Monday, September 30, 2019

Book pseudo-philosophical

The book of job is indeed a difficult book (particularly because it is structured like a poem, which i think made it all the more boring. ) But going beyond that, it has some interesting pseudo-philosophical discussions going on. Job is a brave man, given the circumstances and the general assumptions about the nature of the universe at the time (a universe where god occasionally makes his presence known through a whirlwind or some such device).Job is good and brave, but I think there is an inherent assumptions in his arguments that make them fail (in my book): the assumption of the validity of the rationale behind the rules under which God seems to operate. Since Sin is also, ultimately, God's invention, I think an appropriate response to such a condition as Job's would have been â€Å"Why are You playing around with us? † When Job finally acknowledges God's justice, Job gets his good life back! (Someone was just being childish and just wanted some appreciation, after all. )I don't believe that there is a direct correlation between good actions and†¦ divinely bestowed awards. A bit of work and a bit of luck are what it takes to get a good life. As for Genesis chapters 1-11, I cannot take these as an authentic record of historical events. While reading, I kept getting a feeling, in the back of my mind, that there is something inherently wrong in the rationale and explanations of the behaviors of the characters (God included). The story presented in Genesis has the makings of a myth, and is in the same level as that of other creationist stories of other beliefs.As Darwin says, the concept of God is quite beyond the scope of my abilities. Genesis 1-11 is an â€Å"explanation† of the origins of the world, which I believe must be a lot more complex than the chapters relate (at least on the surface). It also â€Å"explains† the origins good and evil in modern mankind. Boring also. Primarily because the story has been recounted countless time s, and, understandably, the sentences are structured as dissimilarly as possible from everyday speech, while still retaining grammatical correctness. But it is still nice to understand ancient (and modern) cultural and religious mentality.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Cassius Domino Effect

Cassius’ Domino Effect The divine lightning that rules our lives has always made us both the protagonist and the victim. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Julius Caesar, he focuses on the actions and results in the play that occur in a domino effect, with characters that set forth events that lead to great suffering. In Julius Caesar, Cassius is the tragic figure who contributes to the vision of the conspirators as a whole, but through the â€Å"divine lighting,† matters could not be helped.Cassius’s personality leads to his, and many others, fatal downfall. Cassius’s is seen as the leader of the conspirators, the manipulative master behind the cruel plan. He, with many others, disdain Caesar for his arrogance, yet Cassius encompasses the same exact trait. His arrogance is shown in Act I, when he and Brutus are talking, and Cassius notices the unease in Brutus’ eyes when they believe Caesar is crowned. He says, â€Å"I was born as free as Ca esar,† (1. 2, 104).In this speech Cassius is trying to convey the idea that Brutus is as good as Caesar so that Brutus will be more inclined to join the conspiracy, but Cassius uses the first comparison of Caesar to explain that Caesar is no better than he. His cunning, manipulative nature bleeds through in his very first speech, his arrogance is clearly shown and his motives laid down. Cassius’ jealousy leads to his revulsion of Caesar. Only Caesar’s death being the answer to Cassius’ insecurities. The cunning manipulation Cassius practices affects everybody in the play.Cassius manipulation so purely spoken by Brutus when he proclaims, â€Å"What dangers would you lead me, Cassius/That you would have me seek into myself/ For that which is not in me? †(1. 2, 69-71). Brutus’ jealousy of Caesar had not yet progressed to the level of malevolence, but as Brutus said Cassius spurns him on selfishly to mold him into what benefits him the most. Brut us is troubled at first, unsure what to do, and his odd behavior aggravates Portia, causing her to grieve because of the knowledge she does not know.Once the conspiracy is revealed to her she becomes edgy, and the arrival of Octavius sends her into a fit of stress which ends with her swallowing â€Å"fire. † Caesar’s death is the main source of suffering, but Caesars anguish is not because of his death. His suffering is revealed in the moments before he dies, he utters the most memorable line in history, he cries, â€Å"Et tu Brute? † (3. 1, 85). This is the cause of Caesar’s complete death, the death of not just his body but of his trust.Caesar could handle the betrayal of the other senators, because that is politics, but the betrayal of someone he viewed as a friend, someone he loved, destroyed him. Antony’s speech, causing the most wide spread wave of despair, leads the Romans to exclaim, â€Å"O noble Caesar! / O woeful day! . . . We will be r evenged,† (3. 2, 211-214). Their anger then leads to the suffering of many, even the innocent, as is exampled with the Poet Cinna’s death. The pristine control Cassius prides himself with, slips and turns Cassius into anything but the victor in this war of superiority.After Caesar’s death Brutus becomes the leading face of the conspirators, leaving Cassius without even the pride of that small feat. Brutus becomes the leading face of the conspirators so now Cassius cannot even pride himself with that. When Cassius and Brutus fight, thinking the other has deceived them, Cassius falters, â€Å"Cassius is aweary of the world—/ Hated by the ones he loves, braved by his brother/ . . . / Strike as thou didst at Caesar, for I know/ When thou didst hate him worst, thou I lovedst him better/ Than ever thou lovedst Cassius,† (4. , 106-119). Cassius jealousy still remains, despite Caesar’s death. The feeling of unworthiness still runs deep, he feels like he still can’t compare to Caesar and it is tearing him apart. In the end though, through another misunderstanding, Cassius believes that the battle has been lost and his close friend, Titinius has been captured, he exclaims, â€Å"O coward that I am to live so long/ To see my best friend ta’en before my face! † (5. 3, 36-37). Ironically as Caesar has lost his best friend so has Cassius, which leads to his conflicted death.In the end Cassius is the conductor of his own suffering. It was Frye who wisely proclaimed that the tragic heroes seem the inevitable conductors of power, yet they become the both the instrument and victim of the â€Å"divine lighting. † Cassius is seen as the leader of the conspirators leading him to contribute to the vision of the conspirators as a whole, but through his choices he causes the suffering of many including himself. Revenge is bittersweet.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Bargaining Power Of Buyers Marketing Essay

Bargaining Power Of Buyers Marketing Essay For all kind of strategic decision making it is essential to consider number of internal and external factors so that a company can completely understand its position in strategic group it lies and which could assist the brand to device strategies which could lead the company towards the achievement of it strategic objectives in the light of it’s vision and mission statement, following is the graphical representation of the Porter’s five forces model and detailed explanation of ikea’s and h http://software–porter-five-forces.smartcode.com/images/sshots/software__porter_five_forces_18378.gif BARGAINING POWER OF BUYERS: IKEA: IKEA being a giant organisation and genuinely very cost effective which ultimately reflects on its pricing strategy, that leaves the buyer with a very low or nil bargaining power Ikeas standardised approach has always made IKEA out list the competitors which leaves the consumer very little choice to consider an alternative for the prod ucts and services being offered at IKEA. H Although the production is subcontracted to different countries but IKEA has got a complete grip on its operation overseas and has a robust control and management system to stay in bargaining position with its suppliers, due to bid system adopted by IKEA the suppliers all over the world finding themselves lucky to relate to the brand always try their level best to win the bid to get a chance to produce for the market leader in furniture industry which leave the suppliers almost with no power to bargain at any occasion H 70% of the suppliers are from Asia e.g. India etc who are finding themselves in a very good scale of performance on their own records as due to H&M growing strategy to expand has resulted in more merchandise to be prepared all the time with the growing tendency of 15-20% every year, therefore suppliers in this time of utmost recession are lucky to be associated to a brand which in this era of downsizing have expansion plans which would fetch more opportunities that could be availed by thousands of more suppliers bring them don to stage where none of the suppliers have any bargaining power

Friday, September 27, 2019

Can the effect of engineering on poverty be measured Essay

Can the effect of engineering on poverty be measured - Essay Example It is projected that 20.5% of the globe’s population is living below the poverty line as these groups’ income is less than $1 dollar per day. Among the most favourable types of achieving revenue for all in the supply chain in the manufacturing of products that enhance the earning capacity of those people who are living in acute poverty, products like coconut oil presses, water drip irrigation and treadle pumps have ushered millions of dollars in revenue for poverty tormented nations and assisted over 12 million poor people to free themselves from the poverty. The aim of this research paper is to illustrate poverty eradication for those ensnarled in poverty with the capability to come over from it permanently and for this, sustainable development is required. However, sustainability is an intricate feature that encompasses social, economic, technological, political and environmental factors. In the 1970s, the engineering community started to ceremoniously address the mounting problem of poverty. Market-oriented development buttressed the issue of poverty eradication by " just not only planning and designing technologies ‘suitable ‘ to the downtrodden but also planning and designing technologies for the people in poor locality, which can themselves consider it proper and employ the same to promote their own interests. An understanding of the dynamics of the local culture is needed to develop products that can usher more income (Lewis et al 2010:252). This research essay will mainly focus on how the impact of engineering on poverty can be evaluated by focusing the impact of engineering on the dimension of poverty. This research essay will also discuss how can features of engineering will assist in relieving poverty across the globe. Further, it will discuss how engineering through infrastructure projects help the different communities which are in crises, and how they return to normal

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Variability of Blood Glucose Concentration and Short-term Mortality in Article

Variability of Blood Glucose Concentration and Short-term Mortality in Critically Ill Patients - Article Example 244). They conclude their introduction with the hypothesis that the SD of blood glucose concentration, when studied in a group of critically ill patients, will be a reliable and independent predictor of mortality. In describing their materials and methods, the researchers note that they are using a multi-center, retrospective observational study; the data collection for which was part of a pre-existing quality assurance activity approved by local institutional ethics committees. The research was focused upon four hospitals and controls established to include population data from all patients admitted to the intensive care units from January 2000 to October 2004. The timeframes were constructed specifically to ensure the collection of complete blood glucose data and patient characteristics. The authors proceed to note very specific controls regarding data integrity and collection methods. It should be noted that only two of the hospitals in the study collected prospective information to allow the researchers to identify diabetic patients; an important determiner in blood glucose management in general and critically-ill patient mortality specifically.

