. 7). Until today, the concerned authorities are having difficulties in identifying and eliminating the psychological burden of the Chernobyl explosion. Meanwhile, many researches demonstrated that the occurrence of ecological disasters such as tragedy, terrorism event, traumatic accidents, and others could cause psychiatric disorders to human victims. Such disorders include depression, anxiety, somatization, ASD and PTSD. Accordingly, there are several factors that are believed to contribute to the cause of psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of ecological disaster. Some believe that the impact of psychological effects of disaster depends on the amount of information given to victims of traumatic events. Other researches identified that a victim with lower level of education is prone to experience psychiatric disorder after the occurrence of a disaster. In addition, people who experienced many negative events in life are more likely to manifest mental disorders brought by traumatic event. Meanwhile, other researches assert that people with positive and optimistic personalities are less vulnerable to psychiatric disorder. This research paper will delve into the psychological effects of ecological disasters and will highlight the various factors that affect victim’s psychological processing of Chernobyl explosion, particularly the residents of Former Soviet Union. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this quantitative study is to identify and explore the factors that affect the mental processing of the victims of Chernobyl explosion. Respondents for this study are the affected residents from Former Soviet Union. The analysis for this study will dwell on whether Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and resilience can be predicted using variables such as participant’s age, gender, distance from disaster site, educational level, fewer life stressors, positive personality traits, and empowerment from having more information about the disaster. Moreover, the researcher will attempt to identify those victims who are likely to experience psychiatric disorder after experiencing ecological disaster and those who are not prone to such psychological disorder. It will also attempt to enumerate the different ways and treatments which will be useful in preventing the psychological effects of ecological disaster. Statement of the Problem Generally, this research study aims to examine the factors that affect the psychological processing of the victims of ecological disaster, particularly the victims of Chernobyl disaster from Former Soviet Union. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following problems: 1. What are the possible psychological effects of ecological disasters? 2. Who are the victims of disaster that are likely to experience psychological disorder? 3. Who are the victims of disaster that are likely to cope from experiencing disaster thus overcoming traumatic and stressful obstacles? 4. How do other victims manage to overcome psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of disaster? 5. Why do other victims fail to overcome psychiatric disorder following a traumatic event? 6. What can be done to manage and prevent (if possible) the psychological effects of ecological disaster? 7. Who are the proper authorities responsible for addressing the psychological problems brought by the occurrence of ecological disasters? Hypotheses There are various factors that make the victims of ecological disasters more susceptible to psychological disorder, and these factors are the subject of hypothesis for this study. According to researches, the possibility for victims to develop a psychological disorder depends on the personality of the victims, level of education of the victims; amount of information given to victims of disaster; and quantity of negative events experienced by the victims. Based on the studies conducted by Aspinwall and Taylor (1992) and Scheier and Carver (1995), it was discovered that having a positive personality or being optimistic can contribute to the victims’ physical and psychological well-being. In addition, Scheier and Carver’s (1995) study reveals that optimistic people believe that they could overcome any adversity. Thus, instead of avoiding the obstacles and challenges, optimistic people use problem-solving skills to cope with difficulties (Scheier Carver, 1995). Furthermore, numerous research studies have found that dispositional optimism (positive reason for migration, American acculturation, mastered of English language, and overall life satisfaction) could also lessen the impact of stress to the experience of an individual (Ben-Zur, Rappaport, Ammar, Uretzky, 2000; Herman-Stahl Petersen, 1996; Aspinwall Taylor, 1992). People who have positive outlook are likely to use health care services following the experience of any traumatic disaster. Still, there are factors that contribute to positive personality of individual such as demographic and social aspect, attitudinal-belief, and other structural variables (Anderson Newman, 1973). The researcher assumes that people with negative view of life and are pessimist are prone to experience psychiatric disorder following the occurrence of a disaster. Meanwhile, results of the research studies conducted by Breslau et al. (1997), Kessler et al. (1995), and Kulka et al. (1991) demonstrated that people with lesser educational attainment are more likely to experience PTSD such that lesser educational attainment is correlated with increased level of PTSD. Yet, there are inconsistent results from the empirical literature regarding the psychological and mental health of elderly adults. Majority of the literature review indicated that older people have a greater risk for physical injury and monetary loss, and have fewer social support, which then suggest that elderly are more vulnerable to experience stress. Thus, this group is at a higher psychological risk of developing psychological disorder in the face of disaster (Krause, 1987; Phifer Norris, 1989). Therefore, the researcher presumes that people with high educational attainment and younger population are likely to be resilient to post disaster stress and trauma. Many research studies established that the individual’s perception of risk following a disaster can cause poor health effects which is either physical or mental illness (Kazakov, Demidchik, Astakhova ,1992; Baverstock, Egloff, Pinchera, Ruchti Williams, 1992; Moysich, Menezes, Michalek, 2002). Yet, not all individuals have the same perception on the impact of hazard as according to Lazarus and Folkman (1984), perception on risks varies differently from one another. However, the level of stress caused by any traumatic event to an individual depends on how he or she perceived the risk of a disaster. To elucidate, the amount of information available for the victims of disaster affects his or her perception of risk (Renn Rohrmann, 2000). It is important to note that risk messages enclose factual, value-related, inferential, and symbolic meanings (Havenaar, Cwikel Bromet, 2002). In the case of Chernobyl explosion, limited information about the consequences of the explosion was disseminated to affected residents. Thus, people who have little information following radiation disasters like Chernobyl are likely to experience PSTD. In addition, the perception of the exposure has a significant impact on women, especially women with young children. The researcher then presumes that people who are less informed about the possible effects of disaster such as women and children are likely to suffer from psychological disorder. Other researchers established that victims who are exposed to the most intense features of the disaster are likely to develop the most severe stress reaction and are likely to experience poor mental health outcomes (Weiss, Marmar, Metzler Ronfeldt, 1995; Goenjian et al. , 2000). The degree of exposure significantly affects mental health outcomes. Individuals who are often exposed to high levels of stress in their everyday lives have a higher risk of experiencing mental disorders. Thus, the researcher assumes that individuals who are furthest from disaster sites are more resilient. Rationale for the Study The incidence of exposure to disaster is more frequent than expected. According to result of the research study conducted by Kessler et al. (1995), majority of the population have experienced a minimum of a single traumatic phenomenon in their lifetime. Epidemiological studies conducted by different researchers and specialists have found that approximately, three quarters of the majority population in the U. S. has experienced a single traumatic phenomenon in their life (Green, 1994). To elucidate, approximately one billion people have been affected by natural disasters within the past 25 years (Weisaeth, 1995). Moreover, in a national morbidity survey, researchers found that 60. 7 percent of adult men and 51. 2 percent of adult women in the United States have been involved to at least one traumatic event or an ecological disaster (Kessler et al. , 1995). Meanwhile, in North America, an estimated 17 million people are prone to a natural disaster each year (Meichenbaum Fitzpatrick, 1993). Furthermore, in a meta-review of psychosocial consequences of disasters, it was found that approximately 11% of individuals are suffering from minimal impairments, 50% from moderate impairments, while 21% and 18% are experiencing severe and very severe impairments respectively (Norris, Friedman, Watson, 2002). With these data, we could affirm that disasters are common events or phenomena. Since majority of the population are prone to experience traumatic events such as accidents, tragedy and other ecological disaster, it is important that people have enough understanding and are knowledgeable about the possible psychological or mental health consequences caused by these traumatic events.

