The Industry Structure & The Behavior of Firms in the PC Industry

In this paper I will discuss the industry structure and the behavior of firms in the Personal Computer Industry. The personal computer industry has five leaders: Compaq Computer Corporation (CCC), Dell Computer Corporation, International Business Machines (IBM), Hewlett-Packard, and Gateway, (Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). The PC industry, as discussed in the paper, is comprised only of home/business use machines, not mainframes, databases, or any kind of servers or super-computers. The PC industry is a fast-growing, consumer-based oligopoly. I will prove the latter through the use of industry characteristics and firm behaviors by giving an overview of each leading firm and their behaviors†, then by combining them into an industry analysis. The companies will be addressed from top leader to bottom. Compaq Computer Corporation,(CCC) is the current industry leader. CCC boasts a 1999 market share of 12. 8%. However, this figure has declined slightly from its 1998 share of 13. 4%. The dip is due to Dell Computer Corp. â€Å"s heavy presence in the small PC market, (Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). Compaq has a wide range of PC products from smaller, less expensive machines to more costly, high-tech systems. CCC has been most successful with their smaller machines, targeted to the home/family segment, because they are able to sell large quantities. However, Compaq has been unsuccessful in retaining customers because most of them were pleased with their smaller machines and did not upgrade to CCC†s more expensive, high-tech systems,(Hamblen 1-2). Customer retention has been a problem for the forty billion-dollar company, (Hamblen 1-2). It is my assessment that Compaq does still remain the leader because their products are very easy to buy for the uneducated consumer. You may simply walk into the WIZ or BEST BUY and there are five or so Compaq machines all competitively priced with a good range of attributes, usually not the best that a veteran user would require. For instance CCC†s newest product, the iPac, is a very simple-to-use, inexpensive machine. It is supposed to satisfy business workers† needs for a useful computer at low cost,(Wildstrom 1-2). Another problem in CCC†s not-to-distant future is their distribution costs. With the use of the Internet, competitors have been able to reduce and even eliminate distribution costs. To follow suit Compaq plans to increase direct sales in the future, according to Micheal Capellas, CEO (Hamblen 4). The future for CCC is quite hazy. Despite the sales numbers and the heavy bottom line, CCC†s stock price has sat down in the low $30†³s,(Hamblen 1). Competition is increasing daily and Compaq needs to distinguish itself in the marketplace. They†ve already experienced a decline in markets share, only they can change their fate. Dell Computer Corporation, the second leading computer manufacturer, began by selling PC†s directly to consumers. Their first customers ordered over the phone and Wold Wide Web. To this day Dell still has no brick and mortar retailers and does not distribute its product to resellers. In the business to business market Dell has excelled, but until recently, the profitable company was not so profitable in the home-user segment,(Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). The company†s new strategy, to gain market share, has proven very effective. Dell now posts a 62% gain in world wide PC shipments and a 2. 6 share-point gain from 8. 2% in `98 to 10. 8% in `99,(Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). Recently Dell†s presence has been felt in the growing PC market. This has forced competitors to be very careful about pricing in this highly elastic industry. Dell†s profitability is also notable, since it has minimal distribution costs and does very little advertising Dell is extremely profitable. However, rough times may be on the horizon for Dell. Analysts are worried because profit growth projections were cut at least 10% by CFO Thomas Meredith, who declared he is only trying to set more realistic goals and that the company will still post growth, (Burrows 1-2). Recently Dell has made some key moves that should boost revenues including beefing-up its web site and a joint venture with Internet giant AOL, (Money 1-2). Dell Computer Corporation is still a major player in the PC industry and will continue to be in the future. Unlike Dell and Compaq, IBM has not had extreme success in the PC market. It is known that leaders at IBM never believed that the PC would be an important device and that only a small portion of the population would ever own a PC. Obviously, they were very wrong. IBM has not done a bad job catching up to the pack, though; it now has the number-three market share of 7. 6%, (Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). IBM plans some new strategies after its low ranking in the PC market. This new strategy is to end all retail selling and go completely direct, IBM plans to sell its Aptiva system exclusively over the Internet in the near future, (Industry Survey, Apr. 000). This will lower costs and possibly increase the bottom line for the computer giant. Like IBM, Hewlett-Packard made one mistake and cost itself billions of dollars in revenues. HP is a large electronics conglomerate. HP manufactures everything from calculators to top-secret government appliances. For HP the PC market is one of many. Originally Hewlett-Packard was the standard in computer electronics; however, this is not reality today. HP†s reputation declined through the `80s and early `90s because of poor quality management. To regain the respect they had lost the marketing and engineering departments at HP worked their fingers to the bone to create a new image for the company. This was very effective; today HP owns a modest 6. 2% of the PC market and a very healthy reputation for quality PC†s and peripherals, (Industry Survey, Apr. 2000). HP has had some growth in the past few years but has failed to match the industry growth rates. The company†s years of poor quality put a considerable hurt on their future growth; while HP was busy filling in the hole it dug for itself, industry leaders like Compaq and Dell were basking in their success.

