Managing a Website essays

Managing a Website essays Managing a Retail Website Simulation Electronic commerce allows organizations to become larger in scale without the need for a physical location in the marketplace. The ability to increase sales through the Internet without creating more physical stores is a real opportunity for the traditional brick and mortar companies. The Internet presents a greater chance for these companies to overcome location disadvantages and even expand globally. As brick and mortar retailers move online, there are business challenges such as creating a clearly defined web strategy, determining strategic promotions, as well as forming a successful pricing approach for the new requirements of the online market. Identify three challenges that you faced while managing the website. Using your research, recommend some best practices that could be used to overcome these challenges. 1. East-On, Inc. maintains physical retail locations that sell a wide variety of products to several different market segments. The multiple market segments made it extremely difficult to determine a primary focus for the new web site. Establishing a clearly defined Web strategy is the first step for a successful B2C (Business-to-Customer) organization. A good website strategy first identifies a market need, which indicates a target market, and then fills that need. (Berry) The American Marketing Association (A.M.A.), developed a 5 Step approach for developing a web strategy: a. Determine what your business wants to achieve from going online. b. Understand your target audience e.g., technical capacities, use of the Internet. c. Define how your Web site will integrate with existing marketing activities. d. Ensure your brand/core competencies remain consistent to your offline efforts. e. Ensure backend processes are in place to support online initiatives. 2. The teen and young adult target market appeared to offer an opportu ...

Geology Volcanoes&Earthquake Assignment1 Assignment

Geology Volcanoes&Earthquake Assignment1 - Assignment Example They occur in clusters and linear chains all over the world. Regardless of few exceptions to this rule, most take place in lines that are curved, as opposed to circular ones. The two common patterns that they form called the ring of fire and the mid-ocean ridges (Oxlade 12). Plate tectonics explain the movement of plates around the earth but are different from continental drift. They elucidate why ocean basins are in existence. The earth’s crust, according to the theory of tectonics, occurs in two forms: continental crust and oceanic crust. The latter is rigid, dense, and brittle as opposed to continental crust. It breaks into separate slabs also known as plates (McKay, â€Å"Plate Tectonic Settings† 1). On the other hand, many rocks that have conjoined over billions of years or geologic time make the continental crust. They are less dense, and can deform or change much easier explaining their complication and uncertainties. Summing it all up, hot gases and material emanate from the mid-oceanic ridges while cool material goes down at subduction areas, and it is at the plate boundaries that volcanoes take place (McKay, â€Å"Subduction Zones† 1). Volcanoes erupt as fresh magma from the center of the earth rises up through weak areas or zones and consequently reaching the crest of ridges to develop novel oceanic crust. This process referred to as seafloor spreading, took place many years ago, and it led to long mid-oceanic system of ridges (McKay, â€Å"The Basics of Plate Tectonics† 1). The website, blackboard learn, is a modernized platform that offers easy access, navigation, organization, and illustration of learning material. The site’s contents are well organized, and students can easily follow the direction of the course without supervision, assistance, or any trouble. What makes the educational portal even better is the systematic organization of classes