Us history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Us history - Essay Example Slaves were also viewed as non civilized but strong people who were suitable for wars and hard work. These prejudices infected the south-non slaveholders and slaveholders in various ways. Slavery united the slaveholders and non-slaveholders prior to the civil war. Many whites in the south did not own any slaves, so they did not have interest in raising the institution of slavery. The aim of the non-slaveholders was to defend the slave property taken by the slaveholders. Non-slaveholders knew that if they manage to secure the slaves, they would finally be slaveholders, and get helpers in their homes and fields. After emancipation of the slaves, the slaveholders would emigrate because they had resources, and avoid being degraded. Non-slaveholders did not have the resources to escape, so after emancipation they would be terribly degraded. Non-slaveholders and slaveholders were brought together because they had almost the same interest in the slaves. Non-slaveholders supported the peculiar institution knowing that it would degrade them for several reasons. The southerners risked their lives by leaving the United States to form their own state because they believed that all people are not equal, especially the blacks and the whites.. This was because by the late 1850s the southerners felt isolated hence reacted by being defensive of slavery. The non-slaveholders acted according to the advices they received from various leaders. Their church leaders argued that the slavery was sanctioned by the Holy Bible. They were told that if Lincoln became president, everyone would be equal and abolition preachers would consummate the marriage of their daughters to black husbands. Non-slaveholders were also told by their politicians that ending slavery would make them subjects to the civil and political degradation, and social equality with the Negro race. The American antislavery attitudes began in the late 1830s. America

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Western History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Western History - Essay Example In this switch, there was a great deal of social upheaval as people living in these changing times began to question the status quo. Social class structures were beginning to break down as common men were able to make fortunes in industry and landowners found it more and more difficult to keep the idyllic life they’d constructed alive. Women gained greater freedoms as more job opportunities came their way. Although these weren’t the equal rights position of today, women were at least given an option when it was necessary for her to earn a living wage. The great migration from the country to the city was an expression of a people ready for a chance to better their futures, an expression of hope for a greater tomorrow for their children. This period is also characterized by widespread colonization in numerous directions. Englishmen were still relocating to America seeking their fortunes, but also had the option of retaining their English citizenship by going into Africa, India or even Australia. For many, it proved to be just so, for many others, it proved to be their destruction, for men and women. The biggest benefits the Industrial Revolution introduced to society were also the biggest setbacks. Stories existing out of the middle ages are full of epic battles, travels through sparsely populated country, images of vast forests and romantic tales of knights and ladies. This is contrasted sharply against the images of Victorian Industrialization with its smokestacks, grimy streets and poisonous air. Machines began taking on more importance than people as the massive in-pouring of country citizens all seeking their fortunes provided ample replacements for those who could not keep up. Societal norms were breaking down as accountability began declining. This was because younger sons and daughters, as well as those with more disreputable reputations, found a means of escaping their sometimes

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Managing asmall business Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing asmall business - Dissertation Example While this study will focus on all important aspects of managing a halal business, management techniques and business practices related to the successful operation of a local, small halal foods store will be the primary interest of this study. The focus of this research will be one such local Halal food shop serving both Muslims and general halal food purchasers, Marhaba. 2.3 What will the general topic area be, and can you give us a general overview of the developments to date in this area? What is already known about the area/industry/issue? The academic focus of this dissertation will be management. Specifically, this dissertation will analyse the management techniques and business stratigies employed by Marhaba, a local halal foods shop, to appeal to their unique customer base: Muslims seeking to purchase halal food. The specific industry being studied will be the local halal foods industry, and the specific organization to be considered will be Marhaba shop. Before a basic liter ature review can be conducted, halal food needs to be defined. The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council describes halal food in specific terms by saying, â€Å"Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. The opposite of halal is haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. Halal and haram are universal terms that apply to all facets of life,† (IFANCA). The IFANCA goes on to describe some common haram foods, such as pork, alcohol, and birds of prey. The idea of halal comes from the Al-Baqara of the Quran, which says, †O, ye men! Eat of what is in the earth lawful and wholesome and follow not the footsteps of Satan; for verily he is an open enemy to you,† (Quran). According to a recent report conducted by the government of Canada, the 1.6 billion Muslims currently alive are the engine behind a growing $580 billion halal food market. This report gives an encouraging take on the market saying, â€Å"There is strong commercial potential for halal certified produc ts, with consumers looking for safe, genuinely certified and diversified halal products,† (Canada 2008, 4). This promising market data shows that the market is growing, and remains already large. While a local halal grocer will only take in a miniscule fraction of this \market, a growing market is encouraging for any business, no matter the size. One of the biggest concerns for any management is whether or not the current customer base will be there in the future. Bubbles pop, booms die, and fads fade, yet a true niche market will serve a business for years. (please write source These sentences were not drawn from a source, this is using common knowledge which is acceptable according to MLA standards. If you were citing specific bubbles or niche markets you would need to cite this, but in this context, these sentences are just a general introduction to the main point.)The question facing halal food shops across the UK is will the European Muslim population remain as large as i t has been in the future, or will this population dwindle in size? According to a 2011 article by Steve Doughtry for the Daily Mail, the answer to this question is no. According to Doughtry, the UK will have 5.5 million Muslims within 20 years, forecasting England to have more Muslims than Kuwait in the year 2030. While these statistics certainly draw up an immigration conversation, in terms of the halal foods industry, they couldn’

Monday, September 23, 2019

Rising health care costs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rising health care costs - Essay Example The author asserts that the Australian government keystone weakness is to deliberately favor the rich leaving the poor out of the best Medicare services equation. This is contrasted by the contemporaneous condition in the United States affirming that the Medicare private medical insurance, the predominant vehicle for funding healthcare, has disadvantaged poor people. It's profoundly clear that the long-term fiscal balance will ultimately rely on the future rate of growth of health care costs. As per the given Medicare and Medicaid costs threshold statistics, if the rates remain in the same continuum as the past few decades, overall federal costs incurred on those two programs will elevate from 5% to the stated 20% by 2050. I strongly concur that the policymakers focus to simply compound this menace is the core impeding factor in controlling overall federal incurrence over the long run void of tabling an addressing the driving forces behind the elevated private and public health care costs. I strongly concur to different authors assertions that distribution of the health care costs throughout the economy does not necessarily solve the issue at hand, and that cost reduction strategy can be achieved void of compromising quality.Also, the assertion of getting rid of financial incentives and ensuring that patients health care expenses are covered by their insurance providers is a key way to reduce overall health care costs. The overall insight to combine all possible cost saving options available is not only viable but also practical.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

James Blunt Essay Example for Free

James Blunt Essay English singer and song writer James Blunt made it to the pop charts in 2005 following the release of his album Back to Bedlam, which included the song â€Å"You’re Beautiful†. Multi talented Blunt, writes, sings and plays both piano and guitar. With only two released albums, he is relatively new to the music scene yet has been nominated for multiple Grammy, as well as British awards. He has become known for his emotional lyrics and music and his sad, meaningful video. Blunt was born and raised in England. He has followed in the footsteps of his father and served in the British Army following college. He is an active advocate for the group Doctors without Borders, who he became involved with during his time in the Army. Blunt is not from a musical family but began taking music lessons as a child at the insistence of his mother. He began playing violin, piano and guitar at a young age and attended Bristol University majoring in music. James Blunt is a serious and well trained musician. This shows in the crafting of his lyrics and songs. He is not someone who made it to the top of the music charts by accident. Blunt’s song â€Å" You’re Beautiful† received much air play on radio station and drove his first album â€Å"Back to Bedlam† to the top of the charts in both the US and England. To understand the magnitude of Blunts popular success, consider the fact that Blunt was the first English performer to hit the number one spot of the US Billboard Hot 100 songs since Elton John reached that spot with Candle in the wind in 1997. Coincidentally, he has worked and traveled with Elton John during the course of his musical career. In addition to his radio and video success Blunt has had many songs featured on television shows in the US such as Grey’s Anatomy and the O. C in addition to advertising roles with Hilton Hotels and Sprint. Blunt has toured extensively and has become popular worldwide. Blunt’s video releases are recognized for their use symbolism and dark imagery. The image in the video for â€Å"You’re Beautiful† is of Blunt slowly and painfully taking off his clothes and empting his pockets meticulously. He sings hauntingly as he bemoans the fact that he has seen her, but will never be with her. The lyrics tell the story of her being with another man, and of the singer being high. The songs hints at he fact that he is unhappy with the situation and sees no hope. He talks about having a plan in response to this situation. He ends the video by jumping off a cliff into the water in what appears to be suicide. The second album Blunt completed was titled â€Å"All the Lost Souls† and was released in 2007. The album quickly hit old with great success in the US and the UK. Blunt had by this time built a reputation as a talented singer and songwriter. He had developed a following of fans who loved the emotional feelings to his music. Another example of the hopeless and emotional feel to Blunt’s work can be seen and heard in â€Å"Goodbye My Lover†. â€Å"Goodbye My Lover is an emotional display both visually and musically. The image of two lovers parting and the memory of their time together are shown throughout the video. The song is a sad tribute to what was and an acknowledgement to the end of the relationship. The pain he obviously feels as he lays on the bed alone is powerful. The word he uses in the lyrics are so emotionally delicate as he describes sensation and experiences such as holding hands and kissing so beautifully. Again, this song and video show no hope for the situation. There is simply and acknowledgment and cathartic expression of everything inside of the writer and singer. It seems like acceptance. One wonders if Blunt simply has the ability to get the emotion out, turn it into something creative and then move on. It may be the listeners who have trouble letting go to similar emotions and so get stuck in the hopelessness of the lyrics and visuals. However, Blunt’s success indicates that the public get him. The public feels and understand and enjoys the experience of Blunts’s music. Blunts work has been used in a variety of commercial venues, including television shows, commercials and movies. Hi song â€Å"You’re Beautiful†, was used in he Disney movie â€Å"The little Mermaid. Perhaps the meaning is different when jumping off a cliff into the water does not mean suicide. In the case of a mermaid it simply means going home. The song has also been used in the television shows ER and Smallville, demonstrating its wide appeal and interpretation. Goodbye My Lover has also been used commercially. Blunt reportedly wrote the song for ex girlfriend Camilla Boller after he cheated on her and they split up. That pain and remorse comes through in the video. Other works of Blunt have been used in the television shows; CSI, Criminal Minds and Without a Trace. Blunt obviously has no issue with using his music for commercial purposes as he has sold to television, movies and advertising. Wile the commercial use of music has become much more popular, there are still many artists that do not allow their music to be used for this purpose. Blount is criticized by some for being overly depressing as there is such an emotional longing and hopelessness in his work. His lyrics talk about lost love, war, addiction and sorrow. The songs are sad and emotional. Yet he tackles these subject with sensitivity and honestly. He is a poet first. The music he pairs with the lyrics is similarly gently and delicate and moving, and haunting. Blunt has been quoted as saying that he writes for himself, to express feeling. He indicates that he has no choice but to write and create and express. Blunt appears to be a true artist and creative soul who creates because he can’t help but express.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Economic Evaluation in the National Health Service (NHS)