Gambling on college sports Essay

I’ve been a sports fanatic since the day I was born. It didn’t matter if I was playing or watching or cheering, I just loved being around the game. I have always been very knowledgeable about it too, as I was well known and titled by extended family as â€Å"the stat man. † This of course referred to the often times erroneous and useless facts rattling around in my brain that I couldn’t help but show off. Needless to say, this topic means a lot to me, especially being a college football player myself. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to dig deeper into a topic that has lingered in our country for years. The issues that pertain to gambling on college athletics have a vast range of opinions that stem from the questions; should gambling on college athletics be legal? What are the effects it has on the college athletes? Some argue that it will be detrimental to the game and some argue it has little to no effect, however most land somewhere in the middle. A common justification against gambling brings up the numerous scandals of players taking illegal benefits or point shaving and in extreme cases these events leading to jail or death. This side also argues that it allows players to get mixed up with the wrong crowd and put themselves in danger. Arguments for gambling site the economic reach it has in our country and the illegality will shrink the economy as well as not protect the players any more. Many people on this side think it will not be stopped so if gambling on college sports is illegalized, then every form of it will be illegal causing more trouble. My goal is to reveal those opinions and create a more complex understanding from various viewpoints, and hopefully bring a small degree of clarification to others and myself. In the article, â€Å"Even at Columbia, Gambling And College Athletics Collide† found in the New York Times, Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson enlighten the readers about the gambling infractions that occurred in a Columbia University fraternity house. The authors begin by describing the situation and basic details of the gambling process. â€Å" (They) would accept bets on sporting events from dozens of other students and then phone in the wagers — typically from $40 to $200 each — to a gambling ring based in Queens and operated by people with links to organized crime† (Curry and Gershenson). They go on to unravel the situation further by stating that there were not only college athletes betting on the games, but even current and former players living in the house that was tirelessly on the phone collecting wagers. Curry and Gershenson then discuss the further investigations done by Columbia and the NCAA and the possible disciplinary action that the offenders can face. The authors then write about the numerous amounts of sports gambling incidents in the last decade and also how students and athletes looked upon the Columbia gambling scandal with lesser importance because of the lack of athletic excellence. â€Å" The presence of a gambling operation with connections to organized crime at a school whose football team is best known for a 44-game losing streak in the 1980’s seemed incongruous† (Curry and Gershenson). An athlete was also quoted saying, â€Å"It’s not like this is Arkansas or something. This is Columbia. † Curry and Gershenson conclude their article by including a nationwide 1996 survey of college Division one athletes that reveals 25 percent gambled on other college sports and four percent admitted to gambling on games they had played in. I believe this is an article with good overall quality, even though it was written about 14 years ago in 1998. The time period constraint may lead to questions of relevance to readers in 2012. However, I think if you take all the dates and years out of the article, the purpose is still fulfilled and relays the same messages. The intent of the article was to inform about the events of the Columbia gambling ring, the reaction around campus, and the nationwide relevance. The authors Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson, are fairly unknown writers as far as I am concerned but that doesn’t take away from the quality of the article because it was included in The New York Times, which only adds credibility. For this reason, there would be a nationwide audience because of the shear number of readers. Specifically, the audience would probably be more of the businessman or woman, who are the stereotypical readers of The New York Times. The exigence of this piece was the arrest of gambling ring participants at Columbia but also the fact that these types of gambling scandals had been becoming more and more common in that time period. This was a very eye-opening article for me to read and by far the longest and most in depth. Since it was written 14 years ago, it is a story that I was previously unaware of. It made me even more aware then I already was, of how long this problem has lingered in college sports. It mentioned, more then once, that there are bookies on every campus in America. This really made me think about how unbelievable the number of illegal bets being placed by college students and athletes must be. However, even though this article is depicting the illegal gambling as a bad thing, I think it unintentionally makes arguments for both sides of the issue. If gambling on college sports were acceptable, this would have been a legal act. Hypothetically if it were legal, it would cut down on crime like this, which is usually linked to people with other criminal activity going on. Disconnecting the link to other criminal activity would make it all around safer for bookies and bet placers and athletes, because frankly, I think that people will never stop gambling on sporting events. I had always just assumed that gambling on college sports should be illegal, but this article made me reconsider whether that would really be the smartest and safest resolution. In the article â€Å"NCAA threatens to move events out of New Jersey† from SportsIllustrated. com, the unnamed author introduces the proposed plan to legalize sports gambling in New Jersey as well as reaction from sports organizations nationwide. The writer kicks off the article by stating background information about New Jersey’s push to legalize sports wagering. The article then goes on to describe the reaction from sports organizations, and goes in depth on the quotes from NCAA officials as well as their threats to move all playoff games out of New Jersey. It is also mentioned that The NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB have â€Å"collectively sued to block New Jersey’s sports betting law from taking effect. † However, there is also information and quotes from parties that are for the sports betting law. Quotes from State senator Raymond Lesniak and Governor Chris Christie demonstrate their support for the new law. The article is concluded with talk of â€Å"several new gambling options New Jersey is seeking to offer† (â€Å"NCAA Threatens†). The author writes that these other options include in-state Internet gambling and the use of hand-held mobile gambling devices at the casinos as well as at horse tracks. I thought this article was fairly credible and factual as well. It did not have an author to add to credibility but being a Sports Illustrated article maintained its effectiveness. I believe this piece was intended to inform the audience of residents of New Jersey as well as pretty involved sports fans. People who would read Sports Illustrated would obviously just be in it for the sports because that is the only information it obtains. This also acts as a constraint. The article cannot reach as much of the population because not everyone is a sports fan. The event that triggered this response was the attempt to make sports gambling legal in the state of New Jersey. My understanding of gambling in college sports was drastically upgraded by reading this article. It was an informative piece, so there was very little, if any, bias in the writing. The inclusion of statistics and legality of the topic really helped me understand why the sports organizations are hoping that the law will not pass. The shear amounts of money changing hands can lead to a lot of trouble, however for the same reason, legalizing that money could really boost economic growth. These types of pros and cons exist on both sides, making it an even tougher issue to sort out. My next source comes from a script from the testimony of Danny Sheridan before the Senate Commerce Committee on April 26, 2001. The testimony was for a hearing for the Amateur Sports Integrity Act (S. 718), which would determine the legality of gambling on college athletics. The first part of the testimony consists of Sheridan validating why his testimony should be considered by sharing his credibility and involvement in athletics. â€Å"My name is Danny Sheridan, and I have been involved with sports and the sports? promotion business for more than 25 years. I have published college and pro football? magazines, written about sports in a variety of national publications, and have been the? host of a number of sports TV and radio shows† Sheridan proclaims. Sheridan goes on to explain how he is also a friend of many high profile athletes and he knows first hand the dangers that athletic gambling has on athletes. Sheridan also includes many statistics in his argument. â€Å"An estimated 40 million Americans currently wager $6 billion illegally every weekend during the entire 20-week college and pro football season alone† (Sheridan). The testimony is concluded by Sheridan stating that he appreciates the good intentions of trying to legalize gambling, but it would instead, result in negative effects. The rhetor, Danny Sheridan, is a very well known sports industrial component, which gives his testimony (and therefore my source) credibility. He presented this to the Senate Commerce Committee in hopes to persuade them to vote against legalization of gambling on sports. The fact that this is a testimony, instead of a highly publicized article restricts the extent his message. I found the script on his website, however it isn’t an often visited site by the common Internet user, so the audience is a big constraint for this text. I found this testimony to be a great source for this project. It was interesting to read a text that wasn’t just a traditional article. My understanding for the anti gambling side grew significantly, because it was so biased. The speaker does a great job making his argument come full circle. For that reason, I came away from reading it with a slight lean towards supporting keeping gambling on sports illegal. Another interesting aspect is that this testimony was given in 2001. My previous source, about the gambling law in New Jersey, is a current issue, and the arguments made by Sheridan could simply be restated now