Negotiation Tactics

Law of the Olympic Games Law 451D – Sec. 001 (4-Credit Seminar) Spring 2010 Administrative Information Professor Joseph Weiler Instructor: Ken Cavalier E-mail: [email  protected] ubc. ca E-mail: [email  protected] net Phone: 604 – 822 – 4246 Phone: 604 – 581 – 0261 Office: Curtis 221 Instructor: Arun Mohan Instructor: Brian Schecter E-mail: [email  protected] comE-mail: [email  protected] com Phone: 604 – 375 – 3901 Class Schedule: Tuesday: 2 – 5 pm Classroom: UCLL 173 (Lower Level of the Leon and Thea Koerner University Centre) Evaluation Term paper accounts for 2/3 of the final grade. a. Approximately a 30 – 40 page paper is expected. b. The paper is due on Friday, April 30 by 4:30 p. m. c. Papers must be handed in at the Fish Bowl (Reception) Desk in paper format, and e-mailed to Professor Weiler in Word format. Class participation accounts for 1/3 of the final grade. a. A portion of the class participation mark will be based on a discussion that will be led by a student-group and center on the topics delineated in the course schedule (next page). b. A portion of the mark will be based on a discussion outline that must be created and handed out to the class—preferably by e-mail—at least a week before your particular discussion. c. A portion of the mark will be based on participating in the other discussions. Course Materials Students will read from the Course Kit, which will emailed to everyone. In addition, in preparation for the weekly discussions, the class will read the discussion outlines prepared by their fellow students, as well as materials from the suggested readings listed in these outlines. These materials will be available online and/or on course reserve. Schedule The course will follow the schedule detailed below: Week 1January 5Introduction and Administration Week 2January 12Administration: Group Topic Organization Week 3 January 19 The Olympic Movement: Setting the Stage -History, goals, values, benchmarks Week 4January 26 The Bid Process — Fairness, scandals, checks and balances – — Lessons from previous bids Guest: Don Rosenbloom (2010 Bid Corp) Student Discussants: Andy Roy: [email  protected] com Jon Conlin: [email  protected] com Week 5 February 2 Citizen Engagement and the Olympics Plebiscites, interest groups/watchdogs, community activation and mobilization -Housing Impacts: Positive and/or Negative? Guests: Rob VanWynsberghe (UBC: OGI Project) and Brenda Metropolit (VANOC) Student Discussants: Samuel Loeb: [email  protected] com Christian Nielsen: [email  protected] com Week 6 February 9 Eligibility to Play / Judging of Events â €“ Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs, Illegal Drugs, – Gender equity: the Women Ski Jumpers Case – Disability – Nationality – ADR-Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – Comparison with professional sports and tours Guest: Nick Hopewell (Sports Lawyer) Student Discussants: Alexis Marach: [email  protected] com Week 7February 16No Class due to Midterm Olympic Games Break Week 8February 23No Class due to Midterm Olympic Games Break Week 9March 2Building and Operating the Games – Operation of the labour market, wage inflation and building costs, regulation of work stoppages employment equity strategies, use of volunteers Guests: Brian Dolsen (2010 Bid Corp, 2010 Legacies Now) and Roslyn Kunin (Canada West Foundation) Student Discussants: Alia Somji: [email  protected] com Peter Thoegersen: [email  protected] dk Emilie Vingtoft-Andersen: [email  protected] com Week 10March 9Revenue Sources: Sponsorship – Trademarks and Sponsorship – Exclusivity – Sponsors as â€Å"Olympic Partners† – Ambush marketing Guest: tba Student Discussants: Chris Filipchuk: c. [email  protected] com Alexandra Tratnick: [email  protected] com Week 11March 16 Revenue Sources: Broadcast -Television, radio, videogames, Internet: Are they complementary or competitive properties and platforms? -Domestic rights, global rights, valuation strategies -Distribution of revenue: IOC and NOCs and OCOGs -Relation to sponsorship Guests: tba Student Discussants: Audrey Lim: audry. [email  protected] com Neil Spencer: [email  protected] a Week 12 March 23 Sustainability and the Olympic Games -The Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability: Economic, Environmental and Social Sustainability Guests: Linda Coady, Margaret Dickson (VANOC) Student Discussants: Alasdair Shaw: [email  protected] gla. ac. uk Week 14 March 30 Aboriginal Inclusion: the Fo ur Host First Nations as Olympic Partners Guest: Tewanee Joseph, Executive Director, Paul Manning (Senior Consultant) : Four Host First Nations (FHFN) Secretariat Student Discussants: Victor Ing: [email  protected] ubc. ca Gina Wu: gina. cy. [email  protected] com Week 14April 6 Olympic Legacies: 2010 Legacies Now Building Better Communities -Sport and Recreation, Literacy, Arts, Volunteers Guests: Bruce Dewar (2010 Legacies Now) Student Discussants: Robert Pinsent: [email  protected] com Week 15April 13Cultural Olympiad -Torch Relay, Opening and Closing Ceremonies -Relation between Cultural Olympiad and other media and entertainment products during Games time -Ambush marketing and citizen protests -Cultural legacies UBC’s Role in the Games Guests: Michelle Aucoin, UBC Olympic Secretariat Student Discussants: Course Wrap-Up April 30 (Friday)Paper Due at 4:30 p. m. Via E-mail to Professor Weiler and Hard Copy to Fishbowl Office Negotiation Tactics Law of the Olympic Games Law 451D – Sec. 001 (4-Credit Seminar) Spring 2010 Administrative Information Professor Joseph Weiler Instructor: Ken Cavalier E-mail: [email  protected] ubc. ca E-mail: [email  protected] net Phone: 604 – 822 – 4246 Phone: 604 – 581 – 0261 Office: Curtis 221 Instructor: Arun Mohan Instructor: Brian Schecter E-mail: [email  protected] comE-mail: [email  protected] com Phone: 604 – 375 – 3901 Class Schedule: Tuesday: 2 – 5 pm Classroom: UCLL 173 (Lower Level of the Leon and Thea Koerner University Centre) Evaluation Term paper accounts for 2/3 of the final grade. a. Approximately a 30 – 40 page paper is expected. b. The paper is due on Friday, April 30 by 4:30 p. m. c. Papers must be handed in at the Fish Bowl (Reception) Desk in paper format, and e-mailed to Professor Weiler in Word format. Class participation accounts for 1/3 of the final grade. a. A portion of the class participation mark will be based on a discussion that will be led by a student-group and center on the topics delineated in the course schedule (next page). b. A portion of the mark will be based on a discussion outline that must be created and handed out to the class—preferably by e-mail—at least a week before your particular discussion. c. A portion of the mark will be based on participating in the other discussions. Course Materials Students will read from the Course Kit, which will emailed to everyone. In addition, in preparation for the weekly discussions, the class will read the discussion outlines prepared by their fellow students, as well as materials from the suggested readings listed in these outlines. These materials will be available online and/or on course reserve. Schedule The course will follow the schedule detailed below: Week 1January 5Introduction and Administration Week 2January 12Administration: Group Topic Organization Week 3 January 19 The Olympic Movement: Setting the Stage -History, goals, values, benchmarks Week 4January 26 The Bid Process — Fairness, scandals, checks and balances – — Lessons from previous bids Guest: Don Rosenbloom (2010 Bid Corp) Student Discussants: Andy Roy: [email  protected] com Jon Conlin: [email  protected] com Week 5 February 2 Citizen Engagement and the Olympics Plebiscites, interest groups/watchdogs, community activation and mobilization -Housing Impacts: Positive and/or Negative? Guests: Rob VanWynsberghe (UBC: OGI Project) and Brenda Metropolit (VANOC) Student Discussants: Samuel Loeb: [email  protected] com Christian Nielsen: [email  protected] com Week 6 February 9 Eligibility to Play / Judging of Events â €“ Use of Performance Enhancing Drugs, Illegal Drugs, – Gender equity: the Women Ski Jumpers Case – Disability – Nationality – ADR-Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) – Comparison with professional sports and tours Guest: Nick Hopewell (Sports Lawyer) Student Discussants: Alexis Marach: [email  protected] com Week 7February 16No Class due to Midterm Olympic Games Break Week 8February 23No Class due to Midterm Olympic Games Break Week 9March 2Building and Operating the Games – Operation of the labour market, wage inflation and building costs, regulation of work stoppages employment equity strategies, use of volunteers Guests: Brian Dolsen (2010 Bid Corp, 2010 Legacies Now) and Roslyn Kunin (Canada West Foundation) Student Discussants: Alia Somji: [email  protected] com Peter Thoegersen: [email  protected] dk Emilie Vingtoft-Andersen: [email  protected] com Week 10March 9Revenue Sources: Sponsorship – Trademarks and Sponsorship – Exclusivity – Sponsors as â€Å"Olympic Partners† – Ambush marketing Guest: tba Student Discussants: Chris Filipchuk: c. [email  protected] com Alexandra Tratnick: [email  protected] com Week 11March 16 Revenue Sources: Broadcast -Television, radio, videogames, Internet: Are they complementary or competitive properties and platforms? -Domestic rights, global rights, valuation strategies -Distribution of revenue: IOC and NOCs and OCOGs -Relation to sponsorship Guests: tba Student Discussants: Audrey Lim: audry. [email  protected] com Neil Spencer: [email  protected] a Week 12 March 23 Sustainability and the Olympic Games -The Triple Bottom Line of Sustainability: Economic, Environmental and Social Sustainability Guests: Linda Coady, Margaret Dickson (VANOC) Student Discussants: Alasdair Shaw: [email  protected] gla. ac. uk Week 14 March 30 Aboriginal Inclusion: the Fo ur Host First Nations as Olympic Partners Guest: Tewanee Joseph, Executive Director, Paul Manning (Senior Consultant) : Four Host First Nations (FHFN) Secretariat Student Discussants: Victor Ing: [email  protected] ubc. ca Gina Wu: gina. cy. [email  protected] com Week 14April 6 Olympic Legacies: 2010 Legacies Now Building Better Communities -Sport and Recreation, Literacy, Arts, Volunteers Guests: Bruce Dewar (2010 Legacies Now) Student Discussants: Robert Pinsent: [email  protected] com Week 15April 13Cultural Olympiad -Torch Relay, Opening and Closing Ceremonies -Relation between Cultural Olympiad and other media and entertainment products during Games time -Ambush marketing and citizen protests -Cultural legacies UBC’s Role in the Games Guests: Michelle Aucoin, UBC Olympic Secretariat Student Discussants: Course Wrap-Up April 30 (Friday)Paper Due at 4:30 p. m. Via E-mail to Professor Weiler and Hard Copy to Fishbowl Office