Economic Evaluation in the National Health Service (NHS) The National Health Service is built on the Benthams concept of utilitarianism of maximising utility for greatest number (Lockwood,1988), enabling risk sharing across the entire population by confronting moral hazard and adverse selection. This can be linked to the microeconomic theory of supply and demand (Frank, 1994). Supply and demand underlies the allocation of limited resources or commodities used to achieve maximum health output. In this situation, demand refers to both willingness and ability to pay, and supply is the willingness and ability of potential sellers to produce and sell a particular commodity (Schafermeyer, 2000). Consumers subject to their individual income constraints, maximise their individual utility through their purchasing of particular goods. As such, health in this respect has both aspects of an investment good and a consumption good. The demand for health care services is very different to that of food. Health, unlike other resources, cannot be traded over time. It is a derived demand, in which consumers have a demand for health but cannot directly purchase it (Ringel, 2002). Like a capital good, health is capable of depreciation over time and as such; its demand is a time-dependent variable, which changes with exogenous and endogenous factors. Therefore, one could suggest there is unlimited health care demand that will always exceed limited supply due to the overall burden of ill health being impossible to anticipate due to changing constantly. As such, health care in an important determinant of health but the demand for it is often unpredictable (timing, frequency, intensity, costs) and therefore, expensive. Markets favour consumers with purchasing power. The food industry is a free market, dictated by consumer choice and demand, the emergence of new suppliers and the exit of under performing suppliers. Within the food market, elasticity is driven by the premise of consumer sovereignty, in which consumers have information about every product, therefore can choose an enormous range of options and exactly how much of any given thing we want to purchase. In a free market, no one producer can manipulate the market price of a product. Producers are incentivised to satisfy consumer wants and produce efficiently to gain maximum profit. Economic theory suggests that under certain circumstances a free market promotes the optimal outcome for consumers and providers. As such, equilibrium in price and quantity are eventually met. While markets may be efficient, the allocation of resources by markets may not result in equity Do we have purchasing power as consumers in health care? In simple terms, we can predict when we will be hungry but we cannot predict when we are going to be ill and we know how to treat hunger but not all the eventualities of ill health. It is likely that without a national insurance system like the NHS an oligopolistic market would exist as there would be a few dominant sellers capable of influencing the overall market price of a commodity due to great market power.The universal NHS exists to meet this variable demand and ensure equity by providing a comprehensive, high quality service available on the basis of clinical need and not ability to pay; ensuring individuals arent victims of the market forces that could be derived from a market in which access to services is driven by the law of demand. It exists under a command market with no competition ensuring horizontal equity in distribution. In health care, consumers dont have the necessary information for driving a perfect market . To have perfect information they would need to know their current health status, prospective health status, available treatments and the cost of treatments. We rely upon doctors acting as agents (principal-agent relationship) or gatekeepers to assist in our decision making and to purchase healthcare based on their knowledge. In the Grossman Model based on a human capital approach to health (Grossman 1972; Grossman 2000) demand for health care is derived from the demand for health. In this model, it is recognised that consumers have imperfect information about their health and therefore may be subject to adverse selection problems. For a perfect market to exist within Health Care Services there is a need for prefect competition. For perfect competition to exist, asymmetry of information between consumers and producers should not exist, there should be uniformity in product and producers should be able to freely enter and exit the market. Rational purchasing decisions are often diff icult if not impossible to the non-medical population. Consumers are often unable to make an informed decision regarding whether treatment is required and, if so, which therapies are most effective. Markets in health care are not efficient, mainly because consumers do not have good information. In making resource decisions, allocation efficiency is also important. The concept of allocative efficiency takes account the efficiency with which outcomes are distributed among the community. Question 2 What are the disadvantages and advantages of using quality adjusted life years (QALYs) in economic evaluation? (800 words maximum) Within the National Health Service, according to Morris, Devlin and Parkin (2007), economic evaluation is used for the following reasons: To maximise the benefits from health care spending. To overcome regional variations in access. To contain costs and manage demand. To provide bargaining power with suppliers of health care products. QALYs are a type of health status index, based on population-level information that measure health gain (Spencer, 2003 p.1) to allow for economic evaluation of different health interventions. A single QALY is the arithmetic product of life expectancy, weighted by a measure of the quality (utility) of the remaining life-years to reach a single index value (Prieto and Sacristà ¡n, 2003). The utility value is 0 for dead and values one year of perfect-health life expectancy to be equal to one. These values are derived from scales, namely, the rating scale; time trade-off; or standard gamble. Each is subject to forms of bias. The QALY model offers consistency and limits budgetary waste, allowing for the greatest good to be achieved for the greatest number, so called distributive justice. It also allows for direct comparison of interventions in a common currency regardless of clinical discipline. This is because the cost per QALY does not confer the price of treatment but the price of the outcome that results, may that be in years or quality gained or lost. Phillips and Thompson (2001) summarise this as an expensive treatment may have a low cost per QALY if it brings significant benefit to patients; likewise, a cheaper treatment may have a high cost per QALY if the degree of benefit is relatively low. There are however specific criticisms held as to the generalisability of this model, the lack of consideration for baseline health status and whether QALYs perpetuates the issue of health inequalities (Wagstaff, 2002). The use of QALYs implicitly assumes that there are no other objectives to health care than health maximization. QALYs are considerably crude measurements, leaving vulnerable the question what exactly constituted the quality for which life years are adjusted. The utility measurement instruments each hold inherent bias as they are subjective aggregation of values. Individuals do not place the same value on each year of life. As such, the QALY model is inherently flawed as a health state utility of 0.6 is the same as three extra years of life at a health state utility of 0.2. As such, concerns have been expressed about the appropriateness of using QALYs calculations to inform resource allocation decisions (Dolan et al, 2008) as they are attempting to make subjective conce pts explicit numerically when there really is no consensus, leaving ambiguity in assessing overall improvement or detriment in health. Criticism has been expressed about the discriminatory aspects of the QALY model. The model favours those with more treatable conditions and those with greater potentials for health- be it in terms of functioning or longevity (Nord et al, 2009). Question 3 Outline the main methods to remunerate general practitioners (GPs) in the United Kingdom. (300 words maximum) GPs are self-employed providers, which under the 2004 GMC negotiated contract are paid by mixed payment remuneration, consisting of salary based on weighted capitation, fixed allowances, QOF and fee for service. Individual GP practices are allotted a practice income under the contract, from which expenses and staffing costs are funded. This payment, representing the largest part of their income, is a capitation fee per enrolled patient adjusted for age, gender, morbidity and mortality, with additional fixed allowances for maintaining particular services. GPs working in underserved geographic areas receive additional payments. Distribution to individual GPs within a practice is dependent upon seniority, practice efficiency and maintenance of operational costs through cost containment. GPs can also receive additional payments based on the quality of services provided in designated areas such as child health, maternity, family planning, and chronic diseases as part of a quality enhancin g framework (DH, 2004). The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is a voluntary, evidence-based framework spanning four domains: clinical, organisational, patient experience and additional services (DH, 2003). GPs are challenge to meet a range of evidence-based indicators within these domains from which they can accumulate points based on the breadth and depth of quality. As a result, payments are awarded according to the level of achievement. Practices receive about  £125 per point for an average sized practice with a maximum of 1000 points available to them. QOF is often revised to reflect changing population priorities, clinical advancements and best evidence to remain a pragmatic funding model. Thirdly, practices can enter into so called Enhanced Service agreements, based on the fee for service model. In Enhanced Service agreements, payments are awarded for meeting targeted requirements, such as flu and childhood immunisations and providing other specific services. ii) Compare and contrast 2 of these methods outlining advantages and disadvantages of each. (300 words maximum) Different financial incentives given to GPs might affect their behaviour and treatments plans for individual patients. Fees for service compensation is awarded based on a service being given to an individual patient. Care is clearly linked to payment and each service that is delivered has a specific payment rate. It has been argued that such a system of compensation induces GPs to put quantity, over quality of care in a bid to get increasing numbers of patients through their practice door and allows for unnecessary, potentially more lucrative, treatments to be performed at a financial benefit to the GP. This compares quite dramatically to the capitation system, which remunerates practices based on the population demography, regardless of the health status of the population. This means GPs have better budgeting capabilities, as each payment is fixed regardless of case mix meaning it is an equitable system for all patients. Capitation removes the need for GPs to see a high volume of patients within an allotted time frame but places incentives upon general practioners to enrol large numbers within their practice. As such, Capitation comes with the added risk of the potential to have a difficult case-mix due to increased numbers and allows for cream skimming to take place in which GPs exercise the potential to choose patients that are easier to care for, leading to health inequalities in certain demographics, i.e. the elderly. Outline the equity implication of patient co-payments for primary care services. (300 words maximum) Concern with equity implies the availability of some goods, including health care, should not be based, or based solely, on willingness to pay. Indeed, equity is an ethical concept built on the principle of distributive justice. In health, it is considered to be the absence of systematic disparities in health between groups with different levels of underlying social advantage/ disadvantage (Braveman, 2003, p1). Co-payments are flat fees or means tested payments, based on the willingness to pay model that a patient pays for a named health care service, such as a GP visit, dental treatment or prescription. Basing health care treatments on being able to pay is contentious. Co-payments have the potential to widen the equality gap by discouraging or restricting people from seeking important treatments or forcing individuals from lower socio-economic groups into making decisions about their health care based on price not their need. Equity assumes equal utilisation (use) for equal need. References Braveman P Gruskin S. (2003) Deà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ning equity in health. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 57 pp. 254-58 Department of Health (2003) Investing in General Practice; The New General Medical Services Contract, Department of Health, London Department of Health (2004) Updated version of the QOF guidance and evidence base, Department of Health: London; 2004. Dolan, P (2008). Developing methods that really do value the Q in the QALY. Health Economics, Policy Law;3 pp.69-77. Dolan P. Kahneman D. (2008). Interpretations of utility and their implications for the valuation of health. Economic Journal; 118 pp. 215-234 Frank, R (1994): Microeconomics and Behavior. New York: W.W. Norton Company Goddard M. Smith p (2003) Equity of access to health care services: Theory and evidence from the UK, Social Science Medicine 53 (9) pp. 1149-1162 Grossman, Michael (1972a), The Demand for Health-A theoretical and Empirical Investigation. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research. Grossman, M. (1972b), On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health, The Journal of Political Economy, 80 (2) pp. 223-255. Grossman, Michael. (2000), The Human Capital Model, in Handbook of Health Economics, 1, pp. 347-408 Lockwood, M. (1988). Quality of Life and Resource Allocation. Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement, 23, pp 33-55 Morris S, Devlin N, Parkin D.  (2007) Economic analysis in health care. John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Pinto-Prades, JL. Loomes, G. Brey, R. (2009)Trying to estimate a monetary value for the QALY ,Journal of Health Economics, 28 (3) pp. 553-562 Phillips, C. Thompson, G. (2001) What is a QALY? [online] at: http://www.evidence-based-medicine.co.uk/ebmfiles/WhatisaQALY.pdf Prieto, L Sacristà ¡n, J.A. (2003) Problems and solutions in calculating quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) Health Quality Life Outcomes; 1 pp. 80 Ringel, J ( 2002) The elasticity of demand for health care: a review of the literature and its application to the military health system, United States. Department of Defense, National Defense Research Institute (U.S.) Schafermeyer KW (2000) Health Economics I: Basic Economic Principles, Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy 43-50 Spencer, A. (2003) A test of the QALY model when health varies over time, Social Science Medicine; 57, (9) pp. 1697-1706 Wagstaff, A (2002) Inequality aversion, health inequalities and health achievement,  Journal of Health Economics, 21(4) 627-641