with the same effects. It is astounding to see how such little progress has been made through the years. In the article â€Å"Study Provides New Data on the Extent of Gambling by College Athletes†, from netfiles.edu, Welch Suggs dissects a study done to determine the facts about college athletes that gamble on sports. Suggs begins by introducing the parameters of the University of Michigan study that was released by the athletic department. â€Å"The study, based on a survey of 758 football and basketball players, found that 72 percent of college football and basketball players had bet money at least once since entering college† (Suggs). The author goes on to give further statistics that the survey revealed. Welch Suggs concludes the article with opposing viewpoint quotes from NCAA employee William Saum, and former NFL player Lynn Swann. Suggs’ last statement included next shifting attention to basketball referees to gain information about their gambling experiences. This was a questionable source to say the least. It had some solid content but the article opened as a PDF and my research failed to try and find the original homepage of the website. Likewise, the author was a mystery man as well. This text was very brief, but I believe the purpose was to inform about the findings of the survey revealed by the University of Michigan athletic department. However, the audience is hard to determine because of the unknown author and questionable website. If I were to pick an audience though, I would say it was intended for the adult college sports athlete because of the language and the inclusion of quotes from Lynn Swann. This text also has massive constraints, mainly for the same reasons as stated before. The website is random and in an odd format, therefore finding Suggs’ piece would be difficult to come across. The audience is extremely limited because of this, and the credibility suffers as well. Also, it did not include dates it the article, so the exigence of the piece suffers because the provoking event of the writing cannot be identified. The facts that are stated in this article hold strong relevance for this topic. It is more of an anti gambling article based on the information it presents, but it also gives a quote of the opposite viewpoint. Numbers don’t lie, and the numbers from the study are very eye opening and convincing. It makes me think about how much gambling affects the games we love, without us even knowing. Since all the surveys were anonymous, nothing will develop in terms of punishment or solutions to the problem. In this sense, the article does a great job persuading the reader. However, nowhere in the article did it give a date of the information or of when the article was written, so it is hard to put it in context and determine the importance. This, along with the briefness of the article, made it more difficult to shape my thinking about the topic. After analyzing the four sources included in this essay, I have yet to come to a concrete conclusion. I began researching the topic with the idea that gambling on college sports should be illegal and that all the effects of illegal gambling are bad. However, my research has muddied my view a little bit, which is actually a good thing because now I am informed more then I even have been. Being informed in such a way makes me understand how this predicament has been able to linger around in our society and in our legal system for so long. There seems to be no perfect solution and neither side of the argument wants to budge. I think both sides would agree that the illegal activity that surrounds gambling is a bad thing, but the argument remains; would legalizing sports gambling have a more positive effect on unlawful activity then keeping gambling illegal? The next step for me would simply be gaining more knowledge and weighing the pros and cons of each side and coming to decision of which side to take. Until then, ill be sitting on the fence of the topic, along with most of America. What Are the Effects of Legal vs. Illegal Gambling on College Sports? I’ve been a sports fanatic since the day I was born. It didn’t matter if I was playing or watching or cheering, I just loved being around the game. I have always been very knowledgeable about it too, as I was well known and titled by extended family as â€Å"the stat man. † This of course referred to the often times erroneous and useless facts rattling around in my brain that I couldn’t help but show off. Needless to say, this topic means a lot to me, especially being a college football player myself. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to dig deeper into a topic that has lingered in our country for years. The issues that pertain to gambling on college athletics have a vast range of opinions that stem from the questions; should gambling on college athletics be legal? What are the effects it has on the college athletes? Some argue that it will be detrimental to the game and some argue it has little to no effect, however most land somewhere in the middle. A common justification against gambling brings up the numerous scandals of players taking illegal benefits or point shaving and in extreme cases these events leading to jail or death. This side also argues that it allows players to get mixed up with the wrong crowd and put themselves in danger. Arguments for gambling site the economic reach it has in our country and the illegality will shrink the economy as well as not protect the players any more. Many people on this side think it will not be stopped so if gambling on college sports is illegalized, then every form of it will be illegal causing more trouble. My goal is to reveal those opinions and create a more complex understanding from various viewpoints, and hopefully bring a small degree of clarification to others and myself. In the article, â€Å"Even at Columbia, Gambling And College Athletics Collide† found in the New York Times, Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson enlighten the readers about the gambling infractions that occurred in a Columbia University fraternity house. The authors begin by describing the situation and basic details of the gambling process. â€Å" (They) would accept bets on sporting events from dozens of other students and then phone in the wagers — typically from $40 to $200 each — to a gambling ring based in Queens and operated by people with links to organized crime† (Curry and Gershenson). They go on to unravel the situation further by stating that there were not only college athletes betting on the games, but even current and former players living in the house that was tirelessly on the phone collecting wagers. Curry and Gershenson then discuss the further investigations done by Columbia and the NCAA and the possible disciplinary action that the offenders can face. The authors then write about the numerous amounts of sports gambling incidents in the last decade and also how students and athletes looked upon the Columbia gambling scandal with lesser importance because of the lack of athletic excellence. â€Å" The presence of a gambling operation with connections to organized crime at a school whose football team is best known for a 44-game losing streak in the 1980’s seemed incongruous† (Curry and Gershenson). An athlete was also quoted saying, â€Å"It’s not like this is Arkansas or something. This is Columbia. † Curry and Gershenson conclude their article by including a nationwide 1996 survey of college Division one athletes that reveals 25 percent gambled on other college sports and four percent admitted to gambling on games they had played in. I believe this is an article with good overall quality, even though it was written about 14 years ago in 1998. The time period constraint may lead to questions of relevance to readers in 2012. However, I think if you take all the dates and years out of the article, the purpose is still fulfilled and relays the same messages. The intent of the article was to inform about the events of the Columbia gambling ring, the reaction around campus, and the nationwide relevance. The authors Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson, are fairly unknown writers as far as I am concerned but that doesn’t take away from the quality of the article because it was included in The New York Times, which only adds credibility. For this reason, there would be a nationwide audience because of the shear number of readers. Specifically, the audience would probably be more of the businessman or woman, who are the stereotypical readers of The New York Times. The exigence of this piece was the arrest of gambling ring participants at Columbia but also the fact that these types of gambling scandals had been becoming more and more common in that time period. This was a very eye-opening article for me to read and by far the longest and most in depth. Since it was written 14 years ago, it is a story that I was previously unaware of. It made me even more aware then I already was, of how long this problem has lingered in college sports. It mentioned, more then once, that there are bookies on every campus in America. This really made me think about how unbelievable the number of illegal bets being placed by college students and athletes must be. However, even though this article is depicting the illegal gambling as a bad thing, I think it unintentionally makes arguments for both sides of the issue. If gambling on college sports were acceptable, this would have been a legal act. Hypothetically if it were legal, it would cut down on crime like this, which is usually linked to people with other criminal activity going on. Disconnecting the link to other criminal activity would make it all around safer for bookies and bet placers and athletes, because frankly, I think that people will never stop gambling on sporting events. I had always just assumed that gambling on college sports should be illegal, but this article made me reconsider whether that would really be the smartest and safest resolution. In the article â€Å"NCAA threatens to move events out of New Jersey† from SportsIllustrated. com, the unnamed author introduces the proposed plan to legalize sports gambling in New Jersey as well as reaction from sports organizations nationwide. The writer kicks off the article by stating background information about New Jersey’s push to legalize sports wagering. The article then goes on to describe the reaction from sports organizations, and goes in depth on the quotes from NCAA officials as well as their threats to move all playoff games out of New Jersey. It is also mentioned that The NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB have â€Å"collectively sued to block New Jersey’s sports betting law from taking effect. † However, there is also information and quotes from parties that are for the sports betting law. Quotes from State senator Raymond Lesniak and Governor Chris Christie demonstrate