Defining Humanities Essay

Humanities are fundamental to grasp an understanding of what has transpired in the past and what will construct for the future. To differentiate between the humanities and other modes of human inquiries and expressions, the definition of humanities must be defined and will be explained in this paper along with a personal cultural event experienced. The reader should depart with an understanding of what humanities entails and how it differs. Humanities Humanities are constantly tested with a range of societal changes today. According to the Humanities Association (2009), â€Å"humanities is about people; how people create the world they live in; how the world they live in makes them the people they are† (para. 2). Humanities express the concern in human life and illustrate how it relates to its historic times. Distinguishing the humanities from other modes of human inquiry and expression shares a comprehensive appreciation of the human form, whether it is the study of art, music, architecture, philosophy, literature, or any other individual venture. Other modes of human inquiries are about studying non-human objects. It differs from others that exercise a pragmatic approach. In other words, expressions with humanistic senses are supported and can be observed. Cultural Events Collectively, humanities are about the human race and how people have survived over time through political, socioeconomics, and technological changes. Culture is a dominant individual tool for survival, but it is also a delicate observable fact. It is consistently evolving and easily displaced because it exists only in our minds. Last year, the author of this paper had the pleasure of attending the Texas Renaissance Festival in Plantersville, TX. The festival is one of the nation’s largest, most recognized Renaissance fair where the things to see, sounds, tastes, and exquisiteness of the 16th Century come alive every weekend for eight weeks. The fair displays several forms of expressions in art, theater, dance, music, and literature. There are also themed weekend which allows a brief glimpse into the world during a particular era. The Texas Renaissance festival is an expression of how certain aspects of life were dealt with in past centuries. It gives an all access weekend into the life of traditional living, coupled with food and replica artifacts for sell during the focused period. It started showcasing in 1974 and today features over 500 costumed performers and 15 performance stages. The music played around the fair emphasizes emotions and projects individual experiences into rhythmic words. For example, during the Roman Bacchanal themed weekend, it features entertainment that includes the sounds of ancient Rome. All music is forms of an â€Å"art form† and is only an outline of expression. Contrary to what music was like centuries ago, the direction it has taken now takes on a whole new meaning. There are different genres such as rock, pop, classical, jazz, opera, or hip-hop. They are released to society in the variety of ways such as compact discs, digitized musical downloads, or in person concerts. Some individuals of society believes music is controlling and manipulating; however, some individuals beg to differ denoting it has positive socioeconomically results and is art. The works of literature displayed at the fair is impeccable. It is in the form of imaginative works including short stories, poems, or plays, which are performed on stages around the fair grounds. Words in humanities can be written to describe the story of past events. Conclusion The study of humanities used to figure out the differing explanations of being existence and the past. Today’s civilization would be gone astray without the learning and use of humanities. If humanities did not exist, society and future generations would not understand how some wants and necessities happened such as cars, phones, electricity, television, sports, the White House, etc. Understanding how current developments reflect on humanities is important because it generalizes dependent and independent variables people speculated as causes to his or his background. The cultural event experienced revolutionized the insight of past centuries. Humanities and cultural familiarities allow people to become in synch with today’s world of fast-paced assimilated awareness.

Marketing Plan Starbucks Coffee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Marketing Plan Starbucks Coffee - Essay Example Starbucks Coffee made a humble beginning in the year 1971 when it began selling bean and processed coffee in a small store in Seattle USA. Over the years the company has established itself as one of the leading coffee stores of the world serving more than a million customers though a dedicated presence in over 50 nations spread across 17000 cities across the globe. The company is presently listed as a public firm and its stocks are being actively traded on the bourses of NASDAQ stock exchange in USA. The brand portfolio of the firm includes â€Å"Starbucks Coffee, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Tazo Tea, and Torrefazione Italia Coffee†. The main aim of the firm to provide the best coffee to the customers using the best raw materials sourced ethically and processed at the firm’s own processing unit. The international expansion strategies include partnerships as well as licensing. The success of the firm could be analysed from the fact that it operates successfully in nations having diverse culture and traditions maintaining an extremely high quality standard. In spite of the large business presence the company maintains high ethical standards which is revealed from the fact that it has been rated as one of the most ethical companies of the world for the fourth consecutive time by the Ethisphere magazine. (Starbucks-a, 2011). Market Analysis Internal Environment The analysis of internal environment can be done by identifying the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats faced by an organization. SWOT analysis is a useful tool that can help in analysing the internal environment of an organization. Strengths The biggest strength of Starbucks Corporation lies in its strong brand image which has created a strong positioning of the firm in the minds of the customer. Presence in large

LEGAL ASPECTS OF HOSPITALITY Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

LEGAL ASPECTS OF HOSPITALITY - Research Paper Example As a means of drawing inference upon these specific sectors of interest, this particular student will analyze these factors based upon the determinant of seeking to become a hotel manager. Furthermore, when choosing this particular topic, it came to the attention of the researcher that the specific subject matter has a direct correlation to both the legal matters as well as the applicability and practicality of choosing this specific field as a potential future career path. The reasons for this are as follows: 1) hotel management provides the most direct link between the client, the employee, and providing a high quality of service/ensuring future profitability, 2) hotel management requires that the hotel manager should be perennially cognizant of the means by which legal issues impact upon the work that they engage in, 3) hotel management is a promising and rapidly growing sector that represents a high level of opportunity for the graduate that has a background in hospitality or tou rism related sectors. The Responsibilities of the Hotel Manager Given the role of a hotel manager or the Deputy or Operations Manager, in absence of the general manager, he is to run the hotel on a daily basis. The hotel manager is tasked to give solutions to the emergencies and problem the hotel faces each and every day. The hotel manager also take charge of the different departments of the hotel. But most of all, the operations manager reports to the general manager who will give the tasks and responsibilities to him. The general manager asks for jobs to be done and sometimes does not necessarily ask for any rationales as long as he gets what he wanted. Thus it can be said that being a hotel manager is one of the most challenging job a hotel industry major can ever pursue as a career having to ensure the job gets done under his management an he gives smiles to his boss at the end of the day. What should be done? What are the jobs to be done by the management team as well as the la bor force? As enumerated by ACCOR (n.d.), the hotel industry "has a key role to play in sustainable development. Indeed, every hotel faces at its level the main current environmental issues: building heating, water consumption, household (guest) and industrial (laundry, restaurant) waste management, site preservation†¦ A hotel is thus a real proving ground for exploring new technologies and new lifestyles." These responsibilities are not as easy as they seem. The ground work for everything to keep together in a daily basis while having different sets of guests, season, environmental and financial status as well as the unexpected calamities may hinder keeping the employees do their responsibilities. The hotel operation is 24/7 and does not have any break time or closing hours like any other business. From maintaining the cleanliness, serving the requests of the guests and keeping all the facilities up and running smoothly require enough knowledge and dedication from the staff. A ccording to the interview done by Harvey Chipkin (2013) to Ted Mandigo, a veteran

The General Systems Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The General Systems Theory - Essay Example But in reality complexities exist, thus Jordan’s taxonomy had many implied drawbacks (Skyttner, 2005). Beer and the Viable System’s Model: The viable system’s Model provides us with a more complex model of a system as compared to the one provided by Jordan. In this theory the author Stafford Beer related the performance of an organizational system with that of a human brain, in his book ‘Brain of the Firm’. According to him, a viable business has the abilities to self-repair, of self-awareness, recursion and the ability to maintain identity. Beer designed principles which must be followed by the organizations in order to be viable. These principles provided guidelines for the information flow in the organization through various channels, their cost effectiveness and their capacity to convert data relating to the need of every level of organization that suits their needs and how these activities should be coordinated without any loss or trouble. The f ive sub managerial systems that were described by Beer translated the flow of information through the organization and how they interrelate. Through these systems he showed how each level is dependent on the other level for the flow of information and as the levels increase, so does the responsibility and the sensitivity of the information. Thus, in his model System One is the lowest level of the organization and is the one that needs to be controlled, it includes the operational departments or subsidiaries with lowest level of information that is provided by higher levels, whereas System Five completes the system by monitoring the balance between the systems, it mainly constitutes of the shareholders and board of directors of the organization. Beer also devised... The computer designed on the basis of the concepts of Klir’s GSPS has the ability to solve issues for the user. His theory was based on various mathematical algorithms which correspond with engineering techniques to solve an issue. It has four functional units: the control unit, meta methodological support unit, a knowledge base and a set of methodological tools. The algorithms used are specified in order for problems dealt through these tools. Metamethodological support unit arranges the problems on the basis of their generality. Knowledge base unit stores the information related issues which can not be solved through the system. The user interface will work either through the conceptual framework or through a direct connection to the main unit. Klir's problem-solving approach and system design can be sufficient for well-structured situations. Through history teams of experts in both technological and no technical aspects of the problem assembled and processed the necessary d ata and came up with alternative approaches which defined the benefits and shortcomings of every aspect. These researchers defined the relations between the theories where it was possible by producing quantitative analyses and predictions, where they were appropriate to give content to the most general aspects of the environment. Through these procedures, a gap was tried to be filled between the technical and non-technical theorists, so that a form could be given to every general theory wherever possible.