Consumer Behavior Is Essential For Effective Marketing Marketing Essay

Consumer Behavior Is Essential For Effective Marketing Marketing Essay Introduction: A Consumer is somone who acquires goods or services for direct use or ownership rather than for resale or use in production and manufacturing process. (Investor words, 2010). We can classify consumers in two categories: (i) personal consumers / retail consumers, and (ii) organisations as consumers. In each case bahaviour is analysed differently. I will concentrate in this essay on personal consumers and their behaviour and its implications for effective marketing. Consumer behaviour is the process individuals or groups go through in recognizing needs, finding ways to solve these needs, making purchase decisions (e.g., whether or not to purchase a product and, if so, which brand and where), interpret information, make plans, and implement these plans. Understanding customer perception and motivations has tremendous implications for selling and marketing, process improvement and, in turn, reaching targetted consumers and make rewarding profit. With the Consumer-Centered era long gone, in the New Era orentation to enable long-term bonds with consumers it is essential to study consumer behaviour and to understand more of the customers psychology, their internal and external motivations, preferences, limitations, and actions to be able to provide a tailored value proposition. As a discupline, this is referred to as customer relationship management (CRM). Diagram showing consumer behavior, measures, and marketing actions. (graph from: Norton, 2005)Consumer attitude: The process of purchase is largely influenced by consumer attitudes. In the context of marketing, it is towards: product, brand, place (eg retail store), etc.  Consumer attitudes are a composite of a consumers (1) beliefs about, (2) feelings about, (3) and behavioural intentions.   These components are viewed together since they are highly interdependent and together embrace the forces that influence how the consumer will react to the object.(Perner, 2008) Beliefs: Consumer beliefs can be positive (e.g. chocolate tastes good) as well as negative (e.g., chocolate makes me fat).   In addition, some beliefs may be neutral (chocolate is a treat), and some may differ depending on the person or the situation (e.g., dark chocolate gives a lot of energy and stimulatesgood when you need to study or boost your energy level, but not good just before sleep time).  Often consumer believes can be inaccurate (e.g. pork is healthier than chicken). Feelings/Affect- is the consumers feelings toward a brands product or service.   Sometimes these feelings are based on the beliefs (e.g. a person feels nauseated when thinking about a hamburger because of the amount of fat it contains), but there may also be feelings which are relatively independent of beliefs (e.g.  I like ice cream) Behavioural intention.   Is what the consumer plans to do with respect to the object (e.g., buy or not buy the brand).   This can be a logical consequence of beliefs (or affect), or may reflect other circumstancese.g., although a consumer does not really like a bar/restaurant, he or she will go there because it is a hangout for his or her friends. (Perner, 2008) Changing behaviour of customers can be challenging because people like to believe that their behaviour is rational; thus, once they use our products, chances are that they will continue unless someone is able to get them to switch (Perner,2010). Consumer Choices: The comonly accepted and studied path of consumer choices, also illustrted in Elliot (1997), includes 5 main steps: Need/ opportunity recognition 2. Information Search 3. Evaluation of alternatives 4. Purchase 5. Outcome of purchase/feedback Need/opportunity recognition. Consumers recognize a need for a product/service when they percive a gap between their current state and their desired state. This can be either because of a change for the worse in their current state (need recognition) or when the desire seem to be further away (opportunity recognition). ( Elliot, 1997). That can be as easy as concluding that we need milk because we have just run out and cant make a cake without it. Or when a mother decides that buying an Armani top for her son would probably make her family more recognisable and admirred. Information Search. After identifying a product which will satisfy the need or opportunity gap, it is assumed that a customer will search for information to help him make a decision. Here it has been established that there are two ways in which information search takes place. Those are internal and external searches. Internal vs. External Search(Perner,2008) Internal search involves the consumer identifying alternatives from his or her memory/experience. Internal search is influenced by motivations, attitudes, personality, age, lifestyle, perception and learning/ experience.   This is often the only search method used for low involvement products or fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs), thus building top of mind awareness is crucial task for marketing communications especially in hose low-involvement products categories (Elliot, 1998). External search involves information from environment that influences the purchase decisions. Those external factors influencing decision process include situational influences, such as, physical environment and time, and social influences such as advertising as well as culture, subculture, social class, group membership, family, friends, work/school peers, co-workers, people from the same sports/hobby clubs, neighbors etc. There are various referent groups that people consciously or unconsciously consider during their search. Those include; membership, aspiration, avoidance, word of mouth, opinion, leadership. Despite consumer interests and beliefs, they will strive to conformity and thus usually the internal search has to compete with their external influences because they want to belong to, and be accepted by, people from their direct environment. Consumers are more likely to use an external search for high involvement products.   For instance before buying a house, the consumer is more likely to ask friends opinions, read reviews in Consumer Reports, consult several web sites, and visit several property offices.   Thus, it is extremely important that firms that offer products that are selected predominantly through external search invest in advertising and marketing to ensure having information available to the consumer in need-e.g., through brochures, web sites, or news coverage. Evaluation of choices: The evaluative criteria are the product attributes, functional, symbolic and emotional, on which the relative performance of the competing alternatives will be compared (Elliot 1998). Decision rules can be: I. Compensatory, when a poor performance on one attribute can be offset by good performance on other attribute. (e.g. one car is not as fast as other but its cheaper.   If the price is sufficiently inexpensive, the consumer may then select it over a car with better acceleration that costs more) II. Non-compensatory, when only one standard is used and alternatives which dont measure up are eliminated. (e.g. when a customer wants to have a UK-branded product, lets say cereal, although there will be many other cereals with same ingredients and good taste they wont be considered) Considering that human beings seek to reduce cognitive efforts, often the way for choice evaluation are rules of thumb, e.g. cheapest is best, or known brand is always better than unknown, etc. Unfortunately this type of thinking often lead to systematic bias when compared with the rational decision making model of economic theory. Those would be believes that e.g. if an item is on sale it must be a good deal, or all branded products are of the same quality. Purchase: Purchased is often influenced by time, the more time between the intention to buy and the purchase the more opportunity for change in original intention. But in many instances a conscious purchase intension is not formulated prior to the purchase act and in this case a display of product may trigger impulse purchase. US studies show that 83% decisions to purchase of snack foods take place in the supermarket itself rather than prior to shopping. Obviously higher involvement products are more likely to be pre planned than lower involvement products. (Elliot, 1998) Outcomes of Purchase: These have important implications for the future purchase decisions. The cognitive approach points to importance of prior expectations as a determining how well consumer will evaluate the purchase experience. The lower the expectations the less dissatisfaction on poor product performance, and the more satisfaction on good product performance is seen. Consumer Involvement: The amount of effort a consumer puts into searching depends on a number of factors. There is a classical model to measure consumer involvment in purchase decision. This model shows that involvmnet depends largly on: price, type of product, frequency of purchases, symbolic meaning, social visability, time commitment, potentiality for harm, potentiality for poor performance of product/service etc. (Elliot, 1998) In practice the price or high significance will mostly effect the involvement of consumers. E.g if we buy boat or house we are more likely to put more effort in research than when we buy washing powder. The same is true for highly life significant products such as computer or medications, which tend to be given more attention than lets say notepad or pen. (where you shop, ease / proximity of parking, ambience, safety, provision of child care, etc) Influences on Consumer Behavior(Perner 2008) The Life Cycle. Individuals and families tend to go through a life cycle: The simple life cycle goes from    http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/images/cb/Simple_FLC.png (Perner 2008) In real life however, there are many more complications possible, such as couples undergo divorce, single parents run house or remarry or become involved in other non-marital relationships, or stay on their own etc. Integrating all the possibilities gives a depiction of the Family Life Cycle to the one below: http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/images/cb/Family_Life_Cycle.png (Perner 2008) Obviously young singles with still little cash and highly influenced by their peer environment will have different needs, and make different purchases to young couples, and young couples will greatly vary in their customer behaviours to full nest families. Then again there is a significant difference in amount, type and variety of products purchased between Nest I, Nest II and III families, since different age of children in the family will have various demands / needs, and the older the children the more influence they will have on parents and their purchase decisions themselves. Empty nest family with no children in the house often can afford more luxurious items than before. They will frequently look for comfort and durability and high quality of goods. Older singles will have similar needs, but if retired or lonely may not be able to afford as high standards of products as empty nest and thus minimalistic approach can be seen in their purchase behaviour. Apart from differences in customer behaviour arising from Family Life Cycle it is also important to mention that behaviour changes with age, health, career and financial status. Older people tend to have greater income but also greater obligations such as mortgages, children, and spouse. Different ages are concerned with different financial rewards and obligations. That often leads to different consumer behaviour. Figure 2.5 Consumer life events Understanding the life event triggers behind the big decisions that consumers make, assists information providers in targeting information at the times and places in peoples lives when they most need it. (Australian government, 2010) Family decision making model: Another relevant consideration includes the Family decision making model. It is important to realise that it is not only the decision maker(s) in the family that count during the decisions processes of the family. Although they decide where and which product, brand to buy, there are also initiator, ultimate users, the information gatherers/holders- who seek out information about products of relevance, Influencers- who do not ultimately have the decision power, but they may make their wishes known by asking for specific products or causing embarrassing situations if their demands are not met. And then again all those have different role to that of the purchaser. (Perner, 2008) It was measured that parents under childrens (age 4 -12years) influence in US purchase products worth apporximately $4,400 per year per child. This comprises nearly $150 billion annually in US market alone. (McNeal,1997). This statistic is even more prominent if we look at China and heir one child policy and the six-pocket syndrome (where all 4 grandparents and parents can cherish and spoil 1 child only (Goll,1995) From the marketing point of view, family decision-making model introduces some problems since the purchaser can be targeted by point-of-purchase (POP) marketing efforts that cannot be aimed at the decision maker, or influencer. It should also be noted that family decisions are often subject to a great deal of conflict. The reality is that few families are wealthy enough to avoid a strong tension between demands on the familys resources. (Perner, 2008) Family decision making model can be observed in nearly any shop. This will take place when a family is out and about maybe doing grocery shopping and then suddenly one of the children will point to a toy or Christmas tree that courts its attention (that will be the initiator). There will be various criteria to consider: maybe some information provided on the spot about this particular Christmas tree; the fact does the family have already one or not and in what condition it is, also time of the year will have influence on the decision making process. The user or a Christmas tree is the whole family but especially children. Mother of the family will often be the decider who will try to satisfy the whole family and purchase something that is practical and safe a s well as will look representative in the home surrounding. Father will often pay for the tree and make the purchase thus in this scenario will be the buyer. This issue is addressed by many shops by offering extensive displays o f child-attractive items, together with parent-satisfying product descriptions to fulfil needs of the decision maker, and not infrequent value deals to finally convince the ultimate buyer. The Means-End Chain. Is another model of consumer behaviour where consumers buy products not because of their attributes per se but rather because of the ultimate benefits that these attributes provide, in turn leading to the satisfaction of ultimate values. An important implication of means-end chains is that it is usually most effective in advertising to focus on higher level items. (Green Book, 2005) This can be illustrated on example of UHT milk. A consumer may not be interested in the process and chemistry of ultra high temperature process of milk preservation, but might reason as follows: Self satisfaction/esteem Kids will continue to get all calcium and vitamins required for growth and strong bones, and he milk is there whenever needed Children can safely use the milk when they need it without a need to go back to a shop for weeks at a time. Milk can be stored longer without taste and properties change, Long life properties of UHT milk UHT milk producers use this model and emphasise the long life properties of milk, and thus in consumer perception this is the main focus point. They often dont make further investigation to find out that UHT milk has sufficiently less vitamins and minerals then fresh milk, and frequently make decision to buy long life milk instead of fresh milk. Diffusion Curve Model: And last but not least we should note that not all consumers will choose to buy new products at the same time. Dependingly on their education, experience, capacity to purchase and desires we will be able to identify Innovators who buy first but comrpise less than 5% of consumers, e.g. people who follow the latest releases of technology/fashion engineering and will purchase the products as soon as they reach the market even if they dont necessary need it, and it means paying premium price for those goods. After the first purchases by Innovators, the Early adpoters will show their interest. They benefit form using the product and want to maintain an edge over the rest of their peer group / consumers at large. However the vast majority of the curve ignores most marketing efforts at the earliest stages until they are convinced that the product or idea is not a fad. Successful new products, the hits, are most sought by Innovators and Early Adopters soon after introduction: and then Early majority will follow the trend to purchase. After some time the later majority will make the decision to buy, and then when the products/ services are no longer considered new by majority of population the laggards will come to belive it is ecessary for them to aquire this product. Possibly that will take place after the older model they owned is no longer functioning and it is necessary for them to replace it. Those clients frequently benefit from large discounts, since new more desirable models are often already available on the market. The described above model is commonly known as Diffusion Curve model or 5 segments model, and can be illustrated as bellow (actual percentages will vary according to the product / sector / consumer mix): Viral Marketing and Consumer Behavior (Graph from; Braziel, 2007) This model doesnt equally apply to all products, it is mostly used for electronics, computers, fashion clothing, house appliances such as AGD (white goods) and RTV (audio / visual electronics) products. Thats because we cant really talk about innovative products when it comes to FMCGs like bread, milk, butter. Also it would be hard to talk about laggards when the product of concern was something everyone needs in day to day life. Knowing about the diffusion curve model and the fact that new products are usually initially adopted by a few consumers and only spread later, and then only gradually, to the rest of the population, companies learned that to introduce new products they must be well financed so that they can stay afloat until their products become a commercial success by generating self-sustainable profit. They also realize that it is very important to please initial customers, since they will in turn influence many subsequent customers brand choices. That is why many brands use post-purchase evaluation forms and ensure quick response to any dissatisfaction, so consumers feel understood, respected and powerful. This helps in creating good overall impression about the product or brand, which is likely to be passed on to Early adopters and beyond. Discussion: There are two main applications of consumer behavior in marketing: (Perner 2005) Using consumer behavior to make better marketing campaigns. For example by understanding that consumers are more receptive to food advertising when they are hungry, food/snack companies learned to schedule snack advertisements late in the afternoon. As a result of increased receptiveness consumers are more likely to memorize the items and either buy there and then or next time when they see the product on the supermarket shelf. by understanding that new products are usually initially adopted by a few consumers and only spread later, and then only gradually, to the rest of the population, companies learned that (1) to introduce- new products must be well financed so that they can stay afloat until their products become a commercial success. (2) it is very important to please initial customers, since they will in turn influence many subsequent customers brand choices. Social marketing involves getting ideas across to consumers rather than selling something. E.g. To reduce the incidence of transmission of diseases through illegal drug use the best solution, obviously, would be if we could get illegal drug users to stop. This, however, was deemed to be infeasible. It was also determined that the practice of sharing needles was too ingrained in the drug culture to be stopped. As a result, using knowledge of consumer attitudes, Dr. Fishbein created a campaign that encouraged the cleaning of needles in bleach before sharing them, and this marketing campaign was hugely successful (Syed, 2009) Attitude research has shown that consumers often tend to react more favorably to advertisements which either: Admit something negative about the sponsoring brand (e.g., the Volvo is a clumsy car, but very safe), this approach makes consumer perceive the advert more reliable, and will pay off by their better attitude towards brand/product advertised. OR Admits something positive about a competing brand (e.g., a competing supermarket has slightly lower prices, but offers less service and selection).   Two-sided appeals must, contain overriding arguments why the sponsoring brand is ultimately superior-that is, in the above examples, the but part must be emphasized. (Perner, 2008)   Again this two side appeal gives consumer perception of rational, reliability and this type of advert is more likely to be listened, believed in and remembered. Knowing it is generally very difficult to change beliefs that people hold, some companies try to change the importance of beliefs by decreasing them or by strengthen them by advertising e.g. milk company can emphasise on the importance of milk ingredients such as; calcium and iron for the health being of people, and thus increase the perception of importance for milk in consumer eye, which will then lead to increased milk sales. Companies can also add to consumer beliefs, e.g. Cereal makers can add beliefs that their cereal are more convenient and healthy than other cereals, which sounds quite plausible to some people if the advert uses enough credible terms for ingredients. Thus consumer perceive those cereals more appropriate for breakfast than others and are more likely to purchase them when next time see them in the shop. Using consumer choices model described in the introduction, some companies will seek to create in the eyes of target consumers a perception of need of e.g cooking spice, by advertising it as a miracle mix which will make every dish you make tasty and desirable by all family members. That perception of opportunity may trigger the consumer purchase decision. Knowing that information search for FMCGs is mostly internal, food producers try to make impression on the consumer e.g by making tomatoes look more healthy and appealable to potential consumers e.g we can see tomatoes with green stems or big organically grown sign on the packaging that will trigger the consumer desire to eat healthy and even though those tomatoes may not be any healthier than the other 5 types that sit on the shelf. The perception of healthy / organic will arise in consumer mind and thus he will be more likely to purchase them. In relation to purchase decisions of consumers, many companies, especially those selling low involvement goods, use a marketing strategy which is directed at one of humans basic motivation:- curiosity. By packaging a product with interesting and/or innovative pictures and images, they try to wake up consumer curiosity and in this way win the consumer interest and encourage impulse to buy. Knowing that fulfilling original expectations of consumer will often lead to repeat purchase some products e.g Heinz Ketchup by introducing a claim of great thickness and delivering on it better compare to other brands, can win consumer because consumer attention is drawn towards thickness only and satisfying this attribute alone give consumer overall perception of good performance. Emphasising consumer brand loyalty, many shops introduce loyalty cards, which give additional credits for shopping in particular shop, such as entitlement to discounts and promotions. Loyalty cards databases on the other hand enable understanding the clients better and give offers that best suit their behavior/habbits. Its a win-win situation for seller and buyer: the consumer has a perception of being special/appreciated and can see the reward for loyalty, while the shop has more information about the customers. For example, it was established that a buyer of full fat milk is 2.5 times more likely to purchase children orientated products. That is because a lot of parent buy full fat milk for their kids, and having kids means we buy for them more than just milk. Knowing that, a shop/company can send kids products brochures only to those people buying full fat milk rather than spend money on approaching adults who dont have kids and are unlikely to purchase childrens products. All the models described above are important to know and consider; to help spot emerging patterens and trends relative to the marketing and branding process. However they seem to be slightly overcomplicated and we need to realise that every day consumer patterns as well as practical marketing often varies from the theoretical models. To support this view we dont need to look far, we read from countless articles e.g McCole (2004) suggests that there exists a sizable gap between the worldviews of academics and practitioners. And Brennen (2004, p. 492), in his editorial comments in a special issue that explored the nature of the academic-practitioner divide, notes that a consensus seems to be emerging that much, or perhaps most, of work done by academics is of limited relevance to practitioners. (Syed H. Akhter, 2009). Also there are numerous studies which show that a large percentage of consumers dont research their purchases or limit the research to minimum, e.g. on average 52% of peo ple in US obtained no independent information on products/services purchased and even for purchase of a new car, more than 30% of people visit only one car dealer.(Elliot, 1998). A lot of those theoretical models, together with practical / anecdotal experience, indicate that decisions made by customers are mostly emotion-driven or impulse driven. The purchase decisions often depend on curiosity, value perception (an approximation of reality), brand loyalty or rules of thumb , rather than research, and that is why marketing, branding and advertising need to enhance value perception for the customer and take care of a good purchase experience rather than just focusing on the purchase product/service. Conclusion: To conclude this paper on dynamics of consumer behaviour in practical marketing, I decided to look into Early Learning Center (ELC) brand and their marketing strategies. With their consumer base largely being 0-6 year old children, specifically I sought evidence of ELCs marketing efforts reflecting a sound understanding of the behavior of their target customers, the adults who buy those goods on childrens behalf Early Learning Centre (ELC) ~ Toy Sale Now On Early Learning Centre (ELC) is essentially a marketing and distribution company, but one that also designs and commissions the manufacture of its own-branded products.It was established in 1974 as a mail order firm, and was an early adopter of direct sales through the Internet the website www.elc.co.uk was first launched in 1999 and proved to be successful in its first year in terms of profit generated on internet-driven purchases.. In 2007 Mothercare plc acquired Early Learning Centre for  £85m ( £49m plus  £36m debt). Mothercare is one of the most familiar names in UK retailing, and is probably the first store that comes to mind when thinking of the needs of pregnant women, babies and children up to the age of 10. There is a lot of overlap with ELC in the post-natal market and so their merger and co-location of stores makes sense from a business perspective. Today there are over 225 ELC stores in the UK, and 115 stores internationally operated by franchise partners in locations including UAE, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia Ireland, and Poland. Catalogues sales have remained a core part of the business. [Early Learning Centre prints and distributes over 4 million catalogues in the UK alone each year.] Over 80 percent of the products sold by Early Learning Centre are own brand. ELC operate through three distinct channels to market; UK stores, Direct (internet-based businesses and catalogue mai l order), and International.(ELC, 2008) The Early Learning Centre brand provides eight major categories of toys and games primarily for children in the 0-6 year age range. They segregate their items based on sex and age of children for whom the toys are designed. This approach helps greatly during customers search through the products. As a result customers can put less effort into the search process and it adds to their overall shopping experience. Knowing that changing attitude of consumer is generally very difficult. Instead ELC try to influence feelings, either by advertising itself to create pleasant, warm feeling about products, and hope that will be enough to make customer like the product, or they use classical conditioning by e.g. showing happy, stress free children playing with ELC toys. the great outdoors!!! acctive play and fresh air fun! (pictured copied from: http://www.kidstart.co.uk/partner/ELC.aspx) Another strategy of ELC involves exposure effect. By providing advertisement and pictures outside the store and in magazines known to be popular amongst parents of 0-6 year old children and those adults likely to buy presents for such children, ELC ensures customers are more familiar with the product and thus more likely to purchase it. Aware that changing behaviour of customers can be challenging, one strategy employed by ELC is to introduce seasonal price discounts to justify in consumer minds the switch, based on a good deal principle. After the switch if a customer was more satisfied with the ELC product than with a previously used brand, there is a large likelihood that he or she will stick with the ELC products for future purchases even when the price goes back to normal. Another marketing strategy employed by ELC is engaging the convenience mindset of their target audience. ELC stores are usually located in big shopping malls, specifically in those locations in the mall that are frequently used/passed by customers on their way in or out. Not only are toys displayed, many toys at the entrance, but also throughout the store, are out of their packaging to enable better investigation of product prior to purchase. This is also a great way to attract the children of passing shoppers mothers, families into the shop to play. When this happens parents will be forced to come into the shop and during that time possibly will purchase one or more of the toys that their children were attracted to, or indeed other