their support for the new law. The article is concluded with talk of â€Å"several new gambling options New Jersey is seeking to offer† (â€Å"NCAA Threatens†). The author writes that these other options include in-state Internet gambling and the use of hand-held mobile gambling devices at the casinos as well as at horse tracks. I thought this article was fairly credible and factual as well. It did not have an author to add to credibility but being a Sports Illustrated article maintained its effectiveness. I believe this piece was intended to inform the audience of residents of New Jersey as well as pretty involved sports fans. People who would read Sports Illustrated would obviously just be in it for the sports because that is the only information it obtains. This also acts as a constraint. The article cannot reach as much of the population because not everyone is a sports fan. The event that triggered this response was the attempt to make sports gambling legal in the state of New Jersey. My understanding of gambling in college sports was drastically upgraded by reading this article. It was an informative piece, so there was very little, if any, bias in the writing. The inclusion of statistics and legality of the topic really helped me understand why the sports organizations are hoping that the law will not pass. The shear amounts of money changing hands can lead to a lot of trouble, however for the same reason, legalizing that money could really boost economic growth. These types of pros and cons exist on both sides, making it an even tougher issue to sort out. My next source comes from a script from the testimony of Danny Sheridan before the Senate Commerce Committee on April 26, 2001. The testimony was for a hearing for the Amateur Sports Integrity Act (S. 718), which would determine the legality of gambling on college athletics. The first part of the testimony consists of Sheridan validating why his testimony should be considered by sharing his credibility and involvement in athletics. â€Å"My name is Danny Sheridan, and I have been involved with sports and the sports? promotion business for more than 25 years. I have published college and pro football? magazines, written about sports in a variety of national publications, and have been the?host of a number of sports TV and radio shows† Sheridan proclaims. Sheridan goes on to explain how he is also a friend of many high profile athletes and he knows first hand the dangers that athletic gambling has on athletes. Sheridan also includes many statistics in his argument. â€Å"An estimated 40 million Americans currently wager $6 billion illegally every weekend during the entire 20-week college and pro football season alone† (Sheridan). The testimony is concluded by Sheridan stating that he appreciates the good intentions of trying to legalize gambling, but it would instead, result in negative effects. The rhetor, Danny Sheridan, is a very well known sports industrial component, which gives his testimony (and therefore my source) credibility. He presented this to the Senate Commerce Committee in hopes to persuade them to vote against legalization of gambling on sports. The fact that this is a testimony, instead of a highly publicized article restricts the extent his message. I found the script on his website, however it isn’t an often visited site by the common Internet user, so the audience is a big constraint for this text. I found this testimony to be a great source for this project. It was interesting to read a text that wasn’t just a traditional article. My understanding for the anti gambling side grew significantly, because it was so biased. The speaker does a great job making his argument come full circle. For that reason, I came away from reading it with a slight lean towards supporting keeping gambling on sports illegal. Another interesting aspect is that this testimony was given in 2001. My previous source, about the gambling law in New Jersey, is a current issue, and the arguments made by Sheridan could simply be restated now with the same effects. It is astounding to see how such little progress has been made through the years. In the article â€Å"Study Provides New Data on the Extent of Gambling by College Athletes†, from netfiles. edu, Welch Suggs dissects a study done to determine the facts about college athletes that gamble on sports. Suggs begins by introducing the parameters of the University of Michigan study that was released by the athletic department. â€Å"The study, based on a survey of 758 football and basketball players, found that 72 percent of college football and basketball players had bet money at least once since entering college† (Suggs). The author goes on to give further statistics that the survey revealed. Welch Suggs concludes the article with opposing viewpoint quotes from NCAA employee William Saum, and former NFL player Lynn Swann. Suggs’ last statement included next shifting attention to basketball referees to gain information about their gambling experiences. This was a questionable source to say the least. It had some solid content but the article opened as a PDF and my research failed to try and find the original homepage of the website. Likewise, the author was a mystery man as well. This text was very brief, but I believe the purpose was to inform about the findings of the survey revealed by the University of Michigan athletic department. However, the audience is hard to determine because of the unknown author and questionable website. If I were to pick an audience though, I would say it was intended for the adult college sports athlete because of the language and the inclusion of quotes from Lynn Swann. This text also has massive constraints, mainly for the same reasons as stated before. The website is random and in an odd format, therefore finding Suggs’ piece would be difficult to come across. The audience is extremely limited because of this, and the credibility suffers as well. Also, it did not include dates it the article, so the exigence of the piece suffers because the provoking event of the writing cannot be identified. The facts that are stated in this article hold strong relevance for this topic. It is more of an anti gambling article based on the information it presents, but it also gives a quote of the opposite viewpoint. Numbers don’t lie, and the numbers from the study are very eye opening and convincing. It makes me think about how much gambling affects the games we love, without us even knowing. Since all the surveys were anonymous, nothing will develop in terms of punishment or solutions to the problem. In this sense, the article does a great job persuading the reader. However, nowhere in the article did it give a date of the information or of when the article was written, so it is hard to put it in context and determine the importance. This, along with the briefness of the article, made it more difficult to shape my thinking about the topic. After analyzing the four sources included in this essay, I have yet to come to a concrete conclusion. I began researching the topic with the idea that gambling on college sports should be illegal and that all the effects of illegal gambling are bad. However, my research has muddied my view a little bit, which is actually a good thing because now I am informed more then I even have been. Being informed in such a way makes me understand how this predicament has been able to linger around in our society and in our legal system for so long. There seems to be no perfect solution and neither side of the argument wants to budge. I think both sides would agree that the illegal activity that surrounds gambling is a bad thing, but the argument remains; would legalizing sports gambling have a more positive effect on unlawful activity then keeping gambling illegal? The next step for me would simply be gaining more knowledge and weighing the pros and cons of each side and coming to decision of which side to take. Until then, ill be sitting on the fence of the topic, along with most of America. What Are the Effects of Legal vs. Illegal Gambling on College Sports? I’ve been a sports fanatic since the day I was born. It didn’t matter if I was playing or watching or cheering, I just loved being around the game. I have always been very knowledgeable about it too, as I was well known and titled by extended family as â€Å"the stat man. † This of course referred to the often times erroneous and useless facts rattling around in my brain that I couldn’t help but show off. Needless to say, this topic means a lot to me, especially being a college football player myself. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to dig deeper into a topic that has lingered in our country for years. The issues that pertain to gambling on college athletics have a vast range of opinions that stem from the questions; should gambling on college athletics be legal? What are the effects it has on the college athletes? Some argue that it will be detrimental to the game and some argue it has little to no effect, however most land somewhere in the middle. A common justification against gambling brings up the numerous scandals of players taking illegal benefits or point shaving and in extreme cases these events leading to jail or death. This side also argues that it allows players to get mixed up with the wrong crowd and put themselves in danger. Arguments for gambling site the economic reach it has in our country and the illegality will shrink the economy as well as not protect the players any more. Many people on this side think it will not be stopped so if gambling on college sports is illegalized, then every form of it will be illegal causing more trouble. My goal is to reveal those opinions and create a more complex understanding from various viewpoints, and hopefully bring a small degree of clarification to others and myself. In the article, â€Å"Even at Columbia, Gambling And College Athletics Collide† found in the New York Times, Jack Curry and Adam Gershenson enlighten the readers about the gambling infractions that occurred in a Columbia University fraternity house. The authors begin by describing the situation and basic details of the gambling process. â€Å" (They) would accept bets on sporting events from dozens of other students and then phone in the wagers — typically from $40 to $200 each — to a gambling ring based in Queens and operated by people with links to organized crime† (Curry and Gershenson). They go on to unravel the situation further by stating that there were not only college athletes betting on the games, but even current and former players living in the house that was tirelessly on the phone collecting wagers. Curry and Gershenson then discuss the further investigations done by Columbia and the NCAA and the possible disciplinary action that the offenders can face. The authors then write about the numerous amounts of sports gambling incidents in the last deca.