Friday, September 20, 2019

Leonhard Euler :: essays research papers

Leonhard Euler   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leonhard Euler, (born April 15, 1707, died Sept. 18, 1783), was the most prolific mathematician in history. His 866 books and articles represent about one third of the entire body of research on mathematics, theoretical physics, and engineering mechanics published between 1726 and 1800. In pure mathematics, he integrated Leibniz's differential calculus and Newton's method of fluxions into mathematical analysis; refined the notion of a function; made common many mathematical notations, including e, i, the pi symbol, and the sigma symbol; and laid the foundation for the theory of special functions, introducing the beta and gamma transcendal functions. He also worked on the origins of the calculus of variations, but withheld his work in deference to J. L. Lagrange. He was a pioneer in the field of topology and made number theory into a science, stating the prime number theorem and the law of biquadratic reciprocity. In physics he articulated Newtonian dynamics and laid the foundation of analytical mechanics, especially in his Theory of the Motions of Rigid Bodies (1765). Like his teacher Johann Bernoulli, he elaborated continuum mechanics, but he also set forth the kinetic theory of gases with the molecular model. With Alexis Clairaut he studied lunar theory. He also did fundamental research on elasticity, acoustics, the wave theory of light, and the hydromechanics of ships.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Euler was born in Basel, Switzerland. His father, a pastor, wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and sent him to the University of Basel to prepare for the ministry, but geometry soon became his favorite subject. Through the intercession of Bernoulli, Euler obtained his father's consent to change his major to mathematics. After failing to obtain a physics position at Basel in 1726, he joined the St. Petersburg Academy of Science in 1727. When funds were withheld from the academy, he served as a medical lieutenant in the Russian navy from 1727 to 1730. In St. Petersburg he boarded at the home of Bernoulli's son Daniel. He became professor of physics at the academy in 1730 and professor of mathematics in 1733, when he married and left Bernoulli's house. His reputation grew after the publication of many articles and his book Mechanica (1736-37), which extensively presented Newtonian dynamics in the form of mathematical analysis for the first time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1741, Euler joined the Berlin Academy of Science, where he remained for 25 years. In 1744 he became director of the academy's mathematics section. During his stay in Berlin, he wrote over 200 articles, three books on mathematical analysis, and a scientific popularization, Letters to a Princess of Germany (3 vols., 1768-72).

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Socially Constructed Reality and Meaning in Notes from Underground Essa

Socially Constructed Reality and Meaning in Notes from Underground Just as the hands in M.C. Escher’s â€Å"Drawing Hands† both create and are created by each other, the identity of man and society are mutually interdependent. According to the model described in The Sacred Canopy, Peter Berger believes that man externalizes or creates a social reality that is in turn objectified, or accepted by him as real. This sociological model creates a useful framework for understanding the narrator’s rejection of ultimate reality or truth in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground. The reality in which the narrator tries to live in part II, and the reality that he rejects in part I, are both created and, as such, are ultimately meaningless. The underground man’s refusal to objectify social reality causes a feeling of meaninglessness and raises a fundamental question of purpose that confronts people of all dispositions. Berger’s theory is based on a dialectical relationship between man and society. To explain his theory he defines three terms. â€Å"Externalization is the ongoing outpouring of human being into the world. Objectivation, the attainment by the products of this activity of a reality that confronts its original producers as a facticity external to and other than themselves. Internalization is the reappropriation by men of this same reality, transforming into structures of the subjective consciousness,† (Berger 4). He believes that society is a wholly human invention created by man’s tendency to externalize. This created entity is then objectified by man, giving society and its features the appearance of true reality. His newly created reality then acts upon and shapes man through internalization. Man, his identity... ...fulfills his societal roles. Chernyshevsky’s utilitarian is happy when individual needs are met. The man of consciousness can be happy, even if his happiness comes from the rejection of happiness altogether. There is no superior happiness; there is no superior type of fulfillment. The individual achieves these ends by acting individually. No hand can avoid drawing, and man finds completeness when he fulfills the purpose that he has drawn for himself. Works Cited Berger, Peter L. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion. New York: Anchor Books, 1990. Escher, M.C. â€Å"Drawing Hands.† Cover of Norton edition of Notes from Underground. Katz, Michael R., ed. Notes from Underground. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001. Chernyshevsky, Nikolai. â€Å"What Is to Be Done?† Katz 104-123. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. â€Å"Notes from Underground.† Katz 3-91

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

cloning :: essays research papers

Cloning. It looks as if the variant of manipulating nature based on the idea of multiplying human beings is coming within the reach of modern science quickly. Today's scientists have already been able to clone a sheep. The living result is Dolly: a normal ewe, alive and kicking, she's just an exact copy of her celldonor. When more of less the same technique would be used on humans, that would mean the solution of many problems. Infertile and gay couples could have a baby by having themselves cloned. Serious diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson could be cured by transplanting unaffected cells (donated by an embryo that is a clone of the patient himself) into the brain. Donor organs would no longer have to come from outsiders, but could be produced with stemcells (cells that carry the potency to develop into any part of the human body) from the copy of the patient. This process prevents the organ from being rejected by the patient's body, because it is built out of the same tissue. So what's all the fuss about? In order to create a kidney for instance, first a complete embryo (a clone of the patient) has to be 'produced' in order to donate the kidney cells. After the embryo has fulfilled its task, it will be aborted. But even 'producing' the embryo by cloning already raises a lot of problems. If cloning is practiced on humans in order to provide children it will cause huge infant mortality. When cloned children grow up they'll probably have to face an identity crisis, because they'll exactly resemble one of their parents. Another disadvantage of cloning is that it can easily be used for a lot of questionable aims, like in the book 'The Boys from Brazil'. My opinion. I admit cloning human beings to grow spare organs is a very tempting idea. On the other hand aborting your own clone sounds awful. I'm absolutely not against 'normal' abortion, but in relation to cloning I feel it's somehow wrong. cloning :: essays research papers Cloning. It looks as if the variant of manipulating nature based on the idea of multiplying human beings is coming within the reach of modern science quickly. Today's scientists have already been able to clone a sheep. The living result is Dolly: a normal ewe, alive and kicking, she's just an exact copy of her celldonor. When more of less the same technique would be used on humans, that would mean the solution of many problems. Infertile and gay couples could have a baby by having themselves cloned. Serious diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson could be cured by transplanting unaffected cells (donated by an embryo that is a clone of the patient himself) into the brain. Donor organs would no longer have to come from outsiders, but could be produced with stemcells (cells that carry the potency to develop into any part of the human body) from the copy of the patient. This process prevents the organ from being rejected by the patient's body, because it is built out of the same tissue. So what's all the fuss about? In order to create a kidney for instance, first a complete embryo (a clone of the patient) has to be 'produced' in order to donate the kidney cells. After the embryo has fulfilled its task, it will be aborted. But even 'producing' the embryo by cloning already raises a lot of problems. If cloning is practiced on humans in order to provide children it will cause huge infant mortality. When cloned children grow up they'll probably have to face an identity crisis, because they'll exactly resemble one of their parents. Another disadvantage of cloning is that it can easily be used for a lot of questionable aims, like in the book 'The Boys from Brazil'. My opinion. I admit cloning human beings to grow spare organs is a very tempting idea. On the other hand aborting your own clone sounds awful. I'm absolutely not against 'normal' abortion, but in relation to cloning I feel it's somehow wrong.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Considerations for Child Development †Middle Childhood Essay