Formal Analysis Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Formal Analysis Assignment - Essay Example The art places Christ in a liminal state transforming from death to life. The picture depicted is much calm and motionless as the final moments described by the Scripture1. For an artist who painted modern paintings, religion appears as an odd space indeed for Manet’s artistic skills. The style in which he composed Christ and the angels (with a careful attention to detailed copying of costumes, models, and stage) in design relation to the other parts of the piece, it definitely sums up to a notion of admiration. By looking at the piece of the dead Christ, It is difficult to establish whether a controversial effect was Manet’s objective with the piece. The intent is obviously contentious, but the level of artistic amazement is unquestionably classic. A profound streak of color is used by Manet to thicken Jesus’s face. Closer to his forehead top, varying smudges of maroon represents the appearance of desiccated, scaly blood. Manet uses Harsh yellow hues to emphasize the tip of nose of Christ, the curves just beneath Christ’s eyebrows and the apples of his cheekbones, while his nose and sunken-in eyes sockets are depicted using darker hues. Christ’s mouth and eyes are half-open. The spread of shadow transversely on face results in his head appearing to recede in the background. The white shading of fabric covering up his lower body justly dominates the composition. On both sides of this imposing corpse of Christ, two women, costumed in bright, colorful clothes and unusual angels’ wings, appear to attend to the lifeless body. The angels’ colorful looks fail to overshadow the Christ’s body’s overwhelming grimness. Out of the combination of repugnance and beauty, pallor and color, a to tally comfortless Christ emerged. The artist is demonstrative in his pallet exploration, and there’s no mix up with the pathos created in the scene. The Dense folds of clothes that cover Christ’s body instill the artist’s mastery of

Personal Action Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal Action Plan - Essay Example Those who migrate from other regions feel uncomfortable with the cultural and social surroundings of the host country. These issues include, but are not limited to, dressing style, eating habits, language barriers, religious affiliations, and cultural festivals and so on. The most pressing issues that I found are communication and/or language barriers and prejudice against people in minority threatening their integration in the new environment and with the new people. During the course, I realized that my social network with others was weak and full of prejudice and self seeking. In response to this I will strengthen my social relation by making more friends both in the college and in the community as a whole. Improving social network through appreciations and accepting every culture creates a social bond between people. I would focus my action plan in the friends’ group area initially. I would like to take part in making people from different backgrounds mingle and forget differences in their backgrounds, accents, languages and dressing. I would work hard to bring them on the same page by emphasizing on the equality that exists between them for being humans. Another aspect that was identified during the course that has not been up to date is communication. On the personal ground my communication has been moderate. I have been concentrating on my peers and those in the same class. This course has exposed me to learn how to communicate with those in the higher position. These include the lecturers, administrators and university workers. In light to what I have learnt, I will improve my language which has been a barrier to communicate with those in senior authority. Communication has also been a challenge to other who shared this class with me. They did not know how they could channel their complaints to the authority. Hence, I would like to reduce their hesitation by guiding them toward the official procedures that work in a systematic manner to address

Business Report on Van Morrison Supermarkets Coursework

Business Report on Van Morrison Supermarkets - Coursework Example IT application is also found to be effective for operations to develop one system to be used across the stores for an effective utilization of the stock with the purpose of enhancing the business process. In accordance with the company, Van Morrison Supermarkets, which is operating within the national and international market place as a retail supermarket chain can be observed as facing problems with regard to IT and IS. The problems that are currently being faced by the company includes its infrastructure related to the IS/IT, with high dependency on Microsoft software as well as the operating systems using technology of low standards within the workstations. As a consequence, the staff working within the company is often dissatisfied due to the poor performances of IT/IS software often being down which causes delay in dealing with the customers as well as the suppliers causing massive damage to the customer satisfaction prospects of the organisation. Emphasising on this particular aspect, the objective of the study will be to suggest remedies for better applications of tools and concepts used in the modern IT/IS integration frameworks in Van Morrison to counter the identified problems. Tools, Concepts and Ideas in Formulating the IT and Information IS With Respect To the Retail Sector In the modern day scenario, the companies are viewing new dimensions for the use as well as the application of the Information Systems (IS) and the Information Technologies (IT) used as a means to obtain better operational efficiencies. In this context, for the companies to sustain and develop these added dimensions of the IS and the IT, act as a competitive as well as a strategic weapon too, to combat industrial complexities and obstacles effectively. The three aspects with respect to the IT applied in organisational settings, which are often argued to be responsible for the success of the companies, comprises of the presence of strong IT staff within the organisation, the pres ence of a firm technology base that can be reused and a consensus partnership between the IT staff as well as the management. In the modern day scenario, the global economy and the use of the internet facilities has been growing rapidly. In accordance with the field of e-commerce, the process and the manner through which the companies tend to utilize its IT applications have often been argued to result in the success of the company (Multimedia University, 2011). The strategies with regard to the IT and IS applications commonly include the incorporation of the computer as well as the manual systems, computer telecommunication and computer technology. The IT and IS strategies also involve the various aspects of management of the organisation. The objectives as well as the aim of the organisations adopting the IS and IT strategies further include, aligning the business strategies with that of the strategies of the IS and IT so as to determine the prioritised field with regard to the

A Christmas Carol Essay Example for Free

A Christmas Carol Essay Secondly, Dickens A Christmas Carol is a story with a happy resolution. This is another key reason for its lasting appeal. The reader is taken through a wide range of emotions but in the final stave the only emotions are of happiness and hope. We see happiness throughout the stave and this prompts the reader to hope for more joy in the characters future. This is important as it reflects the spirit of Christmas for many people and it was how Dickens believed Christmas should be. He appears to have achieved his aim of reversing the decline of Christmas celebrations at the time of writing the novel. Its enduring appeal is that it continues to be a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. Dickens titles Stave Five as The End of it this appears to suggest that there should be no other meaning to Christmas except joyfulness and compassion for others. We learn that these are the messages that Dickens wanted to haunt their house pleasantly as stated in the preface. This also implies that he wants the messages delivered in the novel to live on and remain with the reader. During this stave when Scrooge speaks his sentences, they often end with exclamation marks which shows that he is now in a more pleasant mood. This adds a sense of excitement within the reader which contributes to the Christmas spirit shown in the stave. The use of exclamation marks changes in this stave as they are used positively which contrasts to the earlier staves when Dickens uses them negatively when associated with Scrooge. The narrators voice assures the reader that Scrooges transformation was long lasting and complete. The narrators omniscient view of the future explains that Scrooge went on to become not only a second father to Tiny Tim but also as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man. By the end the reader feels that they have been immersed into Scrooges world and changed with him. The audience can sense the warmth and compassion that surrounds Scrooge now. The last line as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One! summarizes how Dickens believes the spirit of Christmas should be. It is significant that the last line is from Tiny Tim as he symbolizes how Christmas can be enjoyed and celebrated despite not having the luxuries that others may have. It also leaves us with the final message that the feeling of goodwill does not only lie with the characters but the readers as well. The concluding feeling of joy and hope symbolizes all that Christmas represents and is one of the reasons that A Christmas Carol remains popular today. Another key issue in this novel is the potential to change and the redemption of a character. It engages the reader in the novel as they want to see Scrooge change so they are encouraged to continue reading. It also maintains the themes of hope and goodwill that is associated with Christmas. At the beginning Scrooge is seen as a cold miserable character that expresses no joy at Christmas. During Stave Two we see his potential for change as we realise that he did once have friends and family which shows that Scrooge was not always heartless and unkind. He remembers the little boy that came singing carols and his nephew earlier and is remorseful that he did not treat them better. The spirit takes Scrooge to a place where he used to work and is reminded how he had enjoyed Christmases in the past. Scrooges transformation continues through the night as the ghost of Christmas present shows him the Cratchit household who are a loving family even though they have no money. Scrooge shows concern for Tiny Tim the little crippled boy in the family. This shows that he is beginning to change as he takes an interest in other peoples well being. The last stave is where we see a drastic change in Scrooges behaviour. His merry attitude towards Christmas is seen when he says A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you, for many a year! Ill raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family. From this we can see that Scrooge has a new kindness within him. It shows that Scrooge has realised that he has not treated Bob well and that he will try to make amends. It also suggests that Scrooge is now more charitable and generous. We also see that Scrooge is again thinking about others assist your struggling family which is an extreme contrast to Stave One If they would rather die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. A Christmas Carol remains as popular as ever. This is because it continues to be relevant to todays society. Dickens wanted to cut through the materialism of Christmas and remind people of its real meaning, which is a time to be joyous and charitable. Dickens use of strong language when describing Scrooges character at the beginning is to demonstrate that there is always a possibility of change and redemption of a character. This allows the reader to believe that there is some goodness in all. It creates feeling of hope, warmth and joy that is linked to Christmas. In A Christmas Carol Dickens use of language makes the reader feel that they are amongst the action. It conjures up all the range of emotions that a human being experiences and ultimately results in happiness, which is an emotion everyone strives for.

PRACTICAL REPORT ON THE ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF CODEINE AND PARACETAMOL Essay Example for Free