The design of an automated external defibrillator Essay - 1

The design of an automated external defibrillator - Essay Example The scale of the burden is felt in the economy with escalating costs of health care as indicated by the billions spent annually by the UK government on cardiovascular diseases (British Heart Foundation 2012). The relatively high incidences of heart attacks in UK are of great concern to health care professionals and other stakeholders, which have seen them, consolidate their efforts in order to reduce the effects. Stakeholders such as medical engineers and manufacturers team up with healthcare professionals in an effort to brain storm on the possible solutions in line with technological advances. This front has seen the successful adoption and incorporation of technology in healthcare facilities in form of medical devices. According to the European Union definition, a medical device is an apparatus or instrument that is designed for preventative, diagnostic, monitoring, or therapeutic purposes and its purpose is not achieved through pharmacological, immunological or metabolic means (Krutmann 2011). Similarly, the mode of action of medical devices is not through chemical action in a patient’s body, although may be assisted in its functions through such means. As such, it is essential that medical devices exceed the threshold under the European Union regulations, which call for detailed records of the products, designing and construction is limited to qualified personnel, and comprehensive risk assessment should be done (Jacobson and Murray 2007). The key function of a medical device can be illustrated from scientific information quoted by the manufacturer in line with functional principle and the manufacturer’s labelling. Biomedical engineering is the major field charged with the task of designing, development and production of medical devices that are geared towards increasing efficiency in the delivery of healthcare services. Medical devices vary in their capacity and level of sophistication ranging from tongue depressors to

Thinking Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Thinking Styles - Essay Example Critical thinking dispositions are manifest in certain processes: understanding, analytical and reasoning processes. â€Å"Critical reasoning, as defined in plus definition set, is always rational because it uses reasons one way or another. However, although rational, it is not necessarily sound. Critical reasoning can be sound or unsound† (Critical Thinking, n.d.). These characteristics can be developed through management practices that foster analysis of the elements of reasoning. As a cognitive process, critical thinking may be defined as a self-reflective grasping of the structures of thought and subjecting them to (rational, reasonable, logical) standards that facilitate the perception and correction of errors in thinking (Schafersman 1991). In some cases, the role of the leader is to facilitate managers’ learning not what to think, but how to assess the quality of their own thinking and reasoning in general. Because knowledge is attained only through thinking crit ically about the reasoning involved in reaching conclusions, managers must be continually asked to reflect on their reasoning and the reasoning manifest in all forms of communication and technical processes. â€Å"Usually critical thinkers are a mixture. They promote root verities and insightful observations on one hand and, then, turn around, and advocate root errors that undo the good they are trying to promote† (Critical Thinking, n.d.). Creative thinking style helps managers to find ‘unique’ solutions in difficult situations and bring together creative ideas. Creative thinking style and management strengths can be characterized as the source of opportunity which lies in know-how decisions. Creative thinking implies new ideas which put into practice through: creation (something new), synthesis (combining concepts), or modification (changing things). Also, researchers distinguish critical and creative thinking.

Research proposal psychology Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Psychology - Research Proposal Example The major concern is in the suburban areas of the country, as the policies are not reaching the destination it is expecting. People in this area do understand the programs to act accordingly. But the most important factor that is faced by the state to implement the mental service is the increasing immigrants in the country. The number of immigrants is increasing at a steady rate and the various policies are not on the right way to act efficiently to an effect in the immigrant population. A large bulk of this population is from the rural areas in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, so they are not in touch with various services on this section and they don’t understand the programs on the mental health. The service does not reach these people effectively. The problem is not confined to people only, the department also various issue in providing the services. Department does not understand the section which require this services so they are unable provide them. By the time when the department identify the problem and provide the service, the condition would have become worse. Department identifies need for various services when there is a crisis. As the major section who requires the mental health services are immigrants as they will have to face many mental problems due to various reasons including change in the living condition, cultural changes, social factors, and many physiological interactions and interferences. But at the present condition department is able to provide the services only the time when there is crisis. This situation is to be sorted out with immediate effect in order to maintain mental level at standard level. Various surveys conducted all over the world have also shown the serious inability in the implementation of mental health services, of which US has a main contribution. The World Health Report 2001 clearly shows that mental and neurological conditions cause a serious amount of morbidity all over the world. It is estimated that a bout 10 million people in United States are affected by mental, neurological and substance-abuse disorders. Due to the immigration effects there are many people migrating to the state. Survey shows that a large proportion of the people live in countries, including the WHO South-East Asia Region are the people suffering from these problems. It is estimated that the burden of disease from neuropsychiatric conditions measured by DALY’s will increase from 9% of the total disease burden in 1990 to 14% in 2020. It is also known that a substantial proportion of people with neuropsychiatric conditions, do not get appropriate treatment. This is known as the mental-health gap or treatment gap for mental health. It is known above 85% of the people are not getting the services they are in need of. Neurological and psychiatric services have been mainly concentrated in tertiary-care hospitals. As such, large segments of the population, particularly those who live in rural and remote areas, have been deprived of such services. This is despite the fact that both neurological and psychiatric conditions are common in these communities Mental health care programs should include all mental health and well-being needs of the community and it should utilize all the community resources and the primary health