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Neurophysiological Report :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Neurophysiological Report Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder categorized as a form of parkinsonism. First described in 1964 by three Canadian neurologists, PSP is sometimes referred to as Steele-Richardson-Olszewski Syndrome, or Nuchal Dystonia Dementia Syndrome (1). Progressive damage to multiple brain cells associated with deterioration of the myelin sheath that speeds up nerve impulse conduction, as well as destruction of the entire nerve (2), result in severe and irreversible problems controlling balance, eye movement, breathing, and voluntary muscle movement (3). The actor Dudley Moore has been diagnosed with PSP and presently works to improve awareness and treatment of this enigmatic disease. Although PSP is frequently misdiagnosed as Parkinson's, the disorder progresses much more quickly, maintaining very unique and exclusive manifestations. Individuals suffering from PSP present clinically with akinetic rigid syndrome, gait ataxia, and supranuclear vertical-gaze palsy (4). Akinesia refers to the loss of control of voluntary muscle movements. This is expressed in loss of balance while walking and recurrent falls. A permanent "Mona Lisa" stare and wide-eyed expression is often described, in addition to guttural, slurred speech and swallowing difficulties (5). These facial distortions result from nerve damage controlling the facial muscles. All PSP individuals suffer from some degree of vertical-gaze palsy, in which the ability to move the eyes up-and-down is impaired (4). Muscles in the back of the neck and spine are usually severely affected, resulting in a retro-collis posture; the individual appears to perpetually look up toward the ceiling. Rigidity in the limbs is al so observed, although to a lesser degree. If rigidity does exist here, it is equal on both sides of the body. In Parkinson's disease, rigidity is more prominent and pronounced in the limbs, favoring one side more that the other (6). None of the tremors characteristic of Parkinson's are observed in PSP. Personality changes and dementia are also noted, particularly later in the development of the disease. PSP affects the brainstem, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. The brainstem controls involuntary movements such as breathing and heart rate. Three divisions of the brainstem have been delineated: the medulla oblongata, the pons, and the midbrain. In PSP, all three sections are affected. The pons controls facial nerves and eye muscles, while the midbrain is the visual center of the brain (3). The medulla (sometimes referred to as the "bulb") maintains speech and swallowing abilities. Paralysis here results in impairment of these functions.