PRACTICAL REPORT ON THE ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF CODEINE AND PARACETAMOL Essay Codeine or methyl morphine, an alkaloid, was first isolated in 1832 from raw opium. It concentration ranges from 0.2% to 0.8%. Mostly used for its analgesic, anti-tussive and anti-diarrheal capabilities (Tremlett, Anderson and Wolf, 2010). Paracetamol also known as acetaminophen (n-acetyl-p-aminophenol, APAP) on the other hand, is a useful non- steroidal anti- inflammatory drug (NSAID). It is commonly used in the management of pain and fever in a variety of patients (Kamberi, et al., 2004). Fig 1: Codeine[NCBI, 2009] Fig 2: Acetaminophen[NCBI, 2009] One of the technique involved in the extraction of codeine and paracetamol from its matrix, is the solvent extraction otherwise known as liquid – liquid extraction. This process entails the use of two immiscible liquids usually chloroform and water; in dissolving the sample for two distinctive layers to form after the mixture had been thoroughly shaken together (Rubinson and Rubinson, 1998). Separating the components of the extract, is done through the use of Thin Layer Chromatography. It is one of the standard procedures used in many forensic laboratory when analysizing unknown drugs or mixtures (Howlett and Steiner, 2011). Separation of the mixtures occur based on the pH, polarity of its components, solvent and the thin layer stationary phase (Howlett and Steiner, 2011). METHODS: The finely divided sample was dissolved in 20ml of distilled water. This was then basified with NaOH solution to pH 12 using litmus paper. The resulting solution was later filtered. 1.0ml of chloroform was pipetted into the filtrate. After shaken and combined, two distinctive layers was observed. The bottom layer was extracted thrice using a micro- pipette. On a thin chromatography plate, five spots were placed ( as shown in table 2) and the  plate was developed using chloroform/methanol. This was later visualized with dragendorff’s reagent under the UV light. All separated components were observed, identified and recorded. RESULTS: Table of observed pH SOLUTIONInitial pHFinal pH Basified sample1012 TABLE 1 Table of Retention factor (RF value) Rf = Distance travelled by the substance (cm) Distance travelled by the solvent (cm) SUBSTANCEDistance travelled by substance (cm)Distance travelled by Solvent (cm)Retention factor value (Rf) Chloroform extract3.04.00.75 Codeine positive control3.04.00.75 Paracetamol positive control4.04.01.00 Chloroform (negative control) 3.54.00.86 Diluted sample4.04.01.00 TABLE 2 DIAGRAM: Fig 3: The Developed Chromatographic Plate. DISCUSSION: Running the chloroform extracts and diluted sample together with two positive controls and a negative control on a single chromatographic plate simultaneously, the retention factor(Rf) of five different samples were determined. The RF value of the chloroform extract(0.75) tallied with that of the codeine positive control and that of diluted sample(1.00) with the paracetamol positive control. This tentatively shows that, codeine and paracetamol were present in the sample. The solvent front(i.e distance travelled by the mixed solvents) is 4cm, this is quite close to the distances covered by all separated components(between 3 – 3.5cm), which makes the retention factors, not a true representative of their actual values. It was later discovered that, this is due to not allowing the  chromatographic plate to develop for a longer period of time in the solvent tank. The solvent front also dried up quickly when the plate is taken out., making drawing a line at that point quite diffic ult. Fortunately, this was overcome by the use of visualizing spray and UV lamp. Solvent extraction(liquid-liquid), involved selective movement of components of a substance in microgram to gram quantities between two immiscible liquid phase; its separation and selectivity is based on solubility differences and pH control respectively (Fifield and Kealey, 1995). This was observed when chloroform was added to the basified filtrate. After vigorous shaking and settling down, chloroform being more dense, composed the bottom layer, with the aqueous phase up. Liquid-liquid extraction often involved high volume of organic solvents and poor resolution of mixtures of organic materials (Fifield and Kealey, 1995). Thin Layer Chromatography is usually employed in the qualitative analysis of mixtures of non-volatile compounds like pharmaceuticals (Skoog, et al., 2000). TLC can also be used to confirm the identity of an unknown sample ( Lewis and Evans, 2011). Dissolution of the codeine and paracetamol tablet in distilled water without weighing, shows that, TLC was never designed for semi- quantitative analysis. This is due to difficulties in reproducibly applying aliquots of the mixture to the plate and then recovering all of the separated components from the plate (Skoog, et al., 2000). CONCLUSION: Using the Rf values obtained in the table 2 above and t he visual indicator reaction with the substances under the UV light, codeine was extracted to a high degree during the solvent extraction, tentatively identified by TLC (due to its positive control having the same Rf values with the chloroform extract(0.75) and both were the only one that were seen under the UV light) while paracetamol was extracted to a low degree (due to its positive control having the same Rf with the diluted sample). Multiple compounds can share the same retention factor(Rf) or produce similar chromophores when sprayed with detection reagents (Howlett and Steiner, 2011). The study by Lewis and Evans( 2011) shows that if a spot from an unknown substance is developed on a TLC plate together with a spot from a substance that is suspected to be the unknown, and the two substance are found to have the same Rf value, they are probably the same substance. FUTURE SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Due to the limitation that is associated with using TLC to exactly identify a given sample, minimum standards for drug testing and reporting in the forensic community are recommended by the Scientific Working Group for the Analysis of seized drugs (SWGDRUG) (Howlett and Steiner, 2011). In order for a drug identification to be confirmed to SWGDRUG specification, additional tests must includes, Infrared spectroscopy and GC-MS (Howlett and Steiner, 2011). REFERENCES: Fifield, F. W. and Kealey, D. 1995. Principles and Practice of Analytical chemistry. (4th ed) Glasgow, Blackie Academic and professional. Howlett, S. E. and Steiner, R. R. 2011. Validation of Thin Layer Chromatography with AccuTOF-DARTâ„ ¢ Detection for Forensic Drug Analysis*. Forensic Sciences [e-journal] 56 (5), pp. 12611267. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk [Accessed on 11 March 2014]. Kamberi, M., Riley, C. M., Huang, C. C. and Xiaoyan, M, 2004. A validated, sensitive HPLC method for the determination of trace impurities in acetaminophen drug substance. Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis [e-journal] 34 (1), pp. 123128. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University Library website http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk [Accessed on 18 March 2014]. Lewis, R. and Evans, W. 2011. Chemistry. 4th ed. Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan. NCBI, 2009. National Library of Medicine. [online] Available at : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pccompound [Acc essed 7 April, 2014]. Rubinson, J. F. and Rubinson, K. A. 1998. Contemporary chemical analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall. Skoog, D., West, D., Holler, F. and Crouch, S. 2000. Analytical Chemistry- An introduction. (7th ed). Boca raton, Thomson Learning Inc. Tremlett, M., Anderson, B. J. and Wolf, A. 2010. Procon debate: is codeine a drug that still has a useful role in pediatric practice? Pediatric Anesthesia [e-journal] 20 (2), pp. 183194. Available through: Anglia Ruskin University website http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk [Accessed on 29 March 2014].

Impact of House Prices on the UK Economy

Impact of House Prices on the UK Economy What happens to house prices is perceived as being very important for the wider UK economy (at the moment the concern is that they may fall sharply). Consider to what extent house prices are important for the UK economy and how the government (or Bank of England) should respond to a sharp fall in house prices. Introduction The health of the residential property market is seen as a very important factor in the UK economy, and house prices have risen dramatically (though unevenly around the country) between 1996 and 2005. Some analysts argued that this was the result of a ‘bubble’ in the housing market, rather than due to purely economic reasons, while others argued that the rise in prices was a rational reaction to high employment, economic stability and low interest rates. The price rises slowed in 2005 and that led some analysts to predict a sharp fall in prices. These fears proved unfounded, as renewed growth since late 2005 has led most analysts to predict modest price rises in the medium term. However, many analysts remain concerned that housing prices may fall sharply in the near future. This essay will first consider the different ways in which house prices in an economy relate to (and impact on) the performance of that economy more broadly, outlining in particular the specificities of the UK housing market that make its prices especially important to the UK economy. It will then examine the policies the government (or Bank of England) could adopt in response to a sharp fall in house prices, assessing which of these would be the most appropriate. Finally, it will also consider some longer term policies which could reduce house price volatility and the impact of house prices on the wider UK economy. The relationship between house prices and the wider economy The most obvious way in which house prices affect the wider economy is through their impact on household consumption (Cameron 2005:4) – a fall in house prices, for example, makes homeowners feel less wealthy so they tend to reduce consumption. Furthermore, a fall in house prices also reduces consumption indirectly by making it harder for people to borrow. Credit constraints are increased through two key channels: (1) reduced house prices means homeowners have reduced collateral against which they can borrow, further reducing consumption; and (2) lending institutions make losses when housing prices fall, and so they reduce their lending or tighten their lending policies. According to Oswald (1999:2), ‘an economys natural rate of unemployment depends on the ease with which its citizens can move around to find jobs. Fluid societies have efficient economies.’ High house prices and a relatively small private rental market make it more difficult for people to move around to find jobs, and thus can contribute to unemployment. House prices can also have an indirect effect on the exchange rate, which is a particular concern because it may lead to a crash in house prices. High house prices contribute to high levels of household indebtedness which can be associated with increasing the current account deficit. This, in turn, may suddenly trigger a correction in the exchange rate. If the exchange rate is weakened, a sharp rise in inflation and interest rates may follow, leading to a sharp fall in house prices. House prices and the UK economy According to Cameron (2005:3), the high level of house ownership in the UK means that households are ‘exposed to a considerable amount of risk (almost half a million households had their homes repossessed in the 1990s).’ Not only are house prices more volatile in the UK than elsewhere in the developed world, the impact of house prices on consumer spending is also particularly heavy in the UK – according to the OECD, a 1% fall in UK housing wealth correlates with a 0.07% fall in consumer spending. The nature of the UK housing market (typically high loan to value ratios, few long-term fixed rate mortgages, and easy to re-mortgage) makes house prices particularly volatile and responsive to interest rates. Cameron (2005:3) explains that ‘a one percentage point rise in the short-term real interest rate would reduce house prices over a five year period by 2.6% in the UK, 1.8% in the US, and 1.3% in Germany.’ The UK housing market is characterized not only by a high level of home ownership and typically high loan to value mortgage ratios, but also by an insufficient housing supply. Demand consistently outstrips supply and the market is not sufficiently responsive, primarily due to the limited land available for construction and the difficulties in obtaining planning permission for new buildings. ‘Constrained housing supply leads to increasingly unaffordable housing, frustrating the home ownership aspirations of many individuals and families. It also leads to wealth redistribution from those outside the housing market to those inside it. Low housing supply reduces labour mobility, damaging the flexibility and performance of the UK economy and key public services, and can also translate into wider macroeconomic instability.’ (HM Treasury 2005:9) Barker (2004:3) explains her view of the importance of the housing market to the UK economy more broadly: ‘Volatility in the housing market, in the UK, combined with the strong association between house prices and private consumption (reflecting in part high levels of owner occupation) is striking. Consequently, the housing market has contributed to macroeconomic volatility, creating a more difficult environment for businesses and for economic policy makers.’ Responding to a sharp fall in house prices In order to respond to a sharp fall in house prices, the main tool which the government or central bank has at its disposition is monetary policy. If there is a sharp fall in house prices, consumption can be expected to drop (as per the relationship between house prices and consumption outlined in the first section of this essay) and there is a danger that a recession with ensue. In order to prevent this, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England should respond to any such fall by reducing interest rates, even though this may not be compatible with meeting their inflation target. This should help house prices to grow again, thus building up wealth and promoting consumption. Further, it will make credit more accessible which will also encourage consumption. Longer term policies Rather than being forced to respond to a sharp fall in house prices, the British government, or the Bank of England, would be better off developing longer-term strategies to prevent such a sharp fall in the first place – that is to say, they should be proactive rather than reactive. Cameron (2005:4) argues that it may be possible to make the UK housing market behave more like the US housing market (i.e. to make prices less responsive to interest rates and less volatile) ‘if the share of long-term fixed-rate mortgages could be increased (even when UK borrowers do take out fixed-rate mortgages, they tend to only fix the rate for three to five years).’ According to the OECD (2005:3), the risk of a sharp fall in house prices has been significantly reduced, and this has been achieved by longer term monetary strategies. ‘If a relatively â€Å"soft landing† in the housing market has indeed been achieved it owes much to the strategy of gradual preemptive monetary tightening, in marked contrast to previous episodes when an abrupt correction in house prices was triggered by sharp interest rate rises. Nevertheless, reforms are needed to make housing supply more elastic to damp future housing market cycles.’ Furthermore, Miles (2004:97) argues that in order for monetary policy to be most effective in stabilizing the currently volatile housing market, the UK mortgage facilities also need to be improved, and borrowers should be better informed. Conclusion Because house ownership levels are high in the UK, and because houses represent most households’ biggest asset, house prices are particularly important to the UK economy. As it currently functions, the UK housing market is insufficiently flexible to respond to, and reflect, the needs of the economy as a whole. Fortunately a drastic fall in house prices is unlikely in the near future. To prevent one in the medium to long term, the government should consider increasing the flexibility of the housing market. This could be achieved through relaxing planning regulations and adapting the mortgage market. References Barker, K. (2004) ‘Review of Housing Supply: Delivering Stability: Securing our Future Housing Needs’, Final Report – Recommendations (downloaded from http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/053/C7/barker_review_execsum_91.pdf on 26 February 2007) Cameron, G. (2005) ‘The UK Housing Market: Economic Review’ (downloaded from http://hicks.nuff.ox.ac.uk/users/cameron/papers/ukhousingmarket.pdf on 22 February 2007) HM Treasury (2005) ‘Housing Policy: An Overview’ (downloaded from http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/296/69/housing_policy190705.pdf on 26 February 2007) Miles, D. (2004) ‘The UK Mortgage Market: Taking a Longer-Term View’, HMSO (downloaded from http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/80DDF/miles04_470.pdf on 22 February 2007) Muellbauer, J. Murphy, A. (1997) ‘Booms and Busts in the UK Housing Market’, The Economic Journal, Vol. 107, No. 445. (Nov., 1997), pp. 1701-1727 OECD (2005) ‘Economic Survey of the United Kingdom, 2005 (downloaded from http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/18/34/35473312.pdf on 24 February 2007) Oswald, A. (1999) ‘The Housing Market and Europes Unemployment: A Non-Technical Paper’, Warwick University (downloaded from www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/faculty/oswald/homesnt.pdf on 27 February 2007) Wadhwani, S. (2002) ‘Household Indebtedness, the Exchange Rate and Risks to the UK Economy’, Bank of England speech delivered to the Macclesfield Chamber of Commerce on Monday, 25 March 2002 (downloaded from https://164.109.43.50/publications/speeches/2002/speech166.pdf on 22 February 2007)