Information systems management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Information systems management - Assignment Example Social networking and web 2.0 technologies are key to implementation of brand creation and management in P&G. Blogs are considered effective and better means of communication since they attract more readership and comments. The company also uses Microsoft’s communication suite that integrates instant messaging, web browsing, video conferencing and live meeting calendar management as a collaborative communication and data transmission strategy. These methods enhance faster decision making and easier access to and retrieval of information (Stair & Reynolds, 2012). The previous means that were used in distributing information at P&G were not effective but rather time consuming and hectic. It was also time consuming to ensure all people got the information since it was all stored at one place. The current strategies are less time consuming and effective as multiple accesses to information stored at one place is made possible (Bocij et al., 2008). For an executive member to print and stick reports to a notebook for storage so much time is consumed and the means is not even effective enough for decision making. It’s also not a good way of record keeping since retrieval of information is made difficult hence delaying decision making. The new strategies employed, therefore, are so crucial in ensuring faster decision making throughout the company’s activities. The current electricity infrastructure in the United States differs so much from smart grills mainly because of technology adoption. Smart grills appreciate and apply technology so much in service delivery as opposed to the current infrastructure. This is evident in communicating with customers and integrating other service providers into the system (Stair & Reynolds, 2012). For instance ensuring that consumption is regulated and consumers are constantly informed of how much energy they use is a new strategy that is not availed in the previous infrastructure. It also integrates

Term paper on Medical Insurance Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

On Medical Insurance - Term Paper Example With regard to business, employers will be required to cover all their employees despite their medical condition. Failure to cover its employees would tantamount to paying fines which the law will impose on the company. This is important to mention because this is the new context that businesses will be operating in terms of providing health insurance to their employees. If the law will be strictly adhered to, businesses will have to cover all of its employees including those who were previously uninsurable and those who have pre-exisitng conditions. That would mean an added cost in terms of paying premiums as employees who were not uninsurable has to be insured now. To be able to control the seemingly rising insurance cost, employers adopted several ways to be able to save on cost. One of the option being considered by the big companies such as AT&T and Caterpillar, is to stop providing health coverage for their employers and pay the fines that the government will levy. They will in stead give raise to their employees in lieue of non-coverage and still save money (Colvin, 2012). Big companies are considering this option because the forced coverage of the new law on health insurance on all of its employees including those who were previously uninsurable would mean huge addition of cost due to the scale of its employees. Such, they deemed it more cost effective to stop insurance coverage, just pay the fine and give employees a raise as a replacement of health insurance coverage. Another option that employers are now implementing is to self-insure their employees. It meant that the employers themselves would now be responsible for covering the health insurance of their employees and would pay their claims directly rather than going through the conventional health insurance policies (whose cost has gone up with the implementation of Obamacare). The self-insured employer choses and designs their own plan and hire a third party administrator to manage the plan. And e mployers who cannot afford huge claims purchase stop-losss insurance that would cover the claim just in case they reach a certain level (Sammer, 2011). This became an option because the new law on health insurance removed the annual and lifetime payment caps that made stop-loss coverage a good alternative among employers. These cost saving device of employers may also be challenged by employees who would actually opt in with the coverage of the new health insurance law especially parents who have children under 27 years old. Under the law, employees who will be covered by the insurance policy of their employers can now include their children under the age of 27 in their insurance coverage with Obama’s new health care law. This component of the new law will be very advantageous to employees who has/have sickly child/children because the cost incurred in the health care of their children can now be shouldered by their present insurance when the new health care law. Employers wh o will attempt to stop health insurance coverage of their employees are almost certain to have conflict with them because that would mean depriving employees who are

Strategic management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strategic management - Term Paper Example They are the leaders in investment banking, wealth management and a host of other services. The biggest change that ever took place in the history of the financial institutions was the merger with Bank One. This change primarily took place because the other banks like the Bank of America were almost ready to merge with other big banks like FleetBoston. This merger took place because the financial institutions came under increasing pressure during the time of recession. The announcement of this merger was made on 14 January 2004. The Wall Street reacted very positively because of this merger and the NASDAQ witnessed growth soon after the merger took place. This change took place because the two financial institutions wanted to downsize and cut the deadwood out. The aim was to save about $2.2 billion over three years  and it was planned to eliminate as many as 10,000 people. This again goes to show how desperate even the biggest financial institutions were at the time of recession. Mergers and acquisitions were very common and these overtures were the initial signs which showed that almost all the big financial institutions were panicking. Volatile corporate banking was the major factor on which JP Morgan primarily functioned. The investors looked less enthusiastic with the deal between Bank of America and Fleet-Boston. This deal was for a whopping $48 billion. The shares of Fleet-Boston were driven up as a result of this deal because Bank of America offered 40% premium in this deal. The shares of Bank of America however came down and the investors lost a lot of money consequently. Big mergers take place because both the companies involved in the merger want to grow at a tremendous pace but this merger was not very useful for both the financial institutions. The collapse of WORLDCOM in the year 2005 signaled trouble for JP Morgan chase, the institution had to pay a whopping sum of $2 billion. This sum was paid to the different

COMMUNITY AND THE VIRTUAL WORLD Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

COMMUNITY AND THE VIRTUAL WORLD - Research Paper Example world, virtual communities are known to begin their life cycles as visitors or lurkers who by and by break existing communication barriers to become participating novices. Community visitors basically do not actively contribute for reasons among which include: seeking to learn about the community first, inability to use existing computer software, and dislike of observed group dynamics. Some simply relax as they receive all the information they need without having to actively participate while others may also nature the thought that by not contributing, they are being helpful to the group. After the novice participates for a sustained period he/she becomes a regular member then later graduates to become a leader. Later, leaders become elders and may leave the community due to new outlooks, new positions or new relationships. Interaction of members of the virtual community is primarily accomplished via communication media which include email, telephone, newsletters, and instant messages as well as online social networks and not face to face for professional, educational, social, and other purposes. Virtual communication also supplements the more traditional forms of communication between persons who primarily know one another in real life. The proliferation of social internet-based networks has undoubtedly changed the socio-technical environment in diverse ways. Virtual communities can share ideas, jokes, play games, share professional information, advertise products and even seal business deals. Professionals such as journalists, environmentalists, human rights activists, medical practitioners, scientists and researchers in all fields have for example found online communication convenient and indispensable for the successful performance of their activities. Rheingold notes that because sometimes in cyberspace people are not visible to one another, factors such as age, gender, and physical appearance do not really affect or come to play in the form or manner