Physical development is concerned with the biological changes of the body and the brain. It includes genetics, a foetus’s growth in the mother’s womb, the birth process, brain development and the acquisition of fine motor skills; it also encompasses behaviours that promote and impede health and environmental factors that influence physical growth. (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 5). I have chosen to evaluate the physical developmental stage of middle childhood, children the ages of six to ten years of age. This essay discusses the considerations for physical development and how it can be supported in the learning environment. It will look at motor development and its influences, the benefits of physical activity, and the consequences of inactivity. How a student’s physical development can facilitate or restrict development in other areas, and how we can support the physical needs and development of students. Read more:  Factors that influence child development essay Generally, children will develop their motor skills at them same time in life, however there are other factors that influence this development e. . a child’s environmental influences, (nurture) and also inherited characteristics and tendencies (nature). There are many things a teacher can do to facilitate a student’s basic cognitive process, they can help children pay attention to things that are important for them to remember; e. g. completing homework tasks, throwing litter in the bin, raising their hand and waiting before they speak in class. Introducing new information to the students existing knowledge will help them to continue to improve and learn. In middle childhood, children start to improve further on their fine motor skills, their handwriting becomes smaller, smoother and more consistent, and they will also start to participate in such fine motor activities as sewing, model building and arts and crafts projects. They will also intensify their speed, and coordination in running kicking, catching and dribbling. (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 161) In the case of infants and young children, teachers should try to provide a variety of sensory experiences, to facilitate a student’s motor development. It is very important to gain a balance of physical activity as well as class room work for a healthy all round child of this age group. Regular physical activity can benefit students by actually increasing their attention to more cognitively demanding tasks (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 172), in most cases if a child has a chance to be active and move around, they may be better able to prepare and settle into their theory work. Sport is another way that physical activity can benefit children. During Middle Childhood children begin to be more interested and start to excel in sport and athletics. Both organised and individual sports can be a good way to help maintain and enhance a child’s physical strength, endurance and agility. It can also promote social development by fostering communication, cooperation, and leadership skills (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 171). ‘The reality is that appearance is influential in social relationships, and it does affect how children feel about themselves’ (Chu, 2000; Dohnt & Tiggermann, 2006b; Harter, 1999. ). Regular physical activity can help improve a child’s fitness, and help to maintain their weight and physical appearance, therefore making them feel better about themselves. Prolonged inactivity can result in weight gain, therefore effecting a student’s social emotional development. Being overweight or obese is a serious health risk in childhood. It predicts health problems in adulthood (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 189). Prolonged inactivity can cause lack of motivation and a decline in a child’s self-confidence. This is particularly important as during Middle Childhood, children start to develop friendships and internalise many of society’s rules and prohibitions (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 29). If a child fails to be physically active on a regular basis, e. g. staying indoors and watching television or playing computer games all day, it can restrict them from being social and forming important relationships and friendships. Prolonged physical inactivity can also affect a child’s concentration and participation during learning tasks. Over a period of time this could result in poor academic results. During middle childhood, children place great emphasis on the development of their own physical ability (parenting and child health, â€Å"http:/www. cyh. com/HealthTopics†). It is important as a teacher to try to focus on a student’s individual needs, encourage them to compete against themselves rather than their peers; this will help promote good self-confidence and will have an all-round good effect on other areas of their development. The rate of development differs considerably with differences partly the result of genetic diversity (nature), and partly a result of personal choices and environment (nurture) (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 176). If a child is brought up in an environment that promotes healthy eating and exercise they will generally be in better physical state of health. Physical development can also promote social-emotional development by fostering communication; cooperation and leadership skills (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 171); this can affect the child by making them feel more confident, motivated and be better prepared to form social relationships. However, for a child who does not have regular access to a healthy diet and a safe place for physical activity, this can lead to weight gain and obesity therefore restricting their social-emotional development, lowering their self-esteem, motivation and restricting their ability to form social relationship and friendships. A child’s motor skills can also be restricted by a lack of environmental support, if they are not provided with ample opportunity to practice their motor skills, whether it be through organised sport activities, or regular practice with mum or dad, they can fall behind on mastering these skills and allowing more complex skills to emerge (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 176). It is important for a child to have a good balance both in school and at home and in their community, with both learning and physical activities. Physical activity is essential for children, you can help to facilitate this by being pro-active, trying to provide frequent opportunities for students to be physically active through the day, e. g. break up theory work with a few minutes of physical movement, this will help them to better concentrate on the next learning task. Aim to make exercise challenging, but enjoyable, change team members around frequently to ensure all students are equally participating and try to provide all children with a role. Providing a safe environment and ensuring children use appropriate equipment for their age will help to minimise the risk of injury (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 185). In the case of a teacher having a student with special needs, providing they have permission, they should educate the other students on their condition and explain the nature of the disability; this will help the other children to be more accepting. There are many things a teacher can do to accommodate and support the physical needs and development of students. It is important to encourage every child to participate in all activities to the fullest extent possible, in a practice called inclusion; children with special needs joined their non-disabled peers in everyday school activities (Logan, Alberto, Kana & Waylor-Bowen, 1994; Sailsbury, Evans, & Palombaro, 1997). Engaging with parents and guardians can help give a teacher insight and suggestions into any adjustments that would help the child participate more fully in activities (McDevitt &Ormrod, 2010, p. 185). In middle childhood, children are increasingly comparing and often critical of themselves and their peers, a teacher should try to focus on and meet a student’s individual needs and aim for them to be competitive with themselves, rather than their peers e. g. aiming to beat their personal best score or time. This will help boost their confidence and give them a drive to do better next time. Thoughtful attention to children’s physical needs can enhance children’s health, well-being, and ability to focus on their schoolwork. Such short-term effects pay dividends for future health, because good habits in childhood pave the way to health living later in life (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 186). It is always important for a teacher to pay such close attention to the children’s needs due to the fact that the impact of either class room learning or physical activity can both heavily shape their futures, or take from their quality of life in the future. In summary, for the Middle Childhood developmental stage that has been selected for the purpose of this assignment, there are many considerations for physical development and how the physical needs of students in the learning environment can be accommodated. A teacher can promote self –esteem and self-confidence making and engage with parents and guardians in order to successfully aid the child. Children can display a decline in self-confidence; this can be identified particularly in a child who does not have regular access to a healthy diet and a safe place for physical activity. It is therefore paramount to a child’s development that a teacher does actively encourage every child to participate in all activities to the fullest extent possible. It is in the best interest of the children for the teacher to incorporate a healthy balance of physical activity in with academic activity.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance Essay