Medical Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Medical Ethics - Essay Example Forceful circumstances that can dictate the amputation of limbs include stopping the spread of a certain condition like malignant cancer to other parts of the body, serious diabetes or an extensively fractured/damaged leg. However, some people may demand such a medical operation despite their perfect state of health. An example is a person with a rational desire to have one of their perfectly healthy limbs amputated. In such a case, serious issues in the field of medical ethics have to be considered before the physicians can go ahead with the amputation or reject this request. The aim of this paper is to give an argument that physicians have a moral reason to permit the individual to go through with the amputation. The second part of the paper gives an objection to this argument followed by a justification of the stronger argument. Argument in support for the amputation as a moral duty One of the critical ethical issues to be considered in the case of such a request is patient autono my. First of all, it is very true to say that every person has the right to do whatever they want with their bodies. This is because the issue of personal autonomy has to be respected. In fact, it is one of the ethical principles in the medical field. Despite this, any request concerning medical procedures that comes directly from the patient has to indicate some rationality behind it. In this case, the patient has expressed a rational desire to have their perfectly healthy limb amputated. Despite being a rational desire, the request has higher chances of being granted if it expresses the person’s autonomy. In order to arrive at a good conclusion regarding this case, it is important to make a thorough examination of the concept of rational desires and how they relate to personal autonomy. Savulescu made a distinction between desires and rational desires. According to him, a rational desire is a desire that a person expresses while in possession of all relevant facts while "vi vidly imagining" what its consequences would be for them. At the time of its expression, the person should not commit any relevant error of logic as well (Savulescu a 121). Savulescu goes ahead to explain that a desire must be a rational desire or satisfy a person's rational desires for it to be treated as an expression of the person's autonomy. The principle of autonomy has a big role in the medical field hence it is a general requirement that physicians should respect the autonomous choices of their patients. According to Beauchamp and Childress (99), autonomy can be described as self-rule, that is, free from limitations such as limited understanding, that may prevent rational/meaningful choices, and controlling inferences from other persons. From this description, it is clear that autonomy is complete if the person is in a position to make meaningful or rational choices. These choices are later expressed as rational desires. In other words, the expression of rational desires is t he practice of personal autonomy. On the other hand, autonomy is the expression of such rational demands. This means the concepts of rational desires and autonomy are inseparable. Instead, they are an expression of each other. This means any decision made within the boundaries of informed consent is a guided by both a respect to the rational autonomy of a person and their rational desires. Going against this informed consent will therefore

Mega Banks vs. Community Banks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mega Banks vs. Community Banks - Essay Example They play a crucial role in development of economy across length and breadth of the US. They remain very important in small-business sector and agricultural lending. The paper aims to explore the contrasting roles played by Community banks and large banks in the national economy and the regulatory burden that â€Å"Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010† is likely to put on them impacting their performance in the national economy. Small Business Lending Small businesses account for a huge share of total economic output and employment. Small business with fewer than 500 employees, account for more than 50 percent of private sector employment and output. Community banks are better placed in making loans to small businesses. Small bank officials can review the small business loan applications taking local perspectives and the nature of business. That is usually not possible for large banks as they do not have so much autonomy at local levels and it is n ot feasible for the large banks to review the myriads of small business applications that closely. Another advantage with community banks to deal with small business loans is that often it is required to maintain a close relationship with the borrower. It is possible for community banks to closely monitor the borrower, sitting locally, over the course of the loan; the bank needs to maintain a close knit long-term relationship with the firm. Large banks find it inefficient and unfeasible to maintain such close relationship with small businesses. Large banks will rely on phone and mail to communicate with small clients in contrast to community banks who will often have face-to-face meetings. That is to say community banks have their own niche area to cater to where large banks do not have access (Keeton, 2004 p.24) Loans on Nonresidential Real Estate by Community Banks Community banks drive advantage in extending loans backed by nonresidential real estate and they account for over 60 percent of all loans of $100,000 or less and over 40 percent of all nonresidential real estate loans of $1 million or less. Community banks earn higher rates of return on small business loans than large banks (Keeton, 2004 p.26) Farm Lending By virtue of having located at the rural areas, Community banks are important farm lenders. They account for 65 percent of all farm real estate loans; particularly, smaller the amount of loan more are the chances of that being extended by community banks. Large banks are not interested in serving such small farm loans. Community banks are more risk takers while lending to small businesses in contrast to large banks that depend upon neat credit history of the client (Keeton, 2004 p.26). Retail Deposit Services Community banks are more eager to provide personalized services to depositors of moderate to low wealth holders; the reason being that community banks are more dependent on small depositors for their funds requirement where large banks are not found to chase small depositors (Keeton, 2004 p.27). Profitability Earnings on average assets for last 7 years with reference to large and community banks have been reported in the following table. Banks 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 March-2012 Over $ 50 billion 1.41 0.92 0.18 -0.07 0.77 0.94 1.06 Under $10 billion 1.26 1.06 0.05 -0.29 0.16 0.66 0.96 Source:

A critical appraisal of the 2011 E.coli outbreak of food poisoning in Germany Essay Example for Free

A critical appraisal of the 2011 E.coli outbreak of food poisoning in Germany Essay A critical appraisal of the 2011 E.coli outbreak of food poisoning in Germany Introduction            E. coli is an abbreviation that stands for Escherichia coli which is a rod shaped, facultative, Gram negative bacterium. This bacterium is very common in the lower intestines of warm blooded animals. Although not all types E.coli bacterium are harmful, there are some stains that are known to cause serious food poisoning in human beings. The harmless E.coli strains are components of normal flora and produce vitamin k2. Moreover, they are important to humans because they inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the intestines (Bill Clark 2012:74). The gut flora is made up of 0.1% of E.coli and other related bacteria and is mainly transmitted through fecal-oral means. Many of E.coli cells can only survive for a short time outside the body making them good indicator organisms for testing environmental samples of fecal infection. However, recent research has discovered some strains of the E.coli bacteria that can survive for long periods of time outside the body.            The first case of E.coli outbreak in Germany was reported between May and June in 2011 and was largely concentrated in the northern parts of the country. According to German health officials, the foodborne illness was caused by a new strain of the E.coli bacteria known as O104:H4. The disease was mainly characterized by a number of complications like hemolytic-uremic syndrome  (HUS) and bloody diarrhea (Lan Reeves 2002:84). The high number of deaths was mainly caused by hemolytic-uremic syndromes which require quick treatment. Initially, the outbreak was believed to have been caused by a strain of E.coli known as enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) but future research found that the outbreak was in fact caused by enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC). Moreover, this strain of E.coli was found to have the ability to produce Shiga toxins. Initial epidemiological research had suggested that vegetables were the main source of infection. More specifically, the German agricultural mi nisters identified one organic farm in Bienenbà ¼ttel as the most likely source of the infection. As a means of controlling the outbreak, the German government ordered for its immediate closure. Despite the fact that laboratories in Bienenbà ¼ttel did not detect the E.coli bacteria in produce, one laboratory in North Rhine-Westphalia later established that the outbreak strain was in fact present in packaged sprouts from the suspected farm. On June 30th 2011, fenugreek seed imported from Egypt were announced as the most likely source of the outbreak by the German  Bundesinstitut fà ¼r Risikobewertung (BfR)  (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (Todar 2012: 29). The German E.coli outbreak affected 3,950 people in total and caused 51 deaths in the country alone. Other countries that were affected by the outbreak include the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Denmark, Poland and Canada (Bill Clark 2012: 93). At the beginning of the E.coli outbreak , the German authorities claimed that the bacterium was most likely to have originated from Spain. Without carrying out any tests, the German health officials claimed that the O104 E.coli strain was most likely to have originated from cucumbers imported from Spain. However, future tests revealed that Spanish greenhouses were not the source of the E.coli strain responsible for the outbreak. This claim by the German officials provoked protests by the Spanish government because it made the country lose about 200 million USD per week in agricultural exports.            The 2011 E.coli outbreak in Germany was the worst ever recorded case of shiga toxin producing Escherichia Coli outbreak in the world. The outbreak started on May 8th and was declared over by the German health officials on July 4th the same year. The outbreak could have been more serious if the government did not alert the public to avoid consuming foods from areas suspected to be the likely source of the bacteria. In 2011, Germany encountered the biggest episode of Stec cases ever recorded: what added up to 3,842 cases were accounted for, incorporating 2,987 instances of research facility affirmed E. coli gastroenteritis with 18 passings and 855 instances of hemolytic uremic syndrome (Hus) that prompted 35 lethal conclusions (Lan Reeves 2002:93). The episode began on May 8, topped on May 22, and was proclaimed fulfilled by July 4. One could contend that open health measures halted the pandemic by alarming individuals to maintain a strategic distance from the utili