Dog Training Essay Example for Free

Dog Training Essay Information to be output The output of the information will contain, the veterinary surgerys name, address and phone number and the surgery opening times on the back page. The opening times will make clear that the weekend surgeries are only for urgent cases. This leaflet will also give out the hours of emergency information. The title and a hamster picture will be on the front page. The information and another hamster picture will be on the inside pages. Data needed to produce the output The input needed to produce the leaflet will be a picture of a hamster; this will be a file on disk, on the inside pages there will be text on: Handling your hamster, cages, feeding your hamster, drinking bottle and common illness and health problems. These illnesses will include; diarrhoea and constipation. It will also include wet tails, colds, exercise and holidays. I will get this information from pages 23-24 of the booklet. On the front page there will be the title (Hamster care leaflet) and a picture of a hamster. On the back page there will be the veterinary surgerys name (Park view Veterinary surgery), the address (27 Park view, Lancre, LA6 9EJ), the phone number (01760 780003), the surgery opening times (Mon-Fri 9am-11: 30am, 4pm-7pm in the afternoons) and the urgent opening hours (10am-11am in the weekends). Desired outcomes and performance criteria The quality of the solution has to give an excellent impression of the veterinary and be easy to read so that people coming to the veterinary will be able to understand it and be able to find the information quickly in urgent circumstances. The style and layout of the output will be as follows: On the front page there will be a hamster picture and the title. In the middle pages there will be the information and another hamster picture, the sub headings in the middle pages must stand out so that the reader can find a certain type of information quickly. On the back page there will be; the veterinary surgerys name, address and phone number. It must also include the surgerys opening times and make it clear that weekend surgeries are only for urgent cases. Testing No testing needed beyond checking the leaflet meets the performance criteria. Dog Training A system will be made to calculate the price of dog training courses for each dog owner depending on how many dogs are to be trained. For example, walking to heel and not pulling on the lead. Format of the output The output will be in the form of a spreadsheet. This will be an interactive screen display, no printing is asked, but it can be if required. There will be columns for the number of dogs on the course, where the course is held, price of course per customer and amount paid to the trainer. Information to be output The information to be output will contain, the dog collars, the rewards, the location to train the dogs (the barn, the hall or the sports club). It will contain how many dogs are on each course, the price that each customer has to pay for each course and how much to pay the trainers and the cleaners. Data needed to produce the output The data needed to produce the output will be: the number of dogs (less than 15) on the course and where the course is held. These variables will determine how much each customer will have to pay (less than   50) and how much the trainer will get paid (basic rate 20 + i 1. 10 for each dog). The fixed amounts are: The price of the dog collars (i 1. 15), the price of the rewards (i 1. 30), the cleaners (i 6 per session). The rent costs are (rent x no. of sessions). I can find all this information from pages 8,9 and 26 of the booklet. Desired outcomes and performance criteria The quality of the solution and the style and layout of the output has to give a very clear, easy to read and easy to modify spreadsheet. The maximum number of dogs must be 15 and it must also be colourful. I must have the cost of the dog collars, the rewards, the cleaners and the location that the course will take place.

Properties And Uses Of Green Fluorescent Protein

Properties And Uses Of Green Fluorescent Protein ABSTRACT Green fluorescent protein has natural fluorescent properties which can be used in various applications. Mutagenesis of wild type GFP gives variants that are widely used as protein fusion tags, as biomarkers, used in studying protein interactions and localization of signals. GFP variants have led to technological advancement in biological studies such as FRET. In this review, we will study properties, uses, and variants of GFP developed in recent years. INTRODUCTION The green fluorescent protein was first observed by Shimomura et al in Aequoria victoria. He suggested 4-p-hydroxybenzylidine imidazoline-5 as its chromophore, which is involved in the fluorescence activity of GFP (Tsien 1998). The expression of this gene was later explained by Chalfie et al (1994). The chromophore which is made of 3 residues which are ser-tyr-gly (65-67) in the GFP protein makes the 4-p-hydroxybenzylidine imidazoline-5 structure later by post translation (Yang et al 1996). The structure of GFP as suggested by Tsien is ÃŽÂ ²-barrel with 11 stands. The chromophore lies in the centre of the ÃŽÂ ²- barrel and is attached via alpha helix. The number of amino acids which make up the GFP is 238 (Tsien 1998). PROPERTIES AND USES OF GFP The wild type GFP from Aequoria victoria has an excitation spectrum of 395nm and 475nm (absorbs blue light) with an emission peak of 508nm and 503nm (maximum) (emit green light) respectively (Tsien 1988). The GFP can be excited by UV lamps as well as fluorescein isothiocynate (FITC) filters due to its spectral range (Margolin 2000). The cloning and expression of GFP gene has given the important information of fluorophore synthesis in protein (Schwartz and Patterson 2006).The wild type GFP folds very slowly to attain active fluorescent state(mature chromophore) (Margolin 2000).The synthesis of fluorophore in GFP protein is an autocatalytic process. Mutagenesis of GFP tells that G67 is required for the fluorophore formation. The core fluorophore from Renilla reniformis is identical to A.victoria. It shows an excitation of 498nm (Yang et al 1996). With the help of Mutagenesis variants of GFP were created, one of the point mutation was S65T which increased the speed of fluorophore formation. The other mutations Ala206-lys206, leu221-lys221, phe223-arg223 helped to overcome GFP dimerization (Schwartz and Patterson 2006). There are 7 distinct classes of GFP variants based on chromophore component which acts on different absorbance and emission spectra (Tsien 1998).The Enhanced GFP (EGFP) variant has S65T mutation (improves fluorophore formation and brightness), phe64-leu64 (pacifies sensitivity to temperature), and codon optimization (expression in mammalian cells), which makes it a useful protein tag (Schwartz and Patterson 2006). Figure 1. The above graph shows the absorbance and emission peaks of wtGFP and EGFP. The blue circles depict the major minor absorbance peaks of wtGFP and green circles show the single emission peak of wtGFP. The blue and green squares show the absorbance and emission peak of EGFP respectively (Schwartz and Patterson 2006). There is a progress in the development of cyan and yellow shifted mutants (CFP and YFP) from A. victoria, which are pH sensitive and mature faster than wild type (Chudakov et al 2005). Cerulean is a bright CFP developed by Rizzo et al to use it in FRET based sensors for glucokinase activation (2004). GFP mutants can be used as fluorescent markers for time independent cell process. When mutants of GFPs are immobilized in aerated aqueous polymer gels and are excited at 488nm, they show repeated cycles of fluorescent emission (blinks several seconds). Hence, they are also used as molecular switches on optical storage elements (Dickson 1997). Elowitz et al (1997) found that photoactivation of GFP takes place in presence of low oxygen. Among several photoactivatable proteins, PA-GFP (thr203-his203) from A. victoria was the first which have 100-fold increase green fluorescence at 517nm. KFP1 is a recently developed variant obtained from Anemonia sulcate which can be irradiated in reversible as well as irreversible ways upon green light irradiation (Chudakov 2005). The plasmid vectors which are used to express proteins in bacteria use GFP fusion expression system. A number of proteins involved in cell division process in E. coli have been fused with GFP and expressed by lac promoter (Margolin 2000). GFP fused with Dictostelium myosin cells was used to study the myosin activity. The expression of GFP myosin fused protein proved that myosin is involved in cytokinesis and development of Dictostelium discoideum ( Moores et al 1995) GFP is protected from photobleaching by its rigid shell. Certain mutants are created by random combinations and directed mutagenesis (Kasprzak 2007). Major changes in fluorescence can be obtained by engineering the phosphorylation sites under defined conditions. FLIP (fluorescence loss in photobleaching) and FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching) are fluorescence imaging techniques are use to study protein kinetics, which is performed by photobleaching (Baker et al 2010). GFP along with these techniques is use to study gap junctions channels in living cells. FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) is the most common technology used to create biochemically sensitive GFP variants. In this quantum mechanical phenomenon, the emission spectrums of two nearby fluorophores overlap the excitation spectrum of each other (one acts as a donor and the other as acceptor). It is also used to study the distance between protein residues and monitoring motor movements (actin or microtubules). The chromophores of GFP are labelled as donor and acceptor and are linked with motor proteins. There are 3 approaches namely, single pair molecule FRET (spFRET), Luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET), and transient FRET measurements (Kasprzak 2007). Figure 2. Image showing the use of GFP as fusion tag (middle), promoter activation (left) and protein interactions by using FRET (right). The florescent proteins used in FRET are shown by coloured barrels and target proteins as grey and black ovals (Chudakov 2005). Miyawaki et al (1997) constructed indicators, which they called cameleons, for monitoring Ca+ signals in organelles and cytosol. The cameleons were created by using blue/cyan emitting GFP mutants, calmodulin, calmodulin binding peptide and blue/green emitting GFP. They used the FRET method. Abad et al (2004) developed a chimera of GFP that is used as a probe for studying changes in mitochondrial matrix pH. CONCLUSION In summary, there are wide variants of GFP used in various applications. The variants allow multicolour labelling of cells for detection. It has given new perspective in fluorescent imaging techniques such as FRET, FLIP, and FRAP. Monitoring promoter activity and localization of signals have become simpler by the use of GFPs.