William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay -- Shakespeare M

William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream can be considered an archetypal comedy due in large part to the ill-defined characters. Part of what makes this play work so well is that rather than becoming too invested in any one character’s hopes and fears or desires and struggles, the audience is simply rooting for things to work out well in general. If the audience became too attached to any one character, they might lose sight of the bigger picture in their concern over, for example, Demetrius remaining drugged at the end of the play, or the disturbing repercussions of Helena marrying a man who only a few acts earlier she had urged to â€Å"Use me but as your spaniel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2.i.212). The audience is not plagued by these difficulties, however, because the lovers are only one or two shades more real than the characters presented by the Athenian laborers in Pyramus and Thisbe. A couple of the lines uttered in and about the play-within-a-play are very remi niscent of the â€Å"real† lovers whose trials and travails make up the rest of the work. The most appropriate line uttered by the mechanicals is â€Å"My love! Thou art my love, I think.† (5.i.207). This pretty well sums up the situation of the four lovers. Even before any fairy drugs enter the picture, they can’t seem to keep their affections straight. Demetrius, we learn, â€Å"Made love to†¦Helena, and won her soul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1.i.109-10). This comes out as he is in court with Hermia’s father, appealing to Theseus to force Hermia to marry him. His fickleness is in fact the cause of the entire conflict, since as far as we know the two couples were perfectly happy before his affections were switched. Later in the play, once the two coupl... ...worst are no worse, if imagination amend them.† (5.i.224-6). He refers here to theatre, but his statement can be more broadly applied to the idea of love as seen in this play. All four of the â€Å"real† lovers can be seen as â€Å"shadows† of actual people—they exist to be in love, to be in love with being in love, to talk about being in love, etc. They have no function beyond that and really are not capable of much more. The lovers of the play-within-a-play, without trying too hard, can seem to be remarkably similar to Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia and Helena. With just a little bit of imagination, they are in fact â€Å"no worse†. The play in Act 5 serves to reflect back an image of what we have just seen that is only slightly distorted, and it is in the smallness of the distortion that we can really understand how ridiculous the events that have just unfolded really are.

Caviar Essays -- essays research papers

Caviar Settlers of America discovered sturgeon to be the most prolific fish of the North American continent. In the beginning of 19th century, the United States was the major producer of caviar in the world and produced 90% of the world's caviar. The American caviar industry got started when Henry Schacht, a German immigrant, opened a business catching sturgeon on the Delaware River. He treated his caviar with German salt and exported a great deal of it to Europe. At around the same time, sturgeon was fished from the Columbia River on the west coast. At one time, caviar was so common in America. It was served in saloons to encourage thirsty drinkers. Hudson River sturgeons were so plentiful that the flesh was referred to as "Albany beef." A nickel could get you a serving of the best caviar available in New York, and many of the most lavish establishments, including the Waldorf Astoria, offered free-flowing caviar as an amuse-bouche opening to an elegant meal. Caviar was also a common food in California during the gold rush days. Recently, the United States has made a strong comeback in caviar production. The U.S. Goverment says that the roe of sturgeon may be called simply "Caviar," whereas the roe of other fish can be called "Caviar" only if the name of the fish comes first. The following is a descriptive list of caviars made from American fresh water fish: American Sturgeon - Sturgeon resemble a prehistoric creature, but they are actually t...

Bis220 Wireless Technologies

Wireless Technologies Proposal Team B BIS/220 July 2, 2012 Dr. Richard Swafford Wireless Technologies Proposal As Party Plates grows and becomes more successful, new technologies need to be implemented to allow the company to better serve our customers. Today we are going to lay out a new plan to make our deliveries more efficient. Our customers are our number one priority essay writer uk. Serving them with a better product and pinpointing delivery times will help us achieve this. To accomplish this, we are proposing that we integrate two types of wireless technologies in our delivery trucks: GPS tracking systems and Bluetooth.GPS System Currently, we have five trucks operating all over the city at any given time. With grid lock and accidents, implementing the GPS system will allow our drivers to navigate with HD Traffic information around these areas and make delivers on time. The system we are proposing is the TomTom GO Live 1535M. With this system, Party Plates can set up a Twitte r account and our drivers can keep companies informed on what time they expect to deliver. Additionally, if there are any issues with delivery, Twitter messages can be sent out to inform the company of that as well.The device can also locate the cheapest fuel prices which in the long run, will save the company money. However, there is a small drawback to this system. According to CNET Reviews. com the system says that, â€Å"searching the connected services is clunky and, at times, intuitive (CNET 2012). † Each unit costs $179 dollars per unit and installation is as simple as installing mounts in each truck to hold the devices, totally costs being approximately $1000. Bluetooth Next we would like to equip each truck with Bluetooth technology to seamlessly keep our customers connected with our drivers via phone.Our drivers are already using cellphones, however, with the current law, only Bluetooth devices are legal to use in our trucks. We are proposing purchasing Aliph Jawbon e Era Bluetooth devices for each driver. This will allow our drivers to take calls without taking their hands off the wheel. The only downfall to this system according to CNET Reviews. com is that,† The Aliph Jawbone Era doesn’t have a dedicated volume rocker, and the way it fits the ear is not as easy and comfortable as we would like (CNET 2012). † References CNET Reviews (2012). Latest Technology Reviews. CBS Interactive. Retrieved from http://www. cnet. com/? tag=hdr