zation of debased sustenance, yet it is likewise conceivable that the plague ceased on the grounds that polluted sustenances were no more present in the business sectors. The procedure has been openly scrutinized for being too moderate and for beginning false press advertisements joining cucumbers and not sprouts to the episode. Reflectively, this feedback must be seen with some control. In the beginning of the episode, the average reporting times for Hus cases were 8 days to analysis, in the ballpark of 10 days to illuminate the nearby health section, and around the range of 12 days for showing up for the Robert Koch Institute (Rki) (3). In a U.S. study on E. coli O157 contaminations, a normal reporting time of 7 days was attained. There are two purposes behind the slower reporting process in Germany (Ihssen et al 2010:83) Germany has a less-brought together open health framework, and these cases introduced with an abnormal profile, facing medical practitioners with another clinica l substance. An early epidemiological examination comprised of a case-control study including 26 mature people hospitalized with Hus. Univariate dissection connected just the utilization of sprouts with sickness. Notwithstanding, no sprout cautioning was issued at the start of the episode, since stand out quarter of the patients recalled having depleted sprouts. Next was an accomplice investigation of 177 subjects who had consumed at a solitary restaurant, prompting 33 instances of affirmed Stec the runs. As per the restaurant formula, every one of the 31 cases that could be questioned had depleted uncooked sprouts. An arrangement of natural and follow back and follow send examinations by the German assignment gathering recognized an assembly of Swedish guests who had depleted a sprout mixture. This finding indicated a sprout maker in easier Saxony, Germany, where in May one-third of the workers fell sick, with some of them contaminated with the pestilence strain O104:h4 (Lan Reeve s 2002:102). The following pieces in this perplex were the wholesalers served by this grow maker, joining further groups to sprouts. Strikingly, the German sprout maker had a seed supplier that could be joined to 15 instances of O104:h4 contaminations in Bordeaux, France. These cases were clearly additionally connected with sprout utilization. The beat field gel electrophoresis example of the French disconnects was indistinguishable to that from the German flare-up however unique in relation to those of preoutbreak reference O104 strains, prescribing a solitary source clonal episode, predictable with the epidemiological confirmation. On 10 June, sprouts of fenugreek seeds foreign made from Egypt were declared by the German powers as the offender wellspring of sullying in this episode. On the other hand, none of the sprout mixtures (seeds) tried positive for O104:h4.            The force of the study of disease transmission contrasted and a microbiological methodology was highlighted by the failure to develop the scourge strain from any of the examined sprouts or from the sprout seeds which were taken from the handling chain. Growth of the strain was just conceivable in a couple of situations where back defilement was quite likely, for example, an opened bundle of sprouts from a family unit with illness. Because of the practically all around utilized society based identification routines for plagues, this disappointment speaks to an observation issue for health and sustenance security dominant voices as a rule. The issue could be brought on by the low irresistible measurements of the pathogen, its rot in nourishment at the minute of examination, or a particular physiological state of microbes characterized as suitable however nonculturable (VBNC). Numerous diverse bacterial species, incorporating E. coli, enter this Vbnc state as a reacti on to distressing ecological conditions (Ihssen et al 2010:125). Microbes in the Vbnc state dont develop on microbiological media however recapture cultivability when revived after stretch alleviation. In fact, O104:h4 entered this Vbnc state when presented to supplement poor conditions, poisonous amassings of copper particles, or faucet water. Soothing the anxiety by copper particle chelating encouraged the revival of O104:h4. Be that as it may, these trials ought to be translated with forethought, since there is so far no immediate confirm that E.coli O104:h4 is found in the VBNC state in nature.            