Frq Apush Farmers vs Industrialization Essay

The Gilded Age, a time of industrious growth and a surge of new immigrants. Americans had witnessed the death of rural life dominated by farmers and the birth of an urban and industrial America dominated by bankers, industrialists, and city dwellers. Overproduction led farmers into debt leaving them just an overflow of crops due to the repressed prices. Tariff Policies forced farmers to buy manufactured goods for survival. Farmers lost their status and power due to industrialization. Let’s just say farmers felt betrayed by their government and not letting them have voice. Overproduction was the most vexing problem during this time. The American farmer produced too much for their own good. As levels rise, the use of farm machinery increased it allowed the farmer to grow even more, new farming techniques, and the spread of railroads l made markets full of produce. As more and more crops were in the markets, it made the prices fall for the produce. Farmers were growing more and making less money. Of all the problems a farmer faced, overproduction was the gravest. Not making enough to recoup expenses because of depressed crop values, farmers attempted to compensate by producing more. This made the problem worse. The lack of income drove farmers into ever-deepening debt. Farmers fell victim to a tariff policy of the U.S. during the Gilded Age. It forced them to buy all the manufacture goods they needed for survival on a market protected by tariff legislation at high prices while selling what they produced on an unprotected market at reduced prices because of oversupply and foreign competitors. The government put a tax on the manufactured goods being imported into the U.S. by other manufactures. They hoped to make them more expensive than the American goods. For consumers would buy American goods. During this process it made American rapidly industrialized. Famers felt doubly discriminated against because they felt the tariffs were applied primarily to manufactured goods while their interests were left to fend for themselves. One of the hardest impacts due to industrialization for farmers was that they had to deal with the recognition that rural and agricultural America was given way to an urban and industrialized American. Dominated by the interests of big business, and government. Famers found the major political parties during the time unresponsive to their demands that government deal with their problems. Farmers no longer controlled the social, economic, or political systems. Which was a constant struggle for them to be heard, and did not feel appreciated. Farmers were impacted by industrialization in many ways causing many problems. Making a huge amount of them very unhappy during the Gilded Age.

Electromagnetic Bombs

Electromagnetic Bombs Free Online Research Papers ABSTRACT Electromagnetic Pulse generation technology has matured to the point where Electromagnetic bombs are becoming technically feasible, with uses warfare. The development of these weapons allows there use in a nonnuclear way. INTRODUCTION For a success full war against an industrialized or post-industrial opponent will require nonnuclear weapons. .These weapons will play an important role in crippling the enemy. The efficient execution of campaign against a modern industrial or post-industrial opponent will require the use of tools designed to destroy information systems. Electromagnetic bombs built for this purpose can provide a very effective tool for this purpose. THE EMP EFFECT The Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) effect was first observed during the early testing of high altitude airburst nuclear weapons The effect is characterized by the production of a very short (hundreds of nanoseconds) but intense electromagnetic pulse, which propagates away from its source with ever diminishing intensity, governed by the theory of electromagnetism. The Electromagnetic Pulse is in effect an electromagnetic shock wave. This pulse of energy produces a powerful electromagnetic field, particularly within the vicinity of the weapon burst. The field can be sufficiently strong to produce short transient voltages of thousands of Volts on exposed electrical conductors, such as wires, or conductive tracks on printed circuit boards, where exposed. It is this aspect of the EMP effect which is of military significance, as it can result in irreversible damage to a wide range of electrical and electronic equipment, particularly computers and radio or radar receivers. Subject to the electromagnetic hardness of the electronics, a measure of the equipments resilience to this effect, and the intensity of the field produced by the weapon, the equipment can be irreversibly damaged or in effect electrically destroyed. The damage inflicted is not unlike that experienced through exposure to close proximity lightning strikes, and may require complete replacement of the equipment, or at least substantial portions thereof. Commercial computer equipment is particularly vulnerable to EMP effects, as it is largely built up of high-density Metal Oxide Semiconductor devices, which are very sensitive to exposure to high voltage transients. What is significant about MOS devices is that very little energy is required to permanently wound or destroy them, any voltage is typically in excess of tens of Volts can produce an effect termed gate breakdown which effectively destroys the device. Even if the pulse is not powerful enough to produce thermal damage, the power supply in the equipment will readily supply enough energy to complete the destructive process. Wounded devices may still function, but their reliability will be seriously impaired. Shielding electronics by equipment chassis provides only limited protection, as any cables running in and out of the equipment will behave very much like antennae, in effect guiding the high voltage transients into the equipment. Computers used in data processing systems, communications systems, displays, industrial control applications, including road and rail signaling, and those embedded in military equipment, such as signal processors, electronic flight controls and digital engine control systems, are all potentially vulnerable to the EMP effect. Telecommunication equipment can be highly vulnerable, due to the presence of lengthy copper cables between devices. Receivers of all varieties are particularly sensitive to EMP, as the highly sensitive miniature high-frequency transistors and diodes in such equipment are easily destroyed by exposure to high voltage electrical transients. Therefore radar and electronic warfare equipment, satellite, microwave, UHF, VHF, HF, and low band communications equipment and television equipment are all potentially vulnerable to the EMP effect. It is significant that modern military platforms are densely packed with electronic equipment, and unless these platforms are well hardened, an EMP device can substantially reduce their function. THE TECHNOLOGY ELECTROMAGNETIC BOMBS Key technologies which are used for making such weapons are Flux Compression Generators (FCG), or Magneto-Hydrodynamic (MHD) generators and a range of HPM devices, the foremost of which is the Virtual Cathode Oscillator. A range of experimental designs has been tested in these technology areas. FLUX COMPRESSION GENERATORS FCG is the most likely technology applicable to bomb designs. The FCG was first demonstrated by at Los Alamos National Laboratories in the late fifties. Since that time a wide range of FCG configurations has been built and tested, both in the US and the USSR. The FCG is a device capable of producing electrical energies of tens of MegaJoules in tens to hundreds of microseconds of time, in a relatively compact package. With peak power levels of the order of Terawatts to tens of Terawatts, FCGs may be used directly, or as one-shot pulse power supplies for microwave tubes. This means that the current produced by a large FCG is between ten to a thousand times greater than that produced by a typical lightning stroke. The central idea behind the construction of FCGs is that of using a fast explosive to rapidly compress a magnetic field, transferring much energy from the explosive into the magnetic field. The initial magnetic field in the FCG prior to explosive initiation is produced by a start current. The start current is supplied by an external source, such a high voltage capacitor. In principle, any device capable of producing a pulse of electrical current of the order of tens of kilo Amperes to Mega Amperes will be suitable. The most commonly used arrangement is a coaxial FCG. It is essentially cylindrical form. In a typical coaxial FCG , a cylindrical copper tube forms the armature. This tube is filled with fast high energy explosive. The armature is surrounded by a helical coil of heavy wire, typically copper, which forms the FCG stator. The stator winding is in some designs split into segments, with wires bifurcating at the boundaries of the segments, to optimize the electromagnetic inductance of the armature coil. The intense magnetic forces produced during the operation of the FCG could potentially cause the device to disintegrate prematurely if not dealt with. This is typically accomplished by the addition of a structural jacket of a non-magnetic material. Materials such as concrete or Fiberglass in an Epoxy matrix have been used. In principle, any material with suitable electrical and mechanical properties could be used. It is typical that the explosive is initiated when the start current peaks. This is usually accomplished with an explosive lens plane wave generator which produces a uniform plane wave detonation in the explosive. Once initiated, the front propagates through the explosive in the armature, distorting it into a conical shape Where the armature has expanded to the full diameter of the stator, it forms a short circuit between the ends of the stator coil, shorting and thus isolating the start current source and trapping the current within the device. The propagating short has the effect of compressing the magnetic field, whilst reducing the inductance of the stator winding. The result is that such generators will produce a ramping current pulse, which peaks before the final disintegration of the device. The current multiplication (i.e. ratio of output current to start current) achieved varies with designs, but numbers as high as 60 have been demonstrated the smallest possible start current source is desirable. These applications can exploit cascading of FCGs, where a small FCG is used to prime a larger FCG with a start current. The principal technical issues in adapting the FCG to weapons applications lie in packaging, the supply of start current, and matching the device to the intended load. Interfacing to a load is simplified by the coaxial geometry of coaxial and conical FCG designs. Significantly, this geometry is convenient for weapons applications, where FCGs may be stacked axially with devices such a microwave Vircators. The demands of a load such as a Vircator, in terms of waveform shape and timing, can be satisfied by inserting pulse shaping networks, transformers, and explosive high current switches. MHD GENERATORS The design of a Magneto-Hydrodynamic generator is a much less mature art than that of FCG design. Technical issues such as the size and weight of magnetic field generating devices required for the operation of MHD generators suggest that MHD devices will play a minor role in the future their potential, however, lies in areas such as starting current generation for FCG devices. The fundamental principle behind the design of MHD devices is that a conductor moving through a magnetic field will produce an electrical current transverse to the direction of the field and the conductor motion. In an explosive or propellant driven MHD device, the conductor is plasma of ionized explosive or propellant gas, which travels through the magnetic field. Current is collected by electrodes which are in contact with the plasma jet. The electrical properties of the plasma are optimized by seeding the explosive or propellant with suitable additives, which ionize during the burn. Cartridges of the propellant can be loaded much like artillery rounds, for multiple shot operations. THE POWER OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WARHEADS The issue of electromagnetic weapon power is complex .hile the calculation of electromagnetic field strengths achievable at a given radius for a given device design is a straightforward task, determining a kill probability for a given class of target under such conditions is not. This is for good reasons. The first is that target types are very diverse in their electromagnetic hardness, or ability to resist damage. Equipment which has been intentionally shielded and hardened against electromagnetic attack will withstand orders of magnitude greater field strengths than standard commercially rated equipment. Moreover, various manufacturers implementations of like types of equipment may vary significantly in hardness due to the idiosyncrasies of specific electrical designs, cabling schemes and chassis/shielding designs used. The second major problem area in determining the killing power is that of coupling efficiency, which is a measure of how much power is transferred from the field produced by the weapon into the target. Only power coupled into the target can cause useful damage. DEFENSE AGAINST ELECTROMAGNETIC BOMBS Systems which can be expected to suffer exposure to the electromagnetic weapons effects must be electromagnetically hardened. The most effective method is to wholly contain the equipment in an electrically conductive enclosure, termed a Faraday cage, which prevents the electromagnetic field from gaining access to the protected equipment. However, most such equipment must communicate with and be fed with power from the outside world, and this can provide entry points via which electrical transients may enter the enclosure and effect damage. While optical fibers address this requirement for transferring data in and out, electrical power feeds remain an ongoing vulnerability. Where an electrically conductive channel must enter the enclosure, electromagnetic arresting devices must be fitted. A range of devices exists, however, care must be taken in determining their parameters to ensure that they can deal with the rise time and strength of electrical transients produced by electromagnetic devices. it has been noticed that hardening measures attuned to the behavior of nuclear EMP bombs do not perform well when dealing with some conventional microwave electromagnetic device designs. It is significant that the hardening of systems must be carried out at a system level, as electromagnetic damage to any single element of a complex system could inhibit the function of the whole system. Hardening new build equipment and systems will add a substantial cost burden. Older equipment and systems may be impossible to harden properly and may require complete replacement. In simple terms, hardening by design is significantly easier than attempting to harden existing equipment. An interesting aspect of electrical damage to targets is the possibility of wounding semiconductor devices thereby causing equipment to suffer repetitive intermittent faults rather than complete failures. Such faults would tie down considerable maintenance resources while also diminishing the confidence of the operators in the equipments reliability. Intermittent faults may not be possible to repair economically, thereby causing equipment in this state to be removed from service permanently, with considerable loss in maintenance hours during damage diagnosis. This factor must also be considered when assessing the hardness of equipment against electromagnetic attack, as partial or incomplete hardening may in this fashion cause more difficulties than it would solve. Indeed, shielding which is incomplete may resonate when excited by radiation and thus contribute to damage inflicted upon the equipment contained within it. Other than hardening against attack, facilities which are concealed should not radiate readily detectable emissions. Where radio frequency communications must be used, low probability of intercept (i.e. spread spectrum) techniques should be employed exclusively to preclude the use of site emissions for electromagnetic targeting purposes. Communications networks for voice, data, and services should employ topologies with sufficient redundancy and failover mechanisms to allow operation with multiple nodes and links inoperative. This will deny a user of electromagnetic bombs the option of disabling the network. LIMITATIONS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC BOMBS The limitations of electromagnetic weapons are determined by weapon implementation and means of delivery. Weapon implementation will determine the electromagnetic field strength achievable at a given radius, and its spectral distribution. Means of delivery will constrain the accuracy with which the weapon can be positioned in relation to the intended target. Both constrain lethality. In the context of targeting military equipment, it must be noted that vacuum tube equipment is substantially more resilient to the electromagnetic weapons effects than solid state (i.e. transistor) technology. Therefore a weapon optimized to destroy solid state computers and receivers may cause little or no damage to a vacuum tube technology device. This underscores another limitation of electromagnetic weapons, which is the difficulty in kill assessment. Radiating targets such as radars or communications equipment may continue to radiate after an attack even though their receivers and data processing systems have been damaged or destroyed. This means that equipment which has been successfully attacked may still appear to operate. Conversely, an opponent may shut down an emitter if an attack is imminent and the absence of emissions means that the success or failure of the attack may not be immediately apparent. An important factor in assessing the lethal coverage of an electromagnetic weapon is atmospheric propagation. While the relationship between electromagnetic field strength and distance from the weapon is one of an inverse square law in free space, the decay in lethal effect with increasing distance within the atmosphere will be greater due quantum physical absorption effects This is particularly so at higher frequencies, and significant absorption peaks due water vapor and oxygen exist at frequencies above 20 GHz. These will, therefore, contain the effect of HPM weapons to a shorter radius. Means of delivery will limit the lethality of an electromagnetic bomb by introducing limits to the weapons size and the accuracy of its delivery. Should the delivery error be of the order of the weapons lethal radius for a given detonation altitude, lethality will be significantly diminished. This is of particular importance when assessing the lethality of unguided electromagnetic bombs, as delive ry errors will be more substantial than those experienced with guided weapons such as GPS guided bombs. CONCLUSION Electromagnetic bombs are Weapons of Electrical Mass Destruction with wide applications spanning both the strategic and tactical. As such their use offers a very high advantage in attacking the fundamental information processing and communication facilities of a target system. The massed application of these weapons will produce paralysis in any target system, thus providing a decisive advantage in the conduct of war. Because E-bombs can cause hard electrical kills over larger areas than conventional explosive weapons of similar mass, they offer a huge economic advantage as well. The non-lethal nature of electromagnetic weapons makes their use far less politically damaging than that of conventional weapons and therefore broadens the range of military options available. Also if these weapons are used the can make a nuclear threat obsolete as well. REFERENCES:- tfd.chalmers.se/~valeri/EMP.html geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/5971/emp.html house.gov/hasc/testimony/106thcongress/99-10-07wood.htm awe.co.uk/main_site/scientific_and_technical/featured_areas/dpd/computational_physics/nuclear_effects_group/electromagnetic_pulse/ fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/emp.htm Research Papers on Electromagnetic BombsGenetic EngineeringGap Analysis: Lester ElectronicsConflict Resolution TacticsJoel Kovel’s The Enemy of NatureDistance Learning Survival GuideFeline Diabetes MelitusPoverty, Violence and Conflict How are they Related?Mr. Obama and IranProject Management 101Enzymes Proteins Amino Acids