Nursing Research Problem Essay

Infections are a common cause of both morbidity and mortality in premature infants; examples of infections include necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and sepsis (infection of the bloodstream). Infections in premature infants result in prolonged ventilation, prolonged hospitalization, and higher medical costs, and can cause neurodevelopment impairment (Manzoni et al., 2009). The use of high-potency antibiotics can lead to resistant strains of bacteria and potentially damage the infant’s liver and/or kidney function. Within the past decade, research has turned from finding treatments to finding methods to reduce infections. Breastfeeding and human milk has been well supported through research to provide immunity and positive outcomes for preterm and full-term infants. Breastfeeding and human milk provides nutritional, gastrointestinal, immunological, developmental, and psychological benefits to preterm infants and plays an important role on their long-term health and development (Callen & Pinelli, 2005). The components of breastmilk that support immunity include lactoferrin, lysozymes, interferon, and sIgA antibody (Callen & Pinelli, 2005). Specifically, lactoferrin (LF) is an iron-binding glycoprotein found not only in breastmilk, but also in saliva, tears, and other bodily secretions; LF has biological functions which include immunomodulatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant effects, and inhibits growth of pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and viruses (Yen et al., 2009). The described functions of LF support the protective role in immunity. The purpose of this investigation is to determine the effects of oral lactoferrin supplementation on reducing infections in preterm infants. Nature of Problem and Importance to Nursing Practice A nosocomial infection is described as an infection that is acquired after 48 hours of hospital admission (Rodriguez et al., 2010). In neonates,  a late-onset infection is defined as an infection obtained after the perinatal period (Manzoni et al., 2009). Nosocomial infections include infections of the gastrointestinal tract (necrotizing enterocolitis, NEC), blood stream (sepsis), and lung (pneumonia). The effects of an infection in a preterm infant can lead to â€Å"poor growth, adverse long-term neurological sequelae, increased length of hospital stay, and a substantial cost to families, hospitals, and society† (Rodriguez et al., 2010, p. 207). The risk of nosocomial infections increases with the decreasing birth weight and gestational age, and roughly 21% of very low birth-weight (VLBW) infants will encounter a late-onset infection (Stoll et al., 2002). The most common gastrointestinal infection in premature infants is NEC, affecting 2.6% to 28% of VLBW infants (Lin et al., 2005). NEC is widely considered as a multifactorial disease, with no specific pathogenesis; three major factors have been proposed: the presence of a pathogenic organism, the challenge of enteral feeding, and altered enteric mucosa integrity (Lin et al., 2005). NEC is â€Å"characterized by necrotizing injury to the intestine that requires antibiotic treatment and, in severe cases, surgical intervention† (Brooks et al., 2006, p. 347). Reduction of infections in preterm infants is of high priority and active research is being performed to find safe preventative measures, improve patient outcomes, and decrease hospital length of stay. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding protein found in mammalian milk and is important in innate immune host defenses (Manzoni et al., 2009). Partial digestion of LF in the stomach produces peptides called â€Å"lactoferricin† that contain more potent antimicrobial activity (Yen et al., 2009). Human colostrum contains more LF than breastmilk, saliva, tears, or other mucosa linings in the body. Studies have been performed to determine bovine or porcine LF effect on prevention of infection in mice and rat pups; conclusions showed a reduction in â€Å"the frequency of bacterial infections in the GI tract while promoting the growth of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria species, which are generally believed to be beneficial to the host† (Yen et al., 2009, p. 591). Bovine, porcine, and human LF molecules are similar, and bovine and porcine LF has been reported to show higher antimicrobial activity compared to human LF (King et al., 2007). In 2001, the US Food and Drug Administration declared bovine lactoferrin generally recognized as safe  (CFSAN, 2001). Bovine or human LF can be given as a formula additive, breastmilk additive, or given to patients by swabbing of the mouth, either actively feeding or with nil per os (NPO) statuses. Research studies have now been performed on the effects of bovine or porcine LF on prevention of infections in VLBW and preterm infants, and LF shows to be a promising agent of prevention. Evidence-based Practice Question Evidence-based practice (EBP) is defined as â€Å"a practice that involves clinical decision-making based on the best available evidence, with an emphasis on evidence from disciplined research† (Polit & Beck, 2008, p. 753). Nursing practices are changing in the NICU to include swabbing of the infants mouth with colostrum every six hours to assist in prevention of infection and improve feeding tolerance. The following question is developed to determine the outcomes of infection prevention by LF in preterm infants: Does the supplementation of LF decrease the occurrence of nosocomial infections in preterm infants? Conceptual/Theoretical Framework The studies reviewed did not mention a conceptual or theoretical framework pertaining to the relationship of the subjects investigated. A conceptual model of nursing, Levine’s Conservation Model, can be utilized in applying the methods investigated to provide care and prevention of infection in preterm infants. Levine’s Conservation Model is focused in promoting adaptation and maintaining wholeness using the principles of conservation (â€Å"Current Nursing,† 2010). The model guides the nurse to focus on the influences and responses at the organismic level and accomplish the goals of the model through the conservation of energy, structure, and personal, and social integrity (â€Å"Current Nursing,† 2010). Conservation of energy in preterm infants is necessary for appropriate growth, and is achieved by adequate rest and nutrition; fighting an infection in preterm infants results in NPO status and irritability, thus expending energy. The conservation of structural integrity means to prevent physical breakdown and  promote healing, and is the consequence of an effective immune system (â€Å"Current Nursing,† 2010). The technique of LF supplementation and its potential preventative outcome on infection helps the patient conserve energy and structural integrity. Variables and Findings Manzoni et al. (2009) performed a prospective, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial examining whether oral supplementation with bovine LF alone or in combination with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) reduces late-onset sepsis in 472 VLBW infants. The independent variable of this study is the supplementation of bovine LF or LGG and the dependent variable is the occurrence of infections in VLBW infants. The study randomly allocated infants into three groups; groups consisted of a control group (n = 168, infants supplemented with a placebo) and an experimental group (n = 153, infants given bovine LF alone and n = 151, infants given bovine LF with LGG). The main outcome measured the first episode of late-onset sepsis (sepsis occurring after 72 hours of birth); all tests were two-tailed, and P < .05 was considered statistically significant (Manzoni et al., 2009). When stratifying for birth weight, Manzoni et al. (2009) noted a significant decrease in late-onset sepsis in extremely low birth-weight (ELBW, birth-weight < 1000g) infants (P = .002 for bovine LF v. control and P = .002 for bovine LF plus LGG v. control) whereas it was not significant in infants weighing 1001 to 1500 g (P = .34 for bovine LF v. control and P = .07 in bovine LF plus LGG v. control). Overall, the results showed a significant decrease in the occurrence of infection in VLBW infants in the experimental groups versus the control group (P = .002 for bovine LF v. control and P < .001for bovine LF plus LGG v. control) (Manzoni et al., 2010). A double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study examined the impact of bovine LF supplementation to bottle-fed infants (King et al., 2006). The participants included 52 infants between the age of 0-4 weeks of age, ≠¥34 weeks of gestational age, and ≠¥2000 g, and who were strictly bottle-fed. The infants were randomized in a double-blind fashion; the control group  received a small dose of bovine LF and the experimental group received a higher dose of bovine LF (King et al., 2006). The independent variable is the supplementation of the higher dose of bovine LF and the dependent variable is the impacts observed in the first year of life. The outcomes measured included diarrhea, upper respiratory infection (URI), acute otitis media (AOM), and lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). The infants were examined six times throughout the year on the measured outcomes. The results showed a significant decrease in the occurrence of LRTIs in the experimental group than in the control group (P < 0.05) (King et al., 2006). Even though this study did not include preterm infants < 34 weeks, the effects of bovine LF are still apparent in the protection against infection. Yen et al. (2009) performed a study to examine the effects of porcine LF as a selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD) regimen in neonatal mice. Transgenic mice were generated to express porcine LF; the neonatal mice fed from the transgenic mice and were then challenged with pathogens to evaluate in vivo antimicrobial activity of porcine LF (Yen et al., 2009). The control group contained mice that were fed normal milk and the experimental group contained mice that were fed the porcine LF (Yen et al., 2009). The independent variable is the transgenic mice with porcine LF supplementation and the dependent variable is the antimicrobial activity observed. The outcome measures included the growth rate of the mice pups, the state of the intestinal tract mucosa, and the circulating cytokines (Yen et al., 2009). Yen et al. (2009) concluded that the experimental group of neonatal mice showed a significant reduction of severity of illness (P < .01), a significant inhibition of microbial survival in the intestinal tract (P < .01), and a significant decrease in the number of bacteria cultured (P < .05) than in the control group. The authors proposed that porcine LF is an ideal natural SDD regimen for the prevention of nosocomial infections in critically ill patients (Yen et al., 2009). Conclusion Research has proven the high incidence of a nosocomial infection and its adverse outcomes in a preterm infant. The efforts of research have changed  to finding a method to reduce or prevent nosocomial infections in preterm infants. Human colostrum is best in supplying the infant with LF to fight infection, but other methods of supplying LF are being studied. Research has recently proven that the supplementation of bovine LF has decreased the occurrence of infections in VLBW and preterm infants. Future research should include a larger, neonatal population specifically targeting VLBW and/or ELBW infants and the effect of LF supplementation on prevention of NEC. Further studies are needed to determine the dosing, duration, and type of LF (bovine, porcine, or human) that will be most effective in the prevention of infection in preterm infants without causing adverse effects or intolerance (Venkatesh & Abrams, 2010). References Brooks, H. J. L., McConnell, M. A., Corbett, J., Buchan, G. S., Fitzpatrick, C. E., & Broadbent, R. S. (2006). Potential prophylactic value of bovine colostrum in necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates: an in vitro study on bacterial attachment, antibody levels, and cytokine production. FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology, 48, 347-354. doi:10.1111/j.1574-695X.2006.00151.x Callen, J. & Pinelli, J. (2005). A review of the literature examining the benefits and challenges, incidence and duration, and barriers to breastfeeding in preterm infants. Advances in Neonatal Care, 5(2), 72-88. doi:10.1016/j.adnc.2004.12.003 Current Nursing. (2010). Levine’s four conservation principles. Retrieved on September 23, 2010 from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Levine_four_conservation_princples.html King, J. C., Cummings, G. E., Guo, N., Trivedi, L, Readmond, B. X., Keane, V., †¦ de Waard, R. (2007). A double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot study of bovine lactoferrin supplementation in bottle-fed infants. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 44(2), 245-251. Lin, H., Su, B., Chen, A., Lin, T., Tsai, C., Yeh, T., & Oh, W. (2005). Oral probiotics reduce the incidence and severity of necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth weight infants. Pediatrics, 115 (1), 1-4. doi:10.1542/peds.2004-1463 Manzoni, P., Rinaldi, M., Cattani, S., Pugni, L., Romeo, M. G., Messner, H., †¦ Farina, D. (2009). Bovine lactoferrin supplementation for prevention of late-onset sepsis in very low birth-weight neonates. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 302(13), 1421-1428. Retrieved on September 4, 2010 from http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/302/13/1421 Polit, D. E., & Beck, C. T. (2008). Nursing research generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (8th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Rodriguez, N. A., Meier, P. P., Groer, M. W., Zeller, J. M., Engstrom, J. L., & Fogg, L. (2010). A pilot study to determine the safety and feasibility of oropharyngeal administration of own mother’s colostrum to extremely low-birth-weight infants. Advances in Neonatal Care, 10(4), 206-212. Stoll, B. J., Hansen, N., Fanaroff, A. A., Wright, L. L., Carlo, W. A., Ehrenkranz, R. A., †¦ Poole, W. K. (2002). Late-onset sepsis in very low birth weight neonates: the experience of the NICHD neonatal research network. Pediatrics, 110(2), 285-291. Retrieved September 9, 2010 from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/110/2/285 US Food and Drug Administration, CFSAN/Office of Food Additive Safety. (2001). Agency response letter: GRAS notice (No. GRN 000077). Retrieved on September 23, 2010 from http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/GenerallyRecognizedAsSafeGRAs/GRASListings/ucm154188.htm Venkatesh, M. P., & Abrams, S. A. (2010). Oral lactoferrin for the prevention of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Art. No.: CD007137 (5). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007137.pub2 Yen, C., Lin, C., Chong, K., Tsai, T., Shen, C., Lin, M., †¦ Chen, C. (2009). Lactoferrin as a natural regimen for selective decontamination of the digestive tract: recombinant porcine lactoferrin expressed in the milk of transgenic mice protects neonates from pathogenic challenge in the gastrointestinal tract. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 199, 590-598. doi:10.1086/596212