The epidemiological investigation of first fundamentally sustenance borne tainting gets to be much more troublesome when the starting pathogen transmission by means of the evolved way of life is traded by human-to-human transmission. Human-to-human transmission is known to happen in the ballpark of 20% of families with an O157:h7 essential patient. Optional family transmission from mature person patients was likewise prescribed for O104:h4 contaminations in France and The Netherlands, fundamentally dependent upon the perception of deferred onset contrasted with the brooding time of 7 to 9 days for O104:h4 contaminations. Optional transmissions were additionally reported in Hessen, Germany, which is arranged outside of the primary plague center in northern Germany (Todar 2012:38). The study recorded transmission in families, the healing facility, and the microbiological research center.            Health officials in Germany faced a lot of difficulties in isolating the causative organism mainly due to its versatile nature. Based on the investigations carried out during the German epidemic, there are two major distinct pathotypes of the E.coli bacteria namely enteroaggregative E.coli (EAEC and enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) E.coli. It becomes even more difficult to control the E.coli bacteria if the virulence genes are located in the mobile elements of the DNA. Based on this, E. coli outbreaks in Germany, Oregon and Michigan are not the last. This calls for the microbiological community to carryout more research and ensure that the E.coli strains are sequenced on time and in an open way (Peter et al 2011:84). In Germany, the annotation of the E.coli strain responsible for the outbreak was carried out in a community-wide approach through the use of the internet. It brought together bioinformaticians from all corners of the world working day and night to sequence the genomes. Some of the international health organizations that were involved in handling the outbreak were the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the world health organization (WHO). The main role of a UK Local Authority based Environmental Health Practitioner would have been control the spread of the bacteria by isolating all infected animals and farm produce. Lessons from the 2011 E.coli outbreak in Germany            There are a number of lessons that can be learnt from the 2011 E. coli outbreak in Germany. To begin with, there is need to come up with more safe ways of growing foods especially fruits and vegetables. The investigations into the cause of the 2011 E. coli outbreak established the presence of certain strains of the bacteria in a number of vegetables and not on sprouts alone. This raised the question of E. coli prevalence in the European fresh produce (Russo 2003:4). The second lesson that can be learnt from the 2011 E. coli outbreak in Germany is the need for better communication incase any harmful bacteria are found in foods. After the E. coli outbreak, the German government came under a lot of criticism for taking too long to announce the outbreak. The government took too long before it took the report to the Roberth Koch Institute (RKI) (Todar 2012:83). Many of the infections and deaths that resulted from the outbreak could have been avoided had the government w arned the people on time. Based on this, it is important for governments all over the world to have an efficient E.coli surveillance and warning system. The final lesson that can be learnt from the E.coli epidemic in Germany is the need to ensure food safety both nationally and internationally. Despite the fact that the 2011 epidemic was concentrated in one area, it had global impacts. According to investigations, the sprout seeds found in the implicated farm were found to have originated from Asia, southern Europe and Germany. It is important for countries to raise food safety standards mostly in free markets like the European Union. References Benzer S 1961, ‘On the Topography of the Genetic Fine Structure’,  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A Bill Marler Marler Clark 2012,’German E. coli O104:H4 Outbreak – $2.84 Billion in Human Damage’  : Food Poison Journal Connolly, Allison 2008)’  Ã¢â‚¬ËœE. Coli Outbreak Kills One More Patient as Source Eludes Investigators’, Bloomberg Ihssen J, Kowarik M, Dilettoso S, Tanner C, Wacker M, Thà ¶ny-Meyer L. 2010,’Production of glycoprotein vaccines in Escherichia coli’, Microbial Cell Factories Lawrence JG, Ochman H, 1998, ‘Molecular archaeology of the Escherichia coli genome’.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. Lan R, Reeves PR 2002, ‘Escherichia coli in disguise: molecular origins of Shigella’,  Microbes Infect. Lee SY 1996, ‘High cell-density culture of Escherichia coli’,  Trends BiotechnolPeter Walker, Adam Gabbatt and agencies 2011,’E coli: European commissioner suggests  £135m payout for farmers | World news’,  The Guardian Russo E 2003,  Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe birth of biotechnology’,  Nature Todar, K.2012,’Pathogenic  E. coli’.  Online Textbook of Bacteriology. University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Bacteriology Source document