10 Facts About Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

10 Facts About Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) RNA or ribonucleic acid is used to translate instructions from DNA to make proteins in your body. Here are 10 interesting and fun facts about RNA. Each RNA nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a ribose sugar, and a phosphate.Each RNA molecule typically is a single strand, consisting of a relatively short chain of nucleotides. RNA can be shaped like a single helix, a straight molecule, or may be bet or twisted upon itself. DNA, in comparison, is double-stranded and consists of a very long chain of nucleotides.In RNA, the base adenine binds to uracil. In DNA, adenine binds to thymine. RNA does not contain thymine - a uracil is an unmethylated form of thymine capable of absorbing light. Guanine binds to cytosine in both DNA and RNA.There are several types of RNA, including transfer RNA (tRNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). RNA performs many functions in an organism, such as coding, decoding, regulating, and expressing genes.About 5% of the weight of a human cell is RNA. Only about 1% of a cell consists of DNA.RNA is found in both the nucleus and cytoplasm of humans cells. DNA is only found in the cell nucl eus. RNA is the genetic material for some organisms which dont have DNA. Some viruses contain DNA; many only contain RNA.RNA is used in some cancer gene therapies to reduce the expression of cancer-causing genes.RNA technology is used to suppress the expression of fruit ripening genes so that fruits can remain on the vine longer, extending their season and availability for marketing.Friedrich Miescher discovered nucleic acids (nuclein) in 1868. After that time, scientists realized there were different types of nucleic acids and different types of RNA, so there is no single person or date for the discovery of RNA. In 1939, researchers determined RNA is responsible for protein synthesis. In 1959, Severo Ochoa won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovering how RNA is synthesized.