Little Miss Sunshine

â€Å"By the end, all have achieved a deeper appreciation of the others, a deeper understanding of the value of family, a better life were love, solidarity and understanding replace hatred, sarcasm and anger. † Little Miss Sunshine (2006) directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, is an American road-comedy that shatters the mold. Incredibly satirical and ironic yet, is how deeply human as the Hover family is one of the most appealing in recent film history. The film has a fabulous beginning in which you meet each Hoover individually, pointing out their great differences, during their personal moments through a series of montage shots. Throughout the road trip the family suffers many personal setbacks and discovers the need for each other’s support. Olive is the youngest of the Hoover family and the central character of Little Miss Sunshine. The film begins with her standing in front of the television mimicking the beauty pageant winner. When she finds out she has qualified in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant she is ecstatic but her Uncle, Brother and Father are not too keen on going. Because Olive is the centre of the family they all agree that it they will go and support but choose not to have any fun. Richard puts a lot of pressure on Olive when they find out she’s in the final of the pageant. After listening to her dad talking about winning and losing all the time Olive is scared her dad won’t be proud of her like her Mother would be. Olive asks her Grandpa about the pageant and losing and Grandpa tells her â€Å"Losers are people who are so afraid of not winning, they don't even try†, he is not a big fan of Richards nine steps and gives his own definition of ‘Losers’. On the way to Florida they stop at a gas station and realize they have left Olive there so they quickly turn around but Olive is still standing there waiting and is not at all worried they have forgotten her because she is the whole reason they are going. A big moment in the movie would be when there symbolic, yellow Volkswagen breaks down and they all have to push to get it started; for once they are all working together and become happier. Despite everything that happens with the Hoover family, the biggest change in Olive throughout the whole movie would be that she finally accepts herself for who she is and doesn’t care what people think of her. Richard is the father of Olive and stepfather of Dwayne. A45 year old motivational speaker, he wears pleated pants, a golf shirt and sneakers. Richard can’t cope with losers, and with his nine steps to success that’s all he talks about at home. You can tell by the old technology he uses that his nine steps are not very successful; at this point he is not a winner but has strong belief. When the family finds out Olive got into the finals of little miss sunshine Richard tries to talk them out of going because he could have a big break in his nine steps. When Sheryl tells Richard Frank is staying with them he doesn’t really care and asks about Stan Grossman calling in case he liked his proposal. Frank asks about Dwayne’s vow of silence Richard of course, goes on about his nine steps and the whole family is sick of it and tries to shut him off. Sheryl is set on taking Olive to Florida but Richard is being selfish and only cares about if Stan Grossman likes his ‘nine steps’. When Sheryl finally convinces him to go he puts a lot of pressure on Olive about winning. I think Richard changes the most in Little Miss Sunshine as at the start of the movie he only cares about himself and his nine steps but throughout the movie and when he loses his father he begins to accept his family and doesn’t care about his â€Å"big break†. At the pageant he doesn’t want Olive to go on stage because he is afraid people will make fun of her and he really starts to care. Dwayne is first seen at the start of the movie lifting weights, doing push ups and sit up. You then see him put a big cross on his calendar, by this you can see he has set a goal but not quite sure what it is yet. When the whole family is home, you notice Dwayne doesn’t talk and writes everything on a notepad. When Frank asks him about having any friends he writes on his notepad: â€Å"I hate everyone† Frank finds it weird and asks about his family, he then rolls his eyes and underlines everyone. Dwayne can not put up with Richards nine steps and when Frank asks him about his goal Richard butts in and is making it all about him. When Dwayne finds out he is colour blind during the trip he gets really agitated in the car and starts hitting his head against the wall, they final stop the car and he lets out a big scream. When Sheryl goes to try and make him feel better he just says he hates his family and wants to be left alone. They agree that they cant do much else except wait for him to calm down, when Olive goes down she just leans her head on his shoulder and I guess he realises he is being kind of selfish and for the first time in the whole movie you hear Dwayne speak and apoligises to the family. While at the beauty pageant Dwayne starts to really care for Olive and tells Sheryl not to let her on the stage otherwise everyone will make fun of her but even though one judge is shocked with Olive’s dance the rest of the family don’t care and go up and join her. Dwayne changes dramatically in the movie. Going from someone who didn’t talk, was very selfish and hated everyone to now really caring for his family, talking and overall a changed person. There are heaps of different film techniques used in Little Miss Sunshine for instance, when Dwayne tries the colour test the music goes from happy music to the music where you know something bad is going to happen and that’s when you find out Dwayne is colour blind. The opening and closing scenes are completely opposite to one another. The effect it would have on the audience would be significant, like even a dysfunctional family like the Hoovers can get through tough times, anyone can. In conclusion the movie Little Miss Sunshine was very well filmed, it had a big effect on the audience and the actors worked really well.