The report discusses the many flaws in organized financial markets but concludes that these markets should continue to operate on principles of initiative or creativity and with a reasonable amount of government regulation. While greed may be part of the cause of financial market instability, naivety and delusion contributed as well. Innovation in computer technology coupled with the work of Black and Scholes in options pricing gave rise to the modern derivatives markets. (Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance) Natural selection happens in financial markets where companies are constantly changing to the latest product, i. e. retail banks began to focus on investment banking, and investment banks moved into the arena of hedge funds. The report calls into question the new form of financial market regulation. A major area of focus of the report is what factors lead to the boom and bust market cycles that lead to financial instability. The report describes three concepts, globalization, liberalization, and technological innovation as triggers of market booms, busts, and financial instability. (Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance) This paper responds to each of these ideas as set forth in the report. Globalization According to the report globalization embraced by emerging markets along with low inflation in developed markets made credit grow more quickly and easily. (Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance) However, as the markets are today, developed countries such as the U. S. and the U. K. are in near to full blown inflationary economies. Most global markets are exposed to the U. S. subprime crisis. (Caruana) However, many emerging markets can limit their exposure to the crisis by managing their levels of greed and fear. Greed is limited when these emerging markets do not invest in the derivative securities created by the subprime markets. Fear is managed when countries utilize resources such as the International Monetary Fund, the IMF, for lending facilities that will serve to shore up a country’s credit needs and support the county’s banking and financial institutions’ lending and business investment activities. Liberalization Liberalization in terms of relaxing or reducing banking and financial industry regulations in countries such as Japan and the U. S. has led to property value booms and bubbles which are followed by a bust cycle and finally financial instability. (Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance) It can be argued that greed, particularly in the U. S. , led to a relaxation of banking and financial industry regulation in order to facilitate greater innovation, liquidity, and credit availability in the financial markets. Hedge funds are thought to provide great efficiency, liquidity, and returns in U. S. capital markets. Industry regulation, therefore, should have served to facilitate innovation in the hedge fund industry while protecting it from a financial crisis. (Bartiromo) This, however, was not the case. Widespread fears, both speculative and proven, about decline in assets values caused the federal government to step in with a new level of financial liberalization through bank ownership. Previously regulation was intended to provide a legal framework in which the financial markets could operate. The current level of fear has changed the goal of regulation and extended the methods of regulatory activity to include providing financing and operational assistance or mandate to the financial markets. Innovation New technology industries are thought to create the need for specialized types of financing. (Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance) This concept may work in a normally functioning economy. However, one can look at the alternative energy market to see that this concept is not working in the current economy. Industries like energy technology are capital intensive. Newer, more capital intensive industries generally depend on financing from private equities and hedge funds. (Alt-Energy Firms Sink With Prices, Credit; New fuels) Prior to 2008 fear caused the hedge funds and private equities to invest less in capital intensive industries. More recently as many hedge funds disappeared due to insolvency, this designer type of financing is no longer available to new technology industries. The only existing sources of financing available to energy technology, particularly in the U. S. , is government investment or financing from financial institutions in which the U. S. government has a financing or operational interest. Conclusion – the results of Greed and Fear Greed and fear has led to current regulatory practices in which many governments are now owners of many financial institutions as opposed to simple regulatory agencies. The new trend in globalization will be that central banks in both developing and emerging market countries will manage their countries financial markets and systems in a way that will limit exposure to booms and busts in international markets. Once more governments develop controlling interests in banking and other financial institutions the original liberalization referred to in the report should return and these institutions will be able to re-create innovative financing. Governments will regulate these institutions on two fronts – as shareholders and as policymakers. As owners of banks and financial institutions, governments will also become investors in new technologies such as the clean energy industry. Where hedge funds and private equity firms no longer exist at previous levels, new technology firms will look to government equity as a viable alternative form of financing. Works Cited â€Å"Alt-Energy Firms Sink With Prices, Credit; New fuels, technology less competitive now, financing more scarce. (FRONT PAGE NEWS). † Investor’s Business Daily (Dec 2, 2008): A01. General OneFile. Gale. 19 Apr. 2009. Caruana, Jaime. â€Å"Viewpoint: A Significant Test Of Emerging Markets – Taking A Global Perspective Is Vital To Learn Lessons From Financial Market Turbulence And find The Right Approach To Move Forward In The Future, Says Jaime Caruana. (Viewpoint essay). † The Banker (Nov 1, 2007): NA. General OneFile. Gale. 19 Apr. 2009. â€Å"Greed-and fear A special report on the future of finance. † The Economist 24 January 2009: 1-15. Bartiromo, Maria. â€Å"Straight Talk from the Fed; New York Federal Reserve President Tim Geithner on housing prices, regulation, and the post-Greenspan era. † Business Week Online (May 4, 2006): NA. General OneFile. Gale. 19 Apr. 2009.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Case Study Assessment of Angling Experience

Case Study Assessment of Angling Experience Question 1: Define and discuss using relevant example from the case, the special characteristics of services that distinguish them from tangible products. Services are one type of products with several special characteristics which are really different with tangible products. The major special features of services are more intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability, and perishability. Those characteristics are also reflected in John’s case. 1. 1 IntangibilityCompare with the tangible products’ tangibility, the main characteristic of services is intangibility which was shown through a set of actions. Intangibility characteristic of service describes that services cannot be seen, felt, tasted, or touched thus one cannot display or store the service. However, it is usually felt by tangible goods or physical evidence. Moreover, service cannot be inventoried, easily patented, and easily displayed or communicated. From Johnâ€℠¢s case, John gives his customers guide of fishing and a series of fishing itinerary.These all are the intangible things to anglers. It cannot be touched, felt, or seen by his customers. However, his customers enjoyed their tours and gain fishes after his guiding. Thus, this can be said that customers got John’s services. Compared with his services business, John used to be selling the tangible goods, either the rods, artificial flies or oilskins the department sold are tangible. Moreover, because of the intangibility, pricing John’s services is difficult. Compared with physical goods, pricing services are not easy. Same tangible goods also sold with a same price.In this case, the two couples got different price after serviced. It seems that they gained a same series of services, but the feelings and appraisals are different. 1. 2 Heterogeneity Heterogeneity concerns the potential for high variability in the performance of services (Bitner et al. , 2009). Contrast to s ervice, tangible goods is standardization. Most of a type of physical goods is produced by one product line. There are no major differences among each one of them. However, like two leaves, there are not two same services processes.Providers’ performances are not same every time, and the customers’ requirements are not same too. In detail, service delivery and customer satisfaction depend on employee and customer action, and also some uncontrollable factors. In our case, when John worked in the fishing department, he wondered at how each piece of fishing equipment in a product line varied so little. It shows that tangible products are standardization. However, then, John provided services to two couples, and got the distinct result. First couple was very satisfaction, and second couple was unhappy, though John was same hard working.The different based knowledge, objectives and nature conditions determines the different results. The first couple have a good knowledge an d experience of fishing, they enjoy in fishing. However, the second couple was the fist time fishing and their purpose was to relax and see the country. Moreover, the weather was great during the first time, but worst during the second time. Those factitious and uncontrollable elements influenced John’s two services processes. 1. 3 Inseparability Inseparability of production and consumption involves the simultaneous production and consumption which characterizes most services.Compare with goods are first produced, then purchased, and then consumed, services are first booked, then produced and consumed simultaneously (Carmen & Langeard, 1980). It seems like that customers and employees affect each other. In this case, we can know that because of the high degree of adaptability of the first couple, John interact well with them. However, another two anglers gained the unsatisfied service because of their bad communication. All customers and employees even the partial customers p lay an important role in whole process because services’ inseparability.Furthermore, because of this feature of services, mass production is difficult. The production and consumption are simultaneous. Hence, John lost a group of anglers in December due to he cannot service two groups in a same time. 1. 4 Perishability The final characteristic of service is perishable. Tangible goods could be stocked, contrast by services cannot be saved, stores, resold or returned (Valarie & Dwayne, 2009). In this case, John used to promoted department’s inventory system and just keep the rod that can be sold later. It shows that physical goods can be stored. However, John can not saved his services and provide it later.So, he lost a group of customers in December. Hence, the service is very different with the tangible goods. By these characteristics, some problems are discussed next question. Question 2: Explain, using examples how the problems stemming from the special characteristic s of services are impacting on John’s guiding services. 2. 1 In General Due to the four characteristics of services, some problems are derived. Some problems are unavoidable and some of them can be avoidable. The problems generate from intangibility including hardly controlling, easy to be copied and unable to evaluate the quality.Heterogeneity causes problem about quality measurement. Inseparability not allows mass production of service. Moreover, perishability makes return or resold of service impossible. Several of these problems impact on John’s guiding service as well. 2. 