Show and Tell Transform Your Writing Using Both - Freewrite Store

Show and Tell Transform Your Writing Using Both - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by Jackie Dever, associate editor at Aionios Books, a small traditional-model publisher based in Southern California.    From the laminated poster on the wall of your third-grade classroom to the margin notes provided by fellow wordsmiths in your critique group, one slogan keeps cropping up throughout most of our writing lives: â€Å"Show, don’t tell.† The impulse to simplify writerly advice is legitimate. But as with most things in life, it’s best to think carefully before applying negative labels. â€Å"Show† and â€Å"tell† don’t have to clash on the page. Instead of rating one method over the other, it’s time to understand how and when each of these strategies can help you.   Showing Stories aren’t limited to the visual, so literary showing goes beyond painting word pictures. Showing evokes the senses, and the lushest writing conjures allof them. If your reader can see it, hear it, smell it, taste it, or touch it, congratulations! You’re showing. Your character doesn’t only watch the waves churning the shimmery green ocean to a froth- she feels the oozing of sand between her toes and the sting of saltwater in the razor nick on her ankle. She tastes the salty tang of the sea and hears the dull roar of the waves. She sees bruise-like patches of kelp out beyond the breakers. You don’t have to put each scene through a checklist of sensory details. Choose the ones that feel most natural to your perspective characters’ perceptions. A young kid at a petting zoo, for example, would focus on the fluffiness of sheep and silkiness of goats’ ears. A man camping alone on the Appalachian Trail, on the other hand, would pay close attention to the after-dark sounds of the surrounding woods. It’s easy to mistake adjectives like â€Å"beautiful† or â€Å"terrifying† for showing. But every reader imagines these concepts differently. Genuine showing removes the guesswork. It guides readers to one shared scene. Really extreme showing zooms in with microscopic clarity. These enlargements are a lot of fun to read when done right. But careful- they can also mess with the pace of your narrative and make your important themes harder to pick out. When you give everything excessive significance, everything losesimportance. Telling Telling conveys information without textured details. It’s just the facts, ma’am. The reader fills in gaps with imagination. When you’re telling, your character puts her foot in the ocean, but she doesn’t feel, smell, or hear it. Telling helps to keep a story’s pace or provide background knowledge. Telling in its purest form reads like a boiled-down summary. We tend to scoff at it, but like showing, telling is important in any story. When to Show You want your audience to engage with your created world, but in a deliberate way. Use your descriptive powers to control readers’ focus. Ideally, whatever they notice, wherever they pause to admire a passage, you’ve masterminded the pattern with your words. Ask yourself â€Å"why?† with each description. Why do you need four sentences about the cheese sandwich on a restaurant table? Unless that sandwich has a critical function in the plot, no one cares much about the exact sponginess of its bread or the oily texture of its melted American cheese. Communicate a Theme Your selective showing gives readers clues while still letting them infer deeper significance for themselves. It’s the difference between stating that â€Å"the boy desperately wanted to win the race† and describing the physical sensations he experiences as the finish line nears. Foreshadow the Importance of Something Emphasis on items or locations nudges readers to look out for the future relevance these things will have to the plot. In a whodunit, you can’t tell them right off the bat that the baseball the twitchy first baseman keeps socking from one hand to the other is the murder weapon, but you can describe it down to the stich. Or maybe you choose to defer the location of the climactic storm scene in your harrowing adventure tale, but you can subtly prepare readers with rich-detailed beach or boating scenes. Slow the Reader Down to Ratchet Up Tension When you make your reader pause to notice every detail in a selected scene, you render her vulnerable to a sudden shift in tone. You give her a sense of anticipation about events to come, but you distract her with painstaking details- the feel of the porch rail on the abandoned house and the weight of the humid air- at crucial points. You’ve got her flinching at every description of touch, sound, and fluttering shadow. Then, when she’s in this heightened state, you bring the scene’s conclusion crashing down. When to Tell Not every scene merits a show. Telling, however small its share of a story, is still a great skill to master. Provide Background A summary of a character’s history or an explanation of terminology gives context to your words. In order to avoid long, dull passages, offer relevant details on an as-needed basis, directly before the related scene. Move Prose Forward Quickly Connective scenes are important for explaining shifts in location or time, but they’re usually best dispensed with quickly. Travel-itinerary scene? â€Å"Jason boarded a redeye flight to Taiwan† is all the reader needs to know. Save your sensory enticements for after wheels down. Give Context You might need to quickly prepare your readers to confront a certain mood or theme. So you’ll tell them that John was sad because his wife had left three days ago, that John’s marriage had been unhappy for years. Then you’ll show the stacks of pizza boxes, the smell of trash in the sink, and the all-night sound of infomercials that marked his decline. Let the Reader Interpret an Abstract Concept Broad adjectives are appealing in situations where you want readers to imagine a detail for themselves. Maybe you want your character to be generically handsome. You use abstract adjectives like â€Å"intense† â€Å"strong† and â€Å"rugged† to get the point across. Then readers graft their own vision of handsomeness onto your character (rather than make do with your version of the term). Always Know the Details, Whether You Share Them or Not You aren’t going to divulge everything to the reader, but you’ll still need to know all the details yourself. Readers are smart- they can tell when you got bored midway through the chapter and dumped all that info just to get through it. Blending Show and Tell Sophisticated writers understand â€Å"show† and â€Å"tell† as points in a continuum, each of which has value in certain scenes. Using one device doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use the other. Often they even work together in the same paragraph. When you want to infuse more expository passages with some mild showing, work your nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Does your character drive a car or a cherry-red Camaro? Is the man on the bench merely old or is he liver-spotted? Does the villain walk or does he stride? A single word change can help to solidify your imagery.      Mature Writers Use Their Full Skill Set As elementary-age authors, we use the tools we’re given, commandments handed down by our teachers to help us sharpen our composition skills. Since a nine-year-old is more likely to barrel toward a story’s finish than to get waylaid in thickets of flowery prose, â€Å"Thou shalt show, not tell† prevails. But while even the grown-up writer does need an occasional reminder to stop and smell the sensory details, the value of one writing strategy doesn’t negate the value of another. A judicious combination of showing and telling will help you to accomplish every writer’s goal- to keep your readers turning pages.    Wordslingers, what are your thoughts on showing and telling? Let us know in the comments!    Jackie Dever is an editor and writer in Southern California. She has edited blogs, corporate materials, academic texts, novels, and biographies. She is an associate editor at Aionios Books, a small traditional-model publisher based in Southern California. She recently finished proofreading the 2017 San Diego Book Award–winning memoir A Few Minor Adjustments(September 2017) by Cherie Kephart. She blogs about writing and publishing, millennial lifestyle trends, and outdoor sports.

Pro gun control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Pro gun control - Essay Example The essay dwells upon pro gun control, its advantages and disadvantages. To ensure that the regression models used for the study were valid, diagnostics were employed on the regression statistics used. In particular, the LIML regression models used for the study were tested for â€Å"multicollinearity, heteroskedasticity, outliners, normally distributed errors, and non-linearity† and were deemed to have adequately passed the test. In other words, the LIML regression model used was tested for possible conditions that may invalidate the results and was deemed to have passed the applicable tests or regression diagnostics. The LIML regression was applied on 39 cities covering Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and countries on other continents. The sample of cities in Altheimer’s 2010 study includes cities from developing, as well as developed countries. Unfortunately, it is not clear whether the sample of 39 cities used was a random sample, purposive, or a convenient sample. Further, no US city was included in the sample. However, the data covered by Altheimer in 2010, was â€Å"the most far reaching comparable crime victimization data† as of 2010. Based on the foregoing, what appears reasonable to conclude is that the case for gun control continues to rest on good merit. First of all, the latest research provides scientific and statistical evidence to the merit of the view that gun control can reduce violent crime. Further, the statistical tool employed to assess data related to the correlation between violent crime and ownership.

Response paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Response paper - Essay Example I personally agree with Ray Bradbury in virtually all the issues he raised. Bradbury says quantity brings about quality in work. The more one works and gain more experience the more quality his or her work becomes (McKenzie 40). After work, relaxation of the body is vital and I don`t think there is something that results in more relaxation and in turn more creativity like writing. In the circumstance where writers don’t think, they end up copying other writers work and compromising quality of their work. Just as an artist may think of the money he or she will earn after the work instead of focusing on the truth and the internal feeling that his or her work entails and bring out the beauty of the art work, most commercial writers do slanted stories, focusing on the money they will cash from their banks while ignoring the originality and creativity they could possibly have in their work. Most upcoming writers engage their working time only to give out unoriginal story lacking creativity simply because the commercial market has taken over them and dictate what they write. The body should be left alone to think and act for itself and let the writings flow from inside you not from external forces (McKenzie 44). While new writers are at liberty to imitate and emulate other prominent writers in history, it is only allowed up to some extent and should not eliminate the ability of a man to become truly creative in his work. The writer should select a field where he or she thinks his ideas will develop more comfortably. One needs to remember that selecting a field to write on is absolutely different from slanting within that field (McKenzie 46). In conclusion, what you think of the world should characterize what you think. Consider yourself as a prism and measure the light of the world. Give the light back to the world in a totally different perspective. Let your feeling and thinking about the world dictate your writing. Bring out your ideas

Organisational Analysis (case study) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisational Analysis (case study) - Essay Example With the intense competition, the customers’ alternative sources of supply increase along with the threshold level of acceptable quality in terms of product and service. Therefore, product quality, innovation, delivery reliability and shorter lead times have become prerequisites in business world rather than competitive advantages. Thus, the importance of streamlining internal processes and aligning the organisational structure to act as a combined force becomes a key necessity. Agility in organisational process in responding to market demands can only be achieved through organisational structures, which are well-integrated, less bureaucratic and collectively aligned towards achieving the organisational objectives (Thomson & Strickland 2003). The case study analyses the current issues being faced by Rondell Data Corporation, a well established manufacturer of Data Transmission units and electronic Testing Equipments, with regards to its internal business operations, especially pertaining to the interdepartmental conflicts leading to reduced productivity and profitability resulting from mismatch in its organisational design and structure with the required business process. The analysis will take in to account the current status of the operations with the use of contingency models and identify the problem areas being encountered by Rondell. The insight gained from the analysis will aid in explaining the past background and how the company has developed to its current stage as well as what the future may hold if the organisation proceed without interventions. Lastly the analysis will also provide suggestions and recommendations for intervention and creating change at Rondell Rondell Data Corporation which has been incorporated in 1930 has grows steadily over the decades with a dedicated team of employees who are mainly from engineering background. The company

Steps of Hometown Deli to Move in the 21st Century Technologically Case Study

Steps of Hometown Deli to Move in the 21st Century Technologically - Case Study Example This paper illustrates explores how to bring Hometown Deli into the 21st Century technologically by adding new computer equipment, wireless routers, and Wi-Fi hubs, and staying in tune with our customers through social media sources such as Facebook and Twitter. We feel that a move to 21st Century technology not only with hardware but with software as well can, not only make us more efficient, but more profitable as well. The loan was given to Hometown Deli by the bank to help pay for the equipment which will be implored be Hometown Deli for their everyday business uses. Further resources will come from extra revenue allocated to help pay for the new hardware and software that will be used to help run the business. The deliverables coming to Hometown Deli will include the new automated inventory system which will allow the restaurant to be able to keep a closer track on their current inventory and what they need to order to make sure that they have enough supplies in the stores at al l time. Furthermore, additional deliverables will include updates to the programs and hardware as well as supplies to help keep the store running at the technological peak performance. The Systems Development Life Cycle is a seven-stage process whose purpose is to identify the information technology needs of a business that is cost effective while also meeting the company's current and future needs. The planning phase for Hometown Deli allowed the owner’s grandson to find out that the restaurant was in dire need of updating for the 21st Century technologically. Thus, we decided that to bring in more customers and retain the ones that we currently have is to update the restaurant to bring out the best that it can be. During this phase, we checked out what would be needed in order to execute our plan in bringing Hometown Deli into the 21st Century. We found out that the whole restaurant would have to be rewired in order to handle the workload that we were going to need from the new networks we are going to establish within the restaurant to set up our Wi-Fi hotspot for our customers and the wireless network going to be used for our business needs.