Poland Business Cycle

This Country Focus analyses and interprets the statistical characteristics of the Polish business cycle. It also identifies leading and lagging variables and shows that the economic fluctuations in Poland differ to some extent from those in other emerging and mature economies, with Polish growth notably more volatile and government expenditure highly erratic. The available data on GDP growth suggest that the Polish economy is approaching the peak of the second business cycle since the start of economic transformation from a centrally planned to a market economy.The current upswing is to some extent similar to the one of 1995-1997 which ended in large macroeconomic imbalances (increasing unemployment, spare capacity, widening fiscal and current account deficits). However, Poland now appears to be better positioned than after the last cycle and should be able to avoid a repeat of that outcome. Business cycles in emerging market economies Although the economic literature on business cyc les is vast, only recently have some papers on business cycles in emerging market economies appeared.Usually they analyse economic fluctuations within particular countries (e. g. Benczur and Ratfai, 2005) or make some cross-country comparisons (e. g. Aguayo et al. , 2004 or Carmignani, 2005). A common methodology used in the analysis of business cycles (based on observations of mature economies and economic theory) distinguishes pro-cyclical, counter-cyclical and a-cyclical variables. Pro-cyclical variables fluctuate together with GDP (e. g. industrial production, investment, employment, inflation), countercyclical variables against GDP (e. g. nemployment, net exports) and a-cyclical variables independently of GDP (e. g. real interest rates). 1 With respect to timing, the ‘stylised facts' of the business cycle identify leading, lagging and coincident variables: leading variables move ahead of GDP (e. g. average labour productivity, inventory investment, money supply), lagging variables follow GDP (e. g. inflation, nominal interest rates) and coincident variables, as the name suggests, move coincidentally with GDP (e. g. industrial production, consumption, employment) (Snowdon & Vane, 2005, p. 306).Overall, business cycles in emerging market economies (Carmignani, 2005)2 are not much different from those in mature economies (Snowdon and Vane, 2005, p. 306), By Michal Narozny* The business cycle in Poland: where do we stand? Highlights in this issue: †¢ While on the whole not different from mature economies, the properties of the business cycle in Poland display some special characteristics †¢ The current cycle seems to have reached a peak but the slowdown is likely not to be as pronounced as in the previous cycle Volume IV, Issue 9 03. 08. 2007 ECFIN COUNTRY FOCUS Directorate for the Economies of the Member States. The views expressed in the ECFIN Country Focus belong to the authors only and do not necessarily correspond to those of the Director ate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs or the European Commission.Economic analysis from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs Identification of direction and timing is key in business cycle analysis ECFIN Country Focus Volume IV, Issue 9 Page 2 but economies in transition (though they do not constitute a homogeneous group) display some specific characteristics: overall, the economy is much more volatile than in the euro area, which is the consequence of structural changes and catching-up, †¢ shocks are slightly less persistent than in the euro area, and fluctuations consequently more frequent, †¢ government consumption is more erratic than in the euro area, suggesting a significant discretionary element in fiscal policies, but not one that is necessarily aimed at cyclical stabilisation, †¢ employment is a-cyclical in some, but pro-cyclical in other emerging economies, †¢ inflation in emerging economies is volatile and not clearly pro-cyclical.Table 1 shows some tentative analysis of the key macroeconomic variables in the Polish business cycle. All variables (except for inflation and net exports) were logtransformed, de-seasonalised by means of the X. 12 method and later de-trended using the HP filter. Net exports were expressed as a ratio to GDP and deseasonalised by means of the multiplicative X. 11 method before being de-trended. Volatility of cyclical fluctuations, and hence the magnitude of the business cycle, is measured by the standard deviation. Polish GDP volatility is about 0. 015, compared to 0. 08 for the euro area. The persistence of cyclical fluctuations is measured by the auto-correlation coefficient: the closer to 1, the more persistent the shock (and the longer it takes to absorb it) and therefore the less fluctuation in the business cycle. Testing for the Polish business cycle persistence yields a coefficient of 0. 55 compared to 0. 85 for the euro area. Table 1. Su mmary statistics of business cycle fluctuations in Poland Correlations with the cyclical component of GDP Poland Standard Autodeviation correlation -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 GDP 0. 015 0. 550 1Industrial production 3. 317 0. 730 -0. 018 0. 154 0. 314 0. 515 0. 771 0. 599 0. 444 0. 229 0. 113 Private consumption 0. 013 0. 269 0. 015 0. 079 0. 283 0. 433 0. 434 0. 385 0. 463 0. 380 0. 037 Government consumption 0. 020 0. 001 -0. 200 0. 007 0. 230 0. 022 -0. 211 0. 175 0. 282 0. 199 0. 051 GFCF 0. 070 0. 717 0. 357 0. 399 0. 403 0. 484 0. 824 0. 585 0. 371 0. 313 0. 344 Inventories 1. 189 -0. 072 -0. 139 0. 044 0. 021 0. 074 0. 199 0. 187 0. 150 0. 177 0. 230 Net exports 0. 012 0. 574 -0. 061 -0. 174 -0. 386 -0. 373 -0. 326 -0. 513 -0. 497 -0. 389 -0. 452 Exports 0. 58 -0. 005 0. 098 0. 199 0. 177 0. 225 0. 594 -0. 018 0. 030 -0. 016 -0. 193 Imports 0. 063 0. 378 0. 097 0. 252 0. 350 0. 408 0. 672 0. 377 0. 384 0. 258 0. 175 Employment 0. 017 0. 857 0. 291 0. 372 0. 411 0. 452 0. 545 0. 40 9 0. 333 0. 355 0. 344 Labour productivity 0. 354 0. 512 0. 120 0. 090 0. 056 0. 070 0. 133 0. 257 0. 109 0. 026 -0. 142 Money supply (M1) 0. 041 0. 776 -0. 078 -0. 060 0. 092 0. 260 0. 475 0. 472 0. 535 0. 505 0. 432 Inflation 1. 819 0. 779 0. 092 0. 321 0. 511 0. 596 0. 473 0. 290 0. 082 -0. 082 -0. 146 CPI 1. 737 0. 777 0. 086 0. 255 0. 411 0. 422 0. 00 0. 082 -0. 075 -0. 167 -0. 184 Real interest rate 0. 655 0. 942 0. 226 0. 279 0. 302 0. 263 0. 135 0. 132 0. 120 0. 092 0. 088 Source: Own estimates. Data source: Eurostat. Sample: 1995Q3 – 2007Q1 Summary statistics Lags Leads Business cycles in Poland – what is different and what is alike The analysis of the Polish cycle yields a number stylised facts, which are to some degree typical for emerging economies. Table 2 summarises a number of stylised facts on business cycles in mature economies and in Poland (bearing in mind the relatively short time span for the latter).It shows that some of the usual characteristics of business cycles in mature economies (or even in emerging economies) are not seen in Poland. Where this is the case, some interpretation is offered. Industrial production is usually pro-cyclical and coincident in both mature and emerging economies, but in Poland it has a slightly leading property, which indicates the importance of industrial production as a driver of the business cycle. In the aggregate demand components, private consumption seems to be procyclical in Poland.However, it is not coincident as in mature economies, and has a lead-lag profile that is not typical: it is almost flat over four quarters with some lead. Hence, although private consumption is the largest component of GDP, the dynamic relation over time between the two variables is erratic, possibly indicating consumption smoothing, which is characteristic of low-income economies. However, the ratio of the standard deviation of private consumption to the standard deviation of GDP (by which consumption smoothi ng is usually judged) is estimated at 0. 8, i. e. higher than the upper bound of the normal range reported in the literature. 3 This suggests that consumption smoothing is not present in Poland, which might indicate lower risk aversion and/or underdevelopment of financial markets. The Polish business cycle displays some characteristic properties Business fluctuations in Poland are highly volatile and persistent ECFIN Country Focus Volume IV, Issue 9 Page 3 Table 2. The ‘stylised facts' about business cycles in mature economies and Poland Variable Mature economies* Poland** category VariableDirection Timing Direction Timing Supply side Industrial production pro-cyclical coincident pro-cyclical coincident/leading Private consumption pro-cyclical coincident pro-cyclical erratic Government consumption pro-cyclical erratic counter-cyclical /erratic erratic GFCF pro-cyclical coincident pro-cyclical coincident Inventories pro-cyclical leading pro-cyclical leading Net exports counter- cyclical coincident/ lagging counter-cyclical erratic Exports pro-cyclical coincident pro-cyclical coincident Demand components Imports pro-cyclical coincident pro-cyclical coincidentLabour Employment pro-cyclical coincident pro-cyclical coincident/lagging market Labour productivity pro-cyclical leading pro-cyclical leading Money supply pro-cyclical leading pro-cyclical leading Monetary Inflation pro-cyclical lagging pro-cyclical lagging variables Real Interest rates a-cyclical erratic pro-cyclical lagging * Features commonly found in the literature. Main source: Snowdon ; Vane (2005) ** See Table 1 Source: Own calculations (see Table 1) and Snowdon ; Vane (2005) Government consumption seems to be neither systematically counter- nor procyclical.High volatility and a very low persistence (i. e. frequent fluctuations of sizeable magnitude) point to an irregular pattern of government consumption, suggesting an important role of discretionary fiscal policies, which is a distinctive feat ure of emerging economies (Carmignani, 2005) and possibly related to the existence of a political cycle in public finances. Gross fixed capital formation appears to be coincident, highly pro-cyclical and persistent (auto-correlation of 0. 2) and inventories behave according to the ‘stylised facts': they are pro-cyclical and leading (though less so than in mature economies). Finally, both exports and imports can be seen as pro-cyclical, but imports slightly more so than exports, which is in line with the features of mature, but not emerging economies where exports are a-cyclical on average. Moreover, imports seem to be quite persistent (following persistent GFCF), unlike exports (which depend on external demand); both variables are highly volatile (standard deviations are more than the double of the euro-area).Net exports are moderately counter-cyclical with an erratic pattern over time (due to persistent imports), whereas in mature economies net exports are also counter-cyclic al, but usually coincident or lagging. With respect to the labour market, employment shows up as pro-cyclical and coincident, with some evidence of lagging, which places Poland somewhere in the middle between mature and emerging economies in this respect. Labour productivity appears to be pro-cyclical and leading, in line with the ‘stylised facts', though the leading property is less pronounced than in mature economies.Pro-cyclicality of employment with its smooth and slightly lagged correlation profile suggests labour hoarding (Burnside et al. , 1993). Among the monetary variables, the money supply apears to be pro-cyclical and leading. Inflation seems to be pro-cyclical and to follow GDP as in mature economies, which is not the case in most emerging economies (where inflation is acyclical – see Carmignani, 2005). This is probably due to the fact that at the beginning of the transformation process all emerging economies had very high inflation rates that systematically decreased.Thus, it is hard to discern a clear cyclical pattern. Poland managed to achieve relatively low inflation sooner than other emerging countries, allowing this pro-cyclicality to be revealed earlier. Contrary to the ‘stylised facts' for mature (but also emerging) economies, where real interest rates are a-cyclical with no clear pattern with respect to timing, real interest rates in Poland show up as being pro-cyclical and lagging, implying a countercyclical monetary policy (coefficient of correlation with GDP is 0. 4 and there is a clear lagging pattern). Smooth and lagged correlation profile of pro-cyclical employment suggests labour hoarding The irregular pattern of government consumption suggests that discretionary fiscal policies play an important role ECFIN Country Focus Volume IV, Issue 9 Page 4 Troughs, peaks and the drivers of growth The first economic cycle since the beginning of economic transition lasted about 10 years, with the expansion and slowdown phases each spanning about 5 years; the cycle ended in the second quarter of 2001.The current upswing has already lasted 6 years, which suggests that the peak is imminent if the length of the current cycle is similar to the previous one. Decelerating leading variables (industrial production, net exports and labour productivity) may also be signs of a turning point. Chart 1. Developments of basic economic variables in Poland in 1991-2008 -10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 % 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 % CA deficit (% of GDP) Unemployment rate (rhs) CPI inflation (rhs) GDP growth Fiscal deficit (lhs)Source: Commission services In both the early 1990s and in 2001, when the economy was at its trough, there was a large unutilised labour supply and substantial reserves in enterprises’ capacity utilisation. The fiscal deficit was also substantial. In the first cycle, ample supply of resources was a consequence of t ransition to a market economy which caused a recession in 1990-1991. In 2001-2002 it followed from the world economic slowdown and a restrictive monetary policy, which forced Polish enterprises to reorganise to raise their competitiveness and efficiency. Poland got out of the trough twice hanks to exogenous impulses to investment: the restructuring of the London Club debt in 1994 (which brought the first major wave of FDI) and entry into the EU in 2004 (which led to an inflow of EU funds). The external circumstances were also favourable as the world economy expanded in the nineties until 1998 and has been on a stable growth path since 2003. Chart 2. Contributions to GDP growth in Poland in 1991-2008 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 % total consumption GFCF Inventories Net exports GDP growthSource: Commission services The main factor that drove real GDP growth in 1995-1997 to about 7% was dynamic domest ic demand growth of 8? % on average, supported by robust consumption (about 5 percentage points contribution to GDP growth on average). Despite the fact that the economy was growing above potential and domestic demand was growing significantly faster than GDP, a strong zloty appreciation (with a temporary blip in 2000) ensured that the disinflation process was not disturbed. However, this There are indications that the Polish business cycle has approached a peak Large acroeconomic imbalance during the troughs ECFIN Country Focus Volume IV, Issue 9 Page 5 situation led to a fast-growing imbalance on the current account: the 2% of GDP surplus in 1994 fell to a deficit of 6% of GDP in 1999 (to which the Russian crisis also contributed). Growth outlook based on solid foundations for now It is estimated that the Polish economy is currently expanding at a pace close to its potential (approximated at 5. 9% in 2007), on the back of rising domestic demand, which is likely to be followed by i ncreasing imports and a deteriorating current account balance.The growth of gross fixed capital formation accelerated to 17% in 2006 and to nearly 30% y-o-y in the first quarter of 2007. Private consumption increased at 5. 2% in 2006 and stepped up to 6. 9% y-o-y in the first quarter of 2007, which is significantly higher than the 2. 7% average growth in 2000-2003. So far, this expansion of consumption has not led to a rapid increase in the current account deficit (which rose from 1. 7% in 2005 to 2. 3% of GDP in 2006) or a rise in inflation (which has come in below the central bank's medium-term inflation target of 2. % for eight quarters in a row), mainly thanks to moderate real wage growth. However, with a tightening labour market, emerging skill mismatches and workforce emigration the pressure on wages is expected to become more significant, contributing to a further increase of consumption. In consequence, it might lead to an escalation of the external imbalance and/or increase d inflation. Nevertheless, GDP growth in the current phase seems to be based on more solid foundations than in the late 1990s: †¢ Firstly, the share of exports in GDP has nearly tripled in 1992-2006 to about 40%; the number of exporters has also increased considerably.The structure of exports has improved, with a bigger share of processed goods and a higher value added. Foreign direct investment has helped increase the production capacity of the Polish economy, which enables the domestic market to better meet increased private demand, and makes the balance of payments less prone to fluctuations in domestic demand. In addition, increased investment-driven imports are largely balanced by increased exports on account of a good situation in the external environment. †¢ Secondly, the floating exchange rate is likely to act as a buffer against imported inflation.However, even without a strong zloty appreciation, inflation in Poland during the coming years is expected to stay rel atively low: below or around the central bank's medium-term inflation target of 2. 5%. As the Polish economy is now more open than 10 years ago, inflation is more influenced by global factors. Increased exposure of Polish enterprises to international competition limits their ability to freely increase prices and wages. They are forced to increase labour productivity faster than wages to maintain their market position. Thus, even with growing wage demands, enterprises are more willing to decrease mark-ups than to raise prices. Thirdly, increased household incomes acquired as a result of higher wages and an improved labour market situation may not translate into consumption to the same extent as in the previous economic cycle. There is evidence that households are now more saturated with basic durable and consumption goods which they lacked before4 and are more eager to spend additional income on holidays abroad owing to a more mature service sector. Financial markets are more develop ed than 10 years ago, giving an opportunity for financial investments. ConclusionsThe business cycle in Poland exhibits similar properties to cycles in mature economies, but there are some notable differences for government consumption, net exports and real interest rates (although for the last variable the picture may be blurred by its very high level at the beginning of the transformation process). However, because the data series are short, the results should be interpreted with caution. The irregular behaviour of government consumption in Poland with respect to influence on the business cycle could be related to a discretionary fiscal policy implemented within a political business cycle.GDP growth is based on more solid foundations in the current cycle ECFIN Country Focus Volume IV, Issue 9 Page 6 The analysis of the previous upswing in Poland, the identification of variables with leading properties with respect to GDP, and the latest developments all seem to suggest that the Po lish economy might have reached the peak of the current cycle in the first quarter of 2007. Nevertheless, thanks to the ongoing process of restructuring of the economy, the slowdown phase is not likely to be as pronounced as in the previous cycle and should not lead to major imbalances.