Realism and Naturalism :: essays research papers

Realism and Naturalism In Music and Art As intellectual and artistic movements 19th-Century Realism and Naturalism are both responses to Romanticism but are not really comparable to it in scope or influence. For one thing, "realism" is not a term strictly applicable to music. There are verismo (realistic) operas like Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chà ©nier created in the last decade of the 19th century in Italy, but it is their plots rather than their music which can be said to participate in the movement toward realism. Since "pure" untexted music is not usually representational (with the controversial exception of "program" music), it cannot be said to be more or less realistic. In contrast, art may be said to have had many realistic aspects before this time. The still lifes and domestic art of Jean-Baptiste-Simà ©on Chardin1 (1699-1779) anticipate many of the concerns of the 19th-Century Realists, and he in turn owes a debt to the Netherland school of still-life painting of the century before him, and one can find similar detailed renderings of everyday objects even on the walls of 1st-century Pompeii. Realism is a recurrent theme in art which becomes a coherent movement only after 1850; and even then it struggles against the overwhelming popularity of Romanticism. In mid-19th century France, Gustave Courbet2 set forth a program of realistic painting as a self-conscious alternative to the dominant Romantic style, building on earlier work by the painters of the Barbizon School (of which the most famous member was Jean-Franà §ois Millet), which had attempted to reproduce landscapes and village life as directly and accurately as possible. Impressionism can be seen as a development which grew out of Realism, but in its turn still had to battle the more popular Romanticism. Realism has never entirely displaced the popular taste for Romantic art, as any number of hotel-room paintings, paperback book covers and calendars testify. It became just one more style among others. In Fiction Realism's most important influences have been on fiction and the theater. It is perhaps unsurprising that its origins can be traced to France, where the dominant official neoclassicism had put up a long struggle against Romanticism. Since the 18th century the French have traditionally viewed themselves as rationalists, and this prevailing attitude in intellectual circles meant that Romanticism led an uneasy existence in France even when allied with the major revolutionary movements of 1789 and 1830. Influence of Realism Realism had profound effects on fiction from places as far-flung as Russia and the Americas.

Kate Chopins The Storm and The Story of an Hour Essay -- Papers Chopi

Kate Chopin's "The Storm" and "The Story of an Hour" 'The Storm' and 'The Story of an Hour' expresses the attitudes of two women's rebirth and liberation. These two stories are alike in several ways. Natures plays a major role in both of these women's lives. Calixta and Mrs. Louise Mallard struggle to find their independence and in doing so the endings are triumphant and tragic. 'The Storm' begins on a stormy spring day, with the protagonist Calixta at her sewing machine. She is alone, her husband Bobinot and son Bibi have gone to the store. Calixta seems to be a bored woman, confined to her duties as a housewife and mother. As the distant storm approaches she is unaware of what the storm brings, her former lover Alcee. Calixta allows Alcee into her home and opens her whole world to him. There is a connection between the storm that is going on outside and the storm of emotions going on in Calixta and Alcee. The weather sends Calixta into Alcee?s arms, he wraps his arms around her, and they can no longer hide their feelings for one another. They gave into their raging emotions and made love. Outside the weather was subsiding and Calixta and Alcee?s bodies felt relaxed and calmed. ?The rain was over; and the sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems.? (1614) His face beamed with light like the sun. The storm inside of her was satisfied and for a brief instant Calixta felt liberated from her ordinary dull life. Unlike Calixta, Louise Mallard is a fragile woman afflicted with heart trouble. It comes to her attention through a trustworthy friend that her husband, Brently Mallard has been killed in a railroad disaster. She is overcome with intense grief and instantly weeps o... ... she has. Mrs. Mallard?s freedom did not last but a few moments. Her reaction to the news of the death of her husband was not the way most people would have reacted. We do not know much about Mr. And Mrs. Mallards relationship. We gather from the text that her freedom must have been limited in some way for her to be feeling this way. Years ago women were expected to act a certain way and not to deviate from that. Mrs. Mallard could have been very young when she and Brently were married. She may not have had the opportunity to see the world through a liberated woman?s eyes and she thought now was her chance. Bibliography: Chopin, Kate. ?The Story of an Hour.? Literature For Composition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet, et al. New York: 1996. 12-13 Chopin, Kate. ?The Storm.? The Norton Anthology. Ed. Nina Baym, et al. New York: 1999. 1612-1615