Statutory Interpretation Within The Courts Of England & Wales Essay - 1

Statutory Interpretation Within The Courts Of England & Wales - Essay Example In this essay, the primary purpose is to identify the standard powers available to the courts in England and wales in association with statutory interpretation. Moreover, the essay will explore how the canon of judicial precedent employs statutory interpretation. Users of the law such as students, practitioners, academics are in many times faced with difficulty to interpret drafted laws. Factors that lead to the need for the interpretation have already been highlighted and shall be divided into two i.e. due to insufficiency or narrowness and broadness or the legislation being general. To clarify such matters, the court has the power to give guidance and interpret such law by administering justice to the people. Therefore, in this regard, there are three basic rules ‘Canons’ that are at the disposal of the court to determine the targets and the meaning of a statute (Edlin, 2007). Further According to Keenan and Riches in their book Business Law, judges must follow the laid out guidelines that are categorized according to their origin i.e. either statutory rules or common law rules. For example, under the statutory rules interpretation sections are found in the Modern acts (interpretation Act 1978 and internal/intrinsic aids). On the other hand, common law rules guides the judge on how to interpret (Literal rule, Golden rule, and mischief rule) ( Keenan & Riches, 2011). This is the first rule of statutory interpretation where the court is expected to assess the common and basic understanding and meaning of a provision. This rule is aimed at maintaining the original intent of parliament. Hence, in case ambiguity is present the natural and original dictionary meaning is applied. Consequently the literal rule is greatly recognized because it respects parliamentary independence. However, this also means that judges are not at liberty in regards to statutory interpretation. More so, the literal rule does not go without its flaws for example the use of dictionary

Parole Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Parole - Essay Example However, there has been a consensus among the players within the criminal justice system that incarceration is not the most appropriate measure to all offenders. It is in the light of this consensus that parole and probation systems were developed in order to provide alternative and appropriate ways of addressing specific types of offenders (Welsh and Harris, 2008). These systems have had remarkable impacts within the criminal justice system; but they have also had some shortcomings as well. Particularly, parole has been regarded as an early release option that puts the public at unnecessary risk. On the other hand, there are those who argue that it allows the re-integration of offenders into the community and provides better prospects for rehabilitation (Broadhurst, 2001). This paper will seek to understand the parole system by discussing its pros and cons. In addition, it will discuss whether parole is currently over-utilized or under-utilized in Australia, or whether proper balanc e has been struck. Yoshimura (2000) defines parole as a process that involves conditionally releasing an offender from prison so that he or she can serve the remaining sentence in the community according to the sentences terms that the court would impose. Often, offenders released under parole serve the remaining sentence in the community under community corrections officer supervision. Parole is considered as a conditional release from the prison because the release of the offenders is based on certain conditions such as prisoners agreeing to obey specific restrictions imposed by the court. It should be noted that the parole release decisions basis vary across jurisdiction and time (Proctor, 1999). For example, parole can be offered as an entitlement to offenders after they have served a specified minimum imprisonment term. Similarly, parole can be used as a reward for offender’s good behavior. Nonetheless, the bottom line is that granting of release on parole is based on

Steps of Hometown Deli to Move in the 21st Century Technologically Case Study

Steps of Hometown Deli to Move in the 21st Century Technologically - Case Study Example This paper illustrates explores how to bring Hometown Deli into the 21st Century technologically by adding new computer equipment, wireless routers, and Wi-Fi hubs, and staying in tune with our customers through social media sources such as Facebook and Twitter. We feel that a move to 21st Century technology not only with hardware but with software as well can, not only make us more efficient, but more profitable as well. The loan was given to Hometown Deli by the bank to help pay for the equipment which will be implored be Hometown Deli for their everyday business uses. Further resources will come from extra revenue allocated to help pay for the new hardware and software that will be used to help run the business. The deliverables coming to Hometown Deli will include the new automated inventory system which will allow the restaurant to be able to keep a closer track on their current inventory and what they need to order to make sure that they have enough supplies in the stores at al l time. Furthermore, additional deliverables will include updates to the programs and hardware as well as supplies to help keep the store running at the technological peak performance. The Systems Development Life Cycle is a seven-stage process whose purpose is to identify the information technology needs of a business that is cost effective while also meeting the company's current and future needs. The planning phase for Hometown Deli allowed the owner’s grandson to find out that the restaurant was in dire need of updating for the 21st Century technologically. Thus, we decided that to bring in more customers and retain the ones that we currently have is to update the restaurant to bring out the best that it can be. During this phase, we checked out what would be needed in order to execute our plan in bringing Hometown Deli into the 21st Century. We found out that the whole restaurant would have to be rewired in order to handle the workload that we were going to need from the new networks we are going to establish within the restaurant to set up our Wi-Fi hotspot for our customers and the wireless network going to be used for our business needs.

Parole Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Parole - Essay Example However, there has been a consensus among the players within the criminal justice system that incarceration is not the most appropriate measure to all offenders. It is in the light of this consensus that parole and probation systems were developed in order to provide alternative and appropriate ways of addressing specific types of offenders (Welsh and Harris, 2008). These systems have had remarkable impacts within the criminal justice system; but they have also had some shortcomings as well. Particularly, parole has been regarded as an early release option that puts the public at unnecessary risk. On the other hand, there are those who argue that it allows the re-integration of offenders into the community and provides better prospects for rehabilitation (Broadhurst, 2001). This paper will seek to understand the parole system by discussing its pros and cons. In addition, it will discuss whether parole is currently over-utilized or under-utilized in Australia, or whether proper balanc e has been struck. Yoshimura (2000) defines parole as a process that involves conditionally releasing an offender from prison so that he or she can serve the remaining sentence in the community according to the sentences terms that the court would impose. Often, offenders released under parole serve the remaining sentence in the community under community corrections officer supervision. Parole is considered as a conditional release from the prison because the release of the offenders is based on certain conditions such as prisoners agreeing to obey specific restrictions imposed by the court. It should be noted that the parole release decisions basis vary across jurisdiction and time (Proctor, 1999). For example, parole can be offered as an entitlement to offenders after they have served a specified minimum imprisonment term. Similarly, parole can be used as a reward for offender’s good behavior. Nonetheless, the bottom line is that granting of release on parole is based on

Performance Review Meeting Essay Example for Free

Performance Review Meeting Essay What you have learnt from preparing for and carrying out the review I learnt how to set the meeting out, use the correct body language and how you should handle sensitive issues. It also helped me to understand motivation and focusing on strengths and weaknesses of employees and how to communicate effectively and stay in control of a situation. Overall I felt that the preparation leading up to the meeting helped in all of these areas. Studying the theories of Herzberg and Maslow helped me to understand that key areas of motivation and how to incorporate key management skills in order to get the best performance from an employee. Through watching performance management films also during the preparation process, this helped me to focus on my body language throughout the meeting and ensure that I am being perceived in a positive manner and agreeing targets on equal ground not by being too controlling of the situation and forcing decisions upon the individual. What you have learnt from the feedback you have received from your tutor and the individual whom you reviewed I have learnt that I need to ensure to take notes during the meeting. This is especially important when discussing performance plans and setting agreements. This would help me to remember after the meeting what was said so that I could write up a formal development plan for the employee but ensure that all information taken is accurate and that no details are missed. I need to also ensure that I talk slowly and clearly. It was fed back that I talked fairly quickly throughout the meeting, this may have been down to nerves because of the situation, however I need to ensure I remain focused on the task in hand and not what is going on around me to calm my nerves and ensure the employee understands fully the feedback that I am given. Overall I felt the meeting went well. I had good feedback and my body language was portrayed well. I felt I had prepared well and knew what to ask and how to approach the subject of the individual underperforming. I managed to negotiate clear targets for the individual of which we agreed by both parties and motivate the employee by also focusing on past high points as opposed to just focusing on the fact they have not met their targets. How this activity can help you at work I will take the knowledge which I have gained through completing this section into my workplace. I will be able to influence my capabilities through conducting meetings and speaking with employees on a daily basis.