2 Problems Created by Intangibility Intangibility shows the following marketing problems. Firstly, services cannot be stored, thus when requires reach the peak or foot it is hard for managers to control. Secondly, services are so difficult to be patented that it is convenient for its competitors to duplicate them.Thirdly, customers are not able to realize the quality of service because service is invisible and cannot be touched. John’s new guiding service is not easy to store. Thereof, during December there was a peak period of fly fishing and John are not qualified to provide efficient service. On contrary, in the next two week of November there were no customers visiting Tasmania for chasing trout. Since John provides guiding service, he cannot remove December's service to November. It is beyond the scope of his control. The guiding service that John operates is easy to be imitated.There is another fishing guide who ran in Launceston. The service it provides is similar with John’s. This is a threat to John. The market share for John in Australia is cut down. Furthermore, the feature of intangibility determines the service value is hard to be understood by consumers. John’s guiding service is not an exceptional. Customers have no idea what a guiding service is. The marketing manager of a large sporting equipment retailer in North America would not know what a guiding service is if John did not send him the information about this service. 2. 3 Problems Created by HeterogeneityThe most severe challenge that heterogeneity creates is difficulty of quality measurement. Since criteria for judging the quality of service is based on customers’ notion, managers are not possible to control it. In the case, there was an American couple who are both good anglers. They have more fishing experience than John. In this trip, John learned more from this experience and the couple also had a great time. They even pre-booked another two weeks for the next fishing season. It is just because the American couple thought this trip was so wonderful that they measured this service is worthwhile.However by November, the Canadian's week of trout fishing is no that smooth. It became less happy because of lacking experience of fly fishing causes few landed trout and entire week raining. Even worse, one of the customers sprained an ankle. In these two e vents John provided the same service however he received different results. John cannot ensure whether his supplies are original. In December John introduced the New Zealanders to another fishing guide in Launceston. This increased the chance of heterogeneity because different suppliers are not possible to offer the exactly the same services. Take the health industry for instance.Several suppliers provide a same kind of service, nevertheless consumers’ perception is different. Some customers consider it as good service whereas another do not satisfied with it. This is because different provider’s service is distinctive due to the nature of human beings. 2. 4 Problems Created by Inseparability According to Zeithaml, Dwayne and Gremeler, because services often are produced and consumed at the same time, mass production is difficult (2009). The service producers generate service and the service is consumed by customer at the same time, therefore service is impossible to b e produced in large amount.The consumers who John received accepted his service while he provided it. It is absurd that John created services such as airport picking up and dropping off first then the customers enjoyed them. For example, the helicopter sent an urgent fax to John informed him that they were not available until after mid-February. It frustrated John that he was not able to transport his clients to the best fishing area. In addition, for John it is inconvenient for him when he has several customers to pick up or drop off. It is typical in November, John received two contacts that require a fly fishing in the first week of December.The worse thing is that neither of the customers could change their original arrangement. John could not separate his services. 2. 5 Problems Created by Perishability The factor of perishability leads to the problem that service cannot be returned. Service is consumed at the same time when it is manufactured, thereby once the service is provi ded it cannot be returned or resold. In November, two Canadian customers who were doing fishing for relax received an unhappy experience. Lacking experience of fly fishing they landed few trout. The entire week’s heavy raining prevented them from lake fishing.Moreover, one of the anglers sprained an ankle while crossing wet rocks. Even though John understood that the Canadian did not enjoy their fishing trip, he had no way to go back. John cannot take the service back because time cannot be reversed. For instance, customers who have an ugly haircut cannot ask the barber to undo it, because the service of haircut is perished (Clemes, 2002). 2. 6 Problems Difficult to Avoid Due to the problems derived above, gaps generate naturally. Customer Gap Customer gap appears because of the distance between customers’ expectation and perception.Customers have their own expectations based on their experience and objectives. In this case, the Canadian customer who came to Australia for relax do not have the experience of fly fishing. They consider the service could offer them a wonderful time. However, the insufficient experience of fishing made them catch few trout. Adding the bad weather and the injury, the Canadian dissatisfied with the trip and request a reduced charge. This gap is relatively huge and John needs to improve his service. Provider Gap Firstly, John serves his customer by the same way.For the fishing skillful couple and unskillful people, John took the same measure. Secondly, John not communicated well with its customers. The customers who chose his service in the first week of December were transferred to another service provider. The problems presented above are the major reason why John’s business went down. In conclusion, because of the special features of service, there are several problems should be considered and solved. Marketers of services face some actual and distinctive challenges which should be solved by the utilization of marketing mix.Question 3: Explain how John could use the extended marketing mix elements to help manage the problems caused by the special characteristics of services. The question 2 mentioned some problems caused by the special characteristics of service. Marketers like John could use the marketing mix to manage those problems and plan a whole strategy of their business. The traditional marketing mix will help John to manage the problem from production, place, promotion, and price (Kotler & Armstrong, 2006). Because of intangibility characteristic and the limitations of John’s service, he can add both tangible products and services in his business.For example, he could be the agent between his customers and fishing departments. Then, customers can purchase fishing equipments which are fit to them, because John known them clearly. Moreover, due to intangible and perishability of service, John’s promotion ways are not enough. John can exploit more methods like put some advertising in the relevant websites, sponsor fishing competitions and some things like that. However, because of the distinct features of service, the traditional marketing mix can not cover all problems. It extended three more elements which are people, physical evidence, and process (Booms & Bitner, 1981) . 1 People People element is defined as all human actors who play a part in service delivery and thus influence the buyer’s perceptions in the service environment. Thus, customers, employees, and the customers in the service environment all play the important roles (Bitner et al. , 2009). With use this element, John can do following things to manage those problems. First, because John just has himself as an employee, he lost some opportunities. Then, John need employ more employees to help him supporting his business. After that, because guiding service is a high skill service, John should train his employees.John also can bring a reward system based on the satisfaction of employees to avoid the problems of service quality. Another role, customers, also draws marketers’ attention. Marketers should education their customers before provide service. Because guiding service need customers’ deeper involvement, John could send a video of basic knowledge and potential risk of his services to his customers. Then, they can interact better. 3. 2 Physical evidence Physical evidence is the cue that customers depend on to assess the quality of service and service providers to put forth their significant information (Lovelock, 2004).As John’s guiding service, it already had some physical evidence. However, there are still some limitations as mentioned before. Firstly, John needs to increase all kinds of materials that reflect his guided trip. Thus, customers will maximally understand his service. For example, John should enrich his website. He could upload some videos about guided fishing trips. Potential customers can be divided into two se ctions as experienced customer and inexperienced customer. For those experienced customers, the information should be about new fishing areas or new activities.For the inexperienced customers, it should provide skills or equipment for fishing. Secondly, it is suggested that John needs to have his own transporting vehicles to send customers. One side is to avoid the situation of lacking hiring sources, the other side is to fit different customers’ need. For instance, if the customers who require a short trip then John could provide them cars to go fishing. Sometimes, customers have their vocation that they get plenty of time sailing is a perfect option. Furthermore, for these long distance customers and money is not a problem for them aeroplane is chosen to send them to the best fishing area.In this way, the customer gap could be narrowed since their needs are fulfilled. Lastly, John could provide some souvenir after trips. Thus, customers may actually realize what they have o btained from the service. 3. 3 Process Process is the actual procedures, mechanisms, and flow of activities by which the service is delivered (Zeithaml, Bitner & Gremler, 2009). John could use blueprint to depict the service process. By using the blueprint, John may find out the customer segmentation. For example, John may categorize consumers as experienced ones and inexperienced ones.Then John could offer two different processes for each group. For the experienced ones, John could present a more customized process which customers could choose their favorite rod and apply their own ways of fishing. As for the immature consumers, John should provide them a standardized process. It may offer the same rod for customers and consumers have to stay in a specified area. John also needs to educate his customers especially the inexperienced customers. He could hire a fishing coach to instruct anglers the procedure of fishing. Through this way, unskillful clients will not fish blindly. 3. 4 ConclusionService as intangible products distinguishes from physical goods. Besides the traditional four Ps, the three Ps are mainly used to enhance service. John’s guiding service may become prosperous if he makes use of the three Ps. Word Count: 2496 Reference List 1. Boom, B. , & Bitner, M. , 1981, â€Å"Marketing Strategies and Organizational Structures for Service Firms†, Marketing of Services, 1981 2. Carmen, M. , & Langeard, E. , 1980, â€Å"Growth Strategies of Service Firms†, Strategic Management Journal, January-March, 1980 3. Clemes, M. , 2002, New Zealand Case Studies in Strategic Marketing, 5th edition, Dunmore Press, New Zealand . Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. , 2006, Principles of Marketing, 12nd edition, Pearson Education Inc. , New Jersey 5. Lovelock, C. , & Wirtz, J. , 2004, Services Marketing: People, Technology, Strategy, 5th edition, Pearson Education, Singapore 6. Zeithaml, V. , Bitner, M. , & Gremler, D. , 2009, Service Marketing, 5th edition , McGraw Hill, Singapore 7. Zeithaml, V. , Parasuraman, A. , & Berry, L. , 1985, â€Å"Problems and Strategies in Services Marketing†, The Journal of Marketing, Spring, 1985 8. http://www. docstoc. com/docs/16690264/GOODS-AND-SERVICES/, Accessed at 20th, Apr, 2009