Can Migration Flows Be Considered A Security Issue Politics Essay

Can Migration Flows Be Considered A Security Issue Politics Essay For quite some time now, issues of migration flows and security have become concern for many leading ministers, politicians, the media and the electorate of the host countries. They have dominated politics and social sciences literature and surprisingly became a major contemporary theme in the main field of International Relations and its subcategories of international and domestic politics, international security studies, and human security. In many Western states, an abundance of anti-immigration campaigns appeared. For example, we see right-wing political parties who oppose migration on the ground that it poses a direct threat to their identity and security; therefore they demand tougher policies and restrictions on migration flows. This essay begins by discussing the historical background of migration with references to some of European countries. Then, it will explore the symptoms of migration, refugees and asylum seekers in the framework of the possibility that it may pose a di rect threat to security in Europe. After establishing the different links between migration and security, the essay will focus on the development of treaties, policies and measures undertaken by the European countries in order to tighten up their security borders against unwanted immigrants, combat illegal and irregular migration, human trafficking and smuggling. Finally, the essay will provide a personal view, arguing that migration flows can be considered a security issue. Migrations by people in large groups or individuals across vast distances are by no means a recent phenomenon. The term migration can be defined as the movement of people from one place to another. (Migration and European Culture). Two types of human migration are very common: first, internal migration, and second, international migration. A good example of internal migration is the movement from England to Scotland. A good example of international migration is the movement from Congo or Rwanda to America, Australia or Europe. The causes for migration can be divided into two main categories, the push and pull factors. Push factors such as, civil war, poverty, climate changes and political or religious oppression. Pull factors are for example, a chance of a better standard of living in general as well as political and religious freedom (Migration and European Culture). Historically, between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries migration to North America from all parts of Europe and by Protestant and Catholic alike emigrated to North America, New Zealand, Australia, South America, and southern Africa (Wolffe, 2004, p. 98). Undoubtedly, religious, cultural and political conflicts were inevitable between the new comers and the indigenous people in the New World. Buzan contends that a threat to population can arise from human migrations especially when the incoming population is of a different cultural or ethnic stock from that already resident (Buzan, 1991, p. 93). Notwithstanding, migration has dominated the security agenda in the recent years mostly due to the unprecedented scale of the phenomenon that about 20.5 million foreigners living in Western Europe at the beginning of the twenty-first century (Kicinger, 2004, p. 1). But what is migration? What is security? What are the main aspects of the migration-security link? These contested question s have no easy answers. According to Huysmans and Squire scholars have opened up a range of other challenging questions that are important to the analysis of the migration/security nexus (Huysmans and Squire, 2009, p. 11) questions such as should migration be named a security threat? At which level it should be met national or at international level such as the EU? Is migration already a threat or only a challenge to security? (Kicinger, 2004, p. 3). Migration in Europe appeared in the years between the two World Wars. After the First World War, the refugee problem emerged in Europe as a result of the turmoil created by the break-up of the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empire, which led to the displacement of more than 20 million people (Turton, 2002, p. 28). After the Second World War, Europe was in crisis regarding shortage of laborers and desperately needed extra hands in the form of temporary immigrants laborers to rebuild Europes devastated cities. Hansen argues that i n Europe, during the 1950s and 1960s, France, Switzerland, and Germany facilitated, through guest worker programmes, wanted temporary migration (Hansen, 2000, p. 4). Since the 1970s, many of the temporary migrant workers did not go home. However, they encouraged their families and invited them to join them in the host countries as family reunification. For the anti-migration campaigners, this family reunification is an exploitation of migration policies and procedures as they argue that migration is considered unnatural, and as something to be feared. The migrant as an outsider is viewed with considerable suspicion as to his/her intentions that are thought to be dubious (Gupta, 2005, p. 115). Furthermore, these same groups exacerbate the problem of xenophobia especially towards ethnic minorities who have already settled in the host countries as genuine refugees and / or asylum-seekers. Scholars such as Ireland believe that migration in Europe is a complex process but Europeans today live in societies that have become truly multicultural (Ireland, 2000, p. 234). The issue of multiculturalism in Europe caused controversy in the realm of politics, s ocial sciences and security studies. Boswell suggests that while a multicultural approach implies tolerance of cultural and religious diversity, robust anti-discrimination legislation, however this approach came under criticism for failing to deal adequately with the challenges of integration (Boswell, 2005 p.10). For some, like the anti-migration campaigns and right-wing political parties, the phenomenon of multiculturalism started with mass migration of people who came from different backgrounds, cultures, religions and identities. One can argue that these, and other, factors may have caused direct threats to the security of the host countries and jeopardized European values, such as national heritage, cultural identity and social cohesion (Vaughan-Williams and Peoples, 2010, p. 136). The European governments feared that the mass migration may threaten social stability in Europe. In addition, mass migration created xenophobia which hampers both assimilation and integration. Furthermore, it may play an important role in demographic security and implies that migration exacerbates the problem of population increase in Europe. Regarding internal security, governments fear that migrants would get involved in dealing with drugs, crimes, trafficking and smuggling in human beings activities, making use of all channels available both legally and illegally. Guild states that the image of the foreigners as a security threat because of his or her propensity to commit criminal offences is often seen in the press in many EU countries (Guild, 2009, p. 115). Cultural identity is another factor raised with respect to the issue of security. The issue of hijab (headscarf), Burka, and veil, for example, angered the hard core right-wing parties especially in France and other European countries (Holland, Germany, Austria and Belgium ) which eventually led to social and political clashes with Muslim communities Throughout the 1980s, migration control especially on refugees and asylum seekers did become a hot topic in both political arenas and domestic public debates in European countries. Weiner sums it up, saying, migration and refugee issues are now matters of high international politics, heads of states, cabinets, and key ministries involved in defence, internal security, and external relations (Weiner, 1992 1993, p. 91). The result of political debate was that opinions polarized and refugees often made the headlines articulating theatrical language and were negatively portrayed for racial policies (Huysmans, 2005, p. 11). It is worth mentioning that the breakup of the former Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin wall in 1990, provided fresh impetus for migration from Eastern Europe which became an easy gateway to the West, both for people from the former communist countries themselves and asylum-seekers transiting from further afield (Telà ¶ken, 1999). As the pressure mounted on gov ernments to focus on migration control, many Western governments have tightened up their security borders against refugees and asylum seekers. Warner contends that gate keeping has become the primary state function†¦ the state must protect its borders because that is what states do (Warner, 1997, p. 60). Quite often, refugees and asylum seekers are portrayed as a burden and hazardous to the European culture, identity, and pose threats to social, economic and internal security. They are potential threat to collective security and can be located within a security continuum that connects it with issues such as terrorism and international crime, (Guild, 2009, p. 132-133 and Vaughan-Williams and Peoples, 2010, p. 136). Although migration and refugee issues have caused severe headaches for some politicians, ministers and governments, others have used such issues as a political propaganda to win electorate votes. For example, in August 2001, the Australian Prime Minister John Howard transferred many refugees, mainly Afghans who were rescued in the sea by a Norwegian freighter, to detention centres in a Pacific island (Nauru and Manus) rather than to Woomera (detention centre for refugees and asylum-seekers) in Australia. This move consolidated the Prime Minister and his coalition back into power for the third successive time†¦ issue of refugees played an important role in securing this electoral victory and made refugee policy†¦ a highly visible political issue (Huysmans, 2005, p. 36-37). In the same vein, Weiner contends that the very form and intensity of response to unwanted migrations is itself an indication that such population flows are regarded as threats to security or stability (Weiner, 1992 1993, p. 125). In the same direction, in an article by Annika Savill in The Independent, which was published on Wednesday 16 September 1992, Douglas Hurd, the Foreign Secretary at the time, produced outstanding examples of migration as a security issue: Mr Hurd said that many of his European counterparts considered that migration among all the other problems we face is the most crucial. Like the US of the 19th century, Europe is a magnet for people seeking greater opportunities, from the east and south . . . We have already seen, most obviously in Germany but also elsewhere in the Community, the tensions and antipathies which can result from the inflow,. But he warned that unlike 19th-century America, ours is not an empty continent (Savill, 1992). What is security? Security is an ambiguous and a contested concept which most of the literature that attempted analysis or prescription was, and to some extent still is, based on the concepts of power and peace (Buzan, 1991, p. 2). Many readers associate the word security with topics such as, military threats, war, international relations, diplomacy and strategic studies. Arguably, this general understanding of the concept has monopolized security and military studies throughout the Cold War era. Guild contends that security cannot be reduced to one element, but it can only be understood in relation to power either more power provides more security or security is based on relationship among actors and thus not a commodity at all (Guild, 2009, p. 6). But for Buzan and some international relations scholars this concept is too narrow and vague, therefore they demanded to develop and stretch the concept of security beyond such well known traditional topics. In the aftermath of the Cold War, some prominent scholars of the Copenhagen School, including Buzan, Waever and others, argued that the concept of security could be expanded†¦From 1980s onward a more general sectoral widening of security included societal, economic, environmental, health, development and gender (Buzan and Hansen, 2009, p. 13). With time and space, the available literature on migration and security has increased considerably. However, the term security has evolved and undergone significant changes to include more political, economic and social dimensions such as, environmental degradation, pandemic diseases (HIV/AIDS), transnational organized crime and international migration. Cottey suggests that security therefore is not something that can be objectively defined or of which there is likely to be an agreed definition (Cottey, 2007, p. 7). Scholars such as Mayron Weiner was the first to address the relationship between immigration and security issues, other scholars indirectly captured this linkage in their work on immigration and refugees in the US policy (Lahav, 2003, p. 90). In order to combat illegal migration in Europe and deal with unwanted mixed flows of refugees, asylum seekers and others who were using illegal routes to beguile the migration system and restrictions, various and tougher measures of migration security were introduced by the European governments to prevent the abuse of the system. Taylor claims that the measures are contained in the Hague Programme, a five-year plan for the field of freedom, justice and security (Taylor, 2005). Some of these measures, for example, aimed at preventing asylum seekers from arriving at the states border in the first place, send asylum seekers back to countries through which they had passed, encourage member states of the EU to apply the refugee definition more narrowly and apply deterrence, such as the increasing use of detention, and restrictions on the right to work and access to social welfare (Turton, 2002, p. 42). Politically speaking, these measures on migration, refugees and asylum seekers played a n important role in bringing member states of the European Union even closer to the union than before. The member states of the European Union went further regarding restrictions and policies on migration, refugees and asylum seekers. Metaphorically speaking, they wanted to build one strong Fortress in Europe with a solid iron-gate as a security protection against immigrants and mixed flows of refugees. Taylor contends that at the end of 2004, the European Union (EU) agreed further measures strengthening Fortress Europe. Ministers from the 25 EU member states established the basis for a common asylum system†¦ and the wider sharing of information by national police forces and security services (Taylor, 2005). Fortress Europe, in the form of treaties, conventions and steps, which have been taken by the member states of the European Union to accord their policies on immigration, is overwhelmingly tough and very restrictive. Some of the measures, which are summarized here: the 1990 Dublin Convention: its aim was to ensure that one member state would take responsibility for examining a claim, thus preventing asylum-seekers from shopping around for the most favorable country in which to ask for asylum, the 1990 Schengen Convention: its aim was to reinforce external border controls whilst allowing free movement within participating states, the 1991 Maastricht Treaty: this empowered Justice and Home Affairs Ministers to establish a framework for a European-wide asylum policy and introduced the concept of EU citizenship, the 1992 London Resolutions: ministers in London responsible for immigration approved three non-binding resolutions and conclusions and the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam: this include s a commitment by member states to develop a common immigration and asylum policy within five years, but the treaty came into effect in 1999. (Turton, 2002, p. 42-23). Since the 9/11 attacks on the American soil, the London bombings in July 2005 and other bombings across Europe, the issue of security became once again a hot subject for debate among politicians and topped social, economic and political agendas particularly those of Western governments. Given that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by terrorists from Al Qaida and not by the refugees or asylum seekers, the European governments once again raised the issue of security in relation to migration. The European countries have maintained excessive securitisation actions within migration policy frameworks as politicians and media portrayed migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, especially from Asia and Middle East, as potential terrorists abusing immigration policies and procedures. Vaughan-Williams and Peoples argue that moves towards the securitization of migration were already well underway prior to the events of 9/11†¦ In the aftermath of 9/11 and bombings in Madrid and London, has bee n the particular focus on Muslim communities (Vaughan-Williams and Peoples, 2010, P. 137). These actions and efforts by European countries to strengthen their external borders and tighten up their immigration policies caused immense controversy in the realm of politics. On one hand, anti-migration elites have argued that these common policies and rigorous law measures are mainly against bogus asylum-seekers, refugees and illegal immigrants. On the other hand, migration supporter elites and some of the NGOs argue that these measures have caused thousands of deaths of refugees and asylum-seekers and as well marginalized, criminalized and sidelined many genuine of them (Hogan, 2002). In conclusion, migration flows opened new debates in the domain of domestic and international security and foreign relations. Over the past decades, the concept of security has significantly changed to include several other categories in the realm of politics and social sciences. This essay briefly discussed the historical background of migration and concentrated on refugees and asylum seekers as the main themes for societal and security analysis. From the essay point of views, the philosophy of multiculturalism played an important role in security, xenophobia has created racial tensions which sometimes led to violence between the host population and the immigrant communities and definitely illegal migration poses threats to the social stability and internal security of host countries in Europe. In addition, the essay agrees that the European countries have the right not only to secure their borders against illegal migration, but also to have the right to defend and protect the value s they espouse such as social stability and cultural identity. The territorial integrity, economic and political independence of the European countries need to be protected from the danger of migration exploitation. Securitization of migration is not new, but the 9/11 attacks have stirred up the process of securitization and the building up of the so-called Europe Fortress to keep unwanted immigrants out of Europe. The European countries remain the favourite destination for both legal and illegal immigrants regardless of how tight border controls are. Immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers who fear persecution at home or are intent on escaping war and poverty will keep the hopes of reaching European countries alive. Such hopes could be pipe dreams.