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Us Iran Relations

US-Iran Relations Acknowledgements I would like to thank my teacher, Ms. Mashal Shabbir. The supervision and support that she gave truly helped me in this project. Her cooperation is thus appreciated. Abstract This report explains the US-Iran relationships, how they changed over the period of time and what the main reasons for that change were. I tried to analyze these reasons according to the International Relations theories as well as my own opinion. The report includes the information mainly from 1940 to date. Discussion In the last days before the culmination of Iranian revolution the electricity workers in Tehran would turn off the lights each evening and then from the rooftops came the chant â€Å"God is Great† with another chant, â€Å"death to America† however with a much contradicting tone† (Cottom, 1988). These words themselves explain the intensity which lies in the US- Iran relationships since the Iranian revolution. European intrusion in Iran has been a prolonged one with immense prominence. Trade was one of the most significant reasons.Iran’s geographical position made it the central attention for the European traders, as the land route which joined the western and eastern worlds crossed Iran. Moreover, as Cottom explains in his book that the only presence of the Europeans in Iran was â€Å"a matter of national prestige†. That is this prestige not only advanced Europeans economically but politically too. US initially was viewed as a caring western country, who was not only sincere but also advocated human rights of freedom, moreover encouraged courage, independence as well as dignity for the people of Iran.Before 1940’s it had no economic interest in Iran plus only a minute aid was granted to Iran during the event of Soviet invasion in Iran, however this minute interest which US had in Iran was not long lived. Iran, blessed with one of the most precious reserves of oil attracted the western world immensely. With increasing industrialization especially in Britain as well as America oil was becoming one of the main ingredients of their success. The British government purchased a large amount of Anglo-Persian Oil Company’s (APOC) stock during the First World War.This oil company was a predecessor of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC). By the time of Iranian oil crisis almost half of APOC’s stock was in the hands of Britain. Iranians on the other hand were kept away from the high ranking positions in the oil company. Moreover neither did the royalty payments satisfied the Iranian government nor did the high levels of confidentiality which prevailed in the major decision making contended them, giving birth to a situation which benefited neither of the two parties. Thus during 1951-1953 Iran strived to gain power over its oil industry which gave hype to the sense of nationalism in Iranians.The leaders in Iran provided the stance that out of the ? 250 million of profits which AIOC made in the late 1940’s their royalty payments only counted for one third of the total amount that is ? 90 million (Mary Ann Heiss). On the part of British Empire â€Å"oil† had become an evil necessity not only economically but also to sustain its political position as â€Å"a great power† in the World. Thus this nationalization not only threatened its position in the Middle East but also could have blown its largest investment abroad. Iranians on the contrary were keen to achieve independence nationally and politically.Although they were well aware of the fact that this may lead to serious economic adversity in Iran, they wanted the British dominance abolished to be treated as a sovereign nation. Therefore Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq stressed upon full control over Iran’s internal and financial affairs. The increasing tension between Britain and Iran and the wavering issues led the United States (US) jump in the situation. For US however the main goal was not the interests of either party that is Iran or Britain but it had its own underlying concern.Thus this can be said that this was the first time that US was seriously involved in the internal affairs of Iran, marking the beginning of their relationship. The nationalism which the Iranian governments were emphasizing upon was very closely related to communism, in a sense that it could have given rise to autocracy, which at that time was not at all acceptable to US. As this movement by the Iranians could have led to open paths for the Soviet Union to the oil fields of Middle East, America did not want to jeopardize its position along with its power. Moreover this oss of oil industry would have led to serious economic setbacks in US. In her paper, â€Å"The United States and Great Britain Navigate the Anglo-Iranian Oil crisis† the author Mary Ann Hiess explains the US-Iran relations in three phases during the oil crisis. The first phase named â€Å"benevolent neu trality† lasted almost from 1950 till the mid of 1951. The US officials acted as responsible negotiators and reconciled with the idea of nationalization as well as also recognized the rights of the contract of AIOC. Escorting to the second phase which is known as’ â€Å"Era of Anglo-American Partnership†.This phase propagated accelerating ideological and policy empathy mainly between Washington and London. The third phase however was that of US interest, that is US was somewhat getting successful in its goals, termed as the era of US domination this phase highlights Eisenhower ‘s (president of US 1953) negotiations which led to the formation of international association that replaced AIOC with the nation’s own oil industry in 1954. Now that the US domination prevailed in Iran, the American officials along with the British bureaucrats decided to overthrow Mossadeq for harming Iran’s stability.Therefore mainly Britain decided to pursue an operat ion commonly known as the Coup. However the Coup ultimately turned to operation AJAX which was organized and financed by US. According to International relations theories America in this particular situation acted quite like the classical realists. As it is obvious that the development of US interest in the whole situation is due to the fact that it was being flawed, selfish, competitive and ambitious due to its own goals, rather to solve the dispute for the betterment of Iran and Britain.The coup which occurred in august 19th 1953, basically aimed at overthrowing the government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq to remove the dictatorship from Iran and pursue democracy. Mark J. Gasiorowski in his article, â€Å"The 1953 Coup D’etat in Iran† gives the account of the takeover. While US and the British officials were already considering overthrowing mossadeq from power, the situation in Iran was not a favourable as well. Many opponents of mossadeq had already started to take actions against him. Anti-mossadeq mobs were arranged to kill him.Iran already was facing huge economic turmoil now had to face political unrest as well. Looking at the situation the new American government of Eisenhower also began to consider the operation and finally decided to organise and aid the coup along with Britain. Mossadeq already was facing hostility from the citizens of Iran therefore it made even easier for US to propagate masses against him. With the help of BEDAMN-a political action- uprising was arranged along with continued disputes. Government offices, buildings of pro-mossadeq newspapers were attacked.Air force general along with the forces attacked mossadeq’s house killing around three hundred people. The very next day mossadeq surrendered to Zahedi, marking the end of the coup. This revolution undoubtedly had a long and deep affect on the US-Iran relationships. The question which arises here is that, was America’s interest in Iran’s i nternal affairs genuine? Well America as I discussed above is a realist approach led country which ranks its own personal interest on the top. Then being sincere towards Iran itself becomes a futile question.Most of the studies highlight that the main aim US had out of this coup was to get significant share in the oil industry. Moreover this can be proven accurate to some extent by if we notice the fact that immediately after coming into power Zahedi government granted almost 40% of the total oil industry’s share to American oil companies (Gasiorowski, 1987). However a contradicting fact that most of the American oil producing countries were not interested in the share basically due to nimiety of oil in the world market- mainly in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait- proves that this might not be the sole or the most imperative reason.Another perspective of the situation is the American fear of communist takeover. At the time of coup Cold war between Soviet Union and US was at its peak a nd of course America being governing in nature would not allow soviet’s expansion to become a threat to US dominance, power and sovereignty. Although this coup proved beneficial for Iran, as it gave birth to democracy but the fact that this triumph was not experienced solely on the basis of internal struggle. In reality Iran was made a subject of constant US intervention, thus somewhat abusing its decision making ability.After the coup Mohammad Raza Pahlavi was reinstated as the Shah of Iran. Many authors state Pahlavi was long supported by the US government, although they were aware of the malpractices and the corruption which prevailed in his regime. The shah was forced to flee out of Iran when widespread unrest originated on the part of civilians and a new, more religious leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was granted the power. However this offense motivated the Iranian students to take revenge from the US. On November 4th 979, the Iranian students drizzled into the US e mbassy situated in Tehran and took almost 52 American officials as hostages on the demand that the shah who fled away should come back to Iran for trial of the crimes he committed against Iranians. The situation lasted for about 444 days as the US administration driven by Jimmy Carter was doomed by the failed attempts in 1980. However the hostages were released on the day Ronald Reagan was sworn as the new US president on January 20th 1981. This incident however changed the diplomatic, economic and political landscape between Iran and US for the years to come.By capturing hostages Iranians proved their anger against American’s negligence over Iranians as well as the power which they could use against US to advance their welfare. Another episode of varying US-Iran relations begun in 1986,when Iran secretly asked US for help while it was at war with Iraq. Iran requested US to sell weapons, however Reagan wanted Iran to release seven of the US hostages which Iranian terrorists h eld. This however did not remain confidential for long, instead soon people discovered this Iran-Contra.US emphasized that this was an arms for hostages deal as well as tried to stress upon the fact that it will improve US-Iran relations. This improvement in the relationships of the two countries was not long lived as in 1988 the tragic incident of Iran’s airplane shot down shrunken the trust between US and Iran. On the morning of July 3rd 1988, commercial flight operated by Iran Air took off for Tehran-Bandar Abbas-Dubai route however it was its bad luck that it never reached Dubai. At the same time another plane or more generally a Missile cruiser of US navy known as the US Vincennes would pass over this commercial flight.The US Vincennes was at the Persian Gulf during the Iraq-Iran war. Vincennes saw another airplane flying towards the Persian Gulf however it thought that it identified it as a possible Iranian F-16 issuing various warnings and civil distress frequencies wh ich of course never reaches the Iran Air. Thus after waiting for a bit the commander of Vincennes Captain Rogers ordered to fire two missiles at it. The Airbus was hit and soon it tumbled into flames killing around 290 innocent people in the flight. After the tragic incident the deterioration of the relations deepened as no severe action was taken against Captain Roger’s folly decision.Moreover it was just named a â€Å"mistake† by Pentagon. George W. Bush, vice president of US at that time declared a bold remark in Newsweek, â€Å"I will never apologize for the United States of America, ever. I don’t care what the facts are. † Thus this boldness highlights the rigidity that prevailed in American’s attitude. 1990’s a new decade, was begun with another policy implementation by the US. â€Å"dual containment† as it was known was a policy set up by Americans to isolate Iran and Iraq both economically and militarily mainly to achieve its own regional ambitions.US did not want any other countries to be in power and with the increasing influence of both Iran and Iraq; it saw its own position jeopardizing. US banned all trade, financial loans and services with Iran as it thought that the regime in Iran promoted terrorism and assassinations throughout the world. The beginning of a new millennium also marked a beginning of new tensions between the countries. US alleged Iran for expanding its nuclear activities and developing missile-related technology. It was threatening to the survival of US. Thus Iran was termed as the â€Å"axis of evil† by George W.Bush who by then was the president of US as according to them it enhanced terrorism. Ambitious in developing its nuclear base Iran continued to seek help from Russia and China despite US discontent. Throughout early 2000’s UN inspected Iran’s nuclear facilities. The reports said that there was no evidence of Iran producing atomic bomb but US considered it, â€Å"impossible to believe†. US kept on forcing Iran to suspend any of its nuclear progressions however Iran acted very firmly as proved by president Katami’s statement that its country will never give up its nuclear project and stressed its peaceful usage.The relations kept on becoming hostile, although America provided Iran with a humanitarian aid in 2003 because of the earthquake, it emphasized that this does not mark any thaw in their relationships. Throughout 2005 Iran’s nuclear program and uranium dispute remained a problem for US. For Americans it was of immense importance that Iran withdraws it activities as US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice explained , â€Å"US faces no greater challenge than Iran’s nuclear program†( BBC NEWS).However the new, more conservative president of Iran Ahmadinejad clearly stated that Iran has the right for peaceful progression of the nuclear project along with its announcement of successful enrichment of uranium. This prompted US to take strong steps against Iran. As for analysis purposes this can be considered that US and Iran were on a kind of cold war from the beginning of 2000. US major discontent was Iran’s nuclear program after all it was the prime threat to US continued existence. And for this reason US several times along with UN tried to impose sanctions over it. When nothing helped, President Bush accused Iran with Al-Qaeda.Thus stating that extremism prevailing in Iran could lead to adverse effects if nuclear program is continued. This brought huge military confrontation from Iran. Tensions prevailed as both countries accused one another either for spying or encouraging terrorism. To date the most destructive problem which prevails between the two countries is the Iran’s nuclear program. Several discussions have been held between the new presidents that is Barrack Obama and Ahmadinejad but no intelligent conclusion has been reached. This can be concluded that US interests had been objective in terms of truly helping Iran.US initially got interested in Iran due to the fact that it did not want Soviet Union to get advantage over the Iranian Oil industries. It wanted to achieve its own regional advantages over the most fertile country in the Middle East. However when Iran began to retaliate against US it posed great threat to their survival. The most significant example of this is the current tensions because of nuclear progression in Iran. Thus it can be concluded that US who undoubtedly follow the realists’ paradigm proved to be quite selfish when it came to their sovereignty.They made use of the dominance principal on several occasions as it did not want any other country to become a greater power. Iran on the other hand acted differently. It was basically on the leaders of Iran which determined its behavior towards America. Those who were pro American acted exactly as America wanted them too for example Zahedi, Pahlavi. Othe rs contradicted its policies and behaviour. They acted the way they thought was better for Iran, moreover stood strong in front of America for their rights such as Khomeini, Ahmadinejad.Thus the relations varied and contoured during different phases of US-Iran history. References about. com. (n. d. ). The Iran-Contra Affair. Retrieved from http://usforeignpolicy. about. com: http://usforeignpolicy. about. com/gi/o. htm? zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=usforeignpolicy&cdn=newsissues&tm=7117&f=11&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www. pbs. org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande08. html Anthony Cordesman, S. F. (n. d. ). DUAL CONTAINMENT: SLOGAN OR POLICY? Bernard Gwertzman, C. E. (2012, March 6). Crisis-Managing