Tony Kushners Angels in America Essay -- Tony Kushner Angels America

Most of the characters in Tony Kushner's Angels in America struggle with their sexuality. Reflected in this struggle, the homosexual characters are flawed to the degree at which they hide their sexuality. Prior, Belize, Louis, Joe, and Roy all deal with this issue in the course of the play. Prior is the least closeted homosexual while Roy is the most. Prior is chosen to be a prophet, is morally upright, and represents good. Roy, the unlawful lawyer, represents evil. Belize, Louis, and Joe fall in between Prior and Roy on the scale. By having these particular characters represent what they do, Tony Kushner places a negative stigma on those in the closet and emphasizes his negative opinion on closeted homosexuals. Prior is one of the most openly gay characters in the play. In act two, Prior suffers in the hospital. He says, "I want Louis. I want my fucking boyfriend, where the fuck is he? I'm dying, I'm dying, where's Louis?" (Kushner 66). He shows his dependence on his boyfriend and his need to seek comfort in his homosexual partner during this traumatic time. Also, just before the angel arrives at the end of part one, Prior says, "I can handle pressure, I am a gay man and I am used to pressure" (Kushner 123). He puts his strong suits forth, including his homosexuality, to convince himself he can handle the situation. In act four, in response to Hannah questioning his homosexuality, Prior says, "Oh, is it that obvious? Yes. I am" (Kushner 231). He has no problem admitting his homosexuality, even to complete strangers. Because of Prior's openness throughout the play, he is, without a doubt, completely out of the closet. Belize is also very open and out of the closet. The way he speaks to people clearly indi... ... will ultimately get what they deserve ? death. This conclusion can be generalized and not taken literally, and in that way applied directly to everyday situations. Even so, this remains another startling conclusion gathered from Tony Kushner?s work. In his play, Tony Kushner writes about flawed homosexual characters. While doing so, he develops an interesting relationship: the farther in the closet one is, the more flawed or evil one is. By making this startling correlation, Kushner places a negative stigma on those who are not open about their homosexuality. Through this evident relationship, Kushner strongly conveys his negative attitude toward closeted gays; thereby adding startling depth to his play, Angels in America. Works Cited Kushner, Tony. Angels in America. New York, New York: Theatre Communications Group, Inc., 1995.

It’s Time to Limit Restrict Hate Speech -- Argumentative Persuasive Ar

It’s Time to Limit Restrict Hate Speech Free speech is the backbone that holds democracy together.   Without a free speech, ideas would not be challenged, governments would not be kept in check, and citizens would not be free.   John Stuart Mill said once that, â€Å"If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person then he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.†( Roleff, 21). The right to free speech is essential to â€Å"egalitarian democracy,†(Tsesis) however, this right is not absolute and must be limited in certain situations.    Hate speech is one form of expression that should be limited in some situations.   The key question to ask with regards to hate speech, is, does hate speech cross over into hate crime? (Hellwege)   Hate crimes are often some of the most brutal forms of crime committed because they stem out of a deep-rooted enmity for the individuals involved (Tsesis).  Ã‚   These types of crime have led the brutal dragging death of an African American man in Texas and the pistol-whipping of a boy in Montana (Hellwege).   Is this type of crime incited by hate speech though?   Hate speech in its essence is pugnacious, that is, the basic message of hate speech is to â€Å"elicit persecution,† and bring upon â€Å"dehumanizing effects†(Leets, 38).   Yes, this sort of speech does incite violence.   Hate speech breeds a culture of hate groups against Jews, blacks, gays, women, Hispanics, and practically any other nationality, sex or race.    How does hate speech then incite violence?   Many inferences can be drawn form history, none more vivid and prevalent then the atrocities that occurred during World War Two.   T... ...iance.†Ã‚   Law & Society Review:   Amherst; 2001; Vol. 35, Iss. 2: pg.345-394. Hellwege, Jean.   â€Å"Hate In the Crosshairs: Lawyers, Legislators Battle Hate Crime.† Trial: Washington; Jan 2001 Vol. 37, Iss. 1; pg. 14-18 Leets, Laura.   â€Å"Should All Speech be Free?.†Ã‚   The Quill, v. 89 no4 May (2001) pgs 38-39.    Leo, John.   â€Å"Watch What You Say: The Left Can No Longer Be Counted On To Defend Free Speech† U.S. News & World Report; Washington; Mar 20, 2000 Roleff, Tamara L.   Civil Liberties: Opposing Viewpoints.   Greenhaven Press, San Diego CA, 1999 Saccuzzo, Jason Paul.   â€Å"Bankrupting the First Amendment: Using tort litigation to silence hate groups.†Ã‚   California Western Law Review v.37 no.2 spring (2001). Tsesis, Alexander.   â€Å"Hate In Cyberspace: Regulating Hate Speech On the Internet† The San Diego Law Review; San Diego Summer 2001; Vol. 38, Iss.3; pg. 817

Summary of Boyles Friendly Skies :: essays research papers

T. Coraghessan Boyle’s â€Å"Friendly Skies† is the story of Ellen, a woman who is trying to get to get to New York to be with her mom, but has trouble doing so due to several delays. First, the plane has mechanical problems, this is followed by a pilot claim that they have lost their slots for takeoff. When the plane finally leaves LAX, the engine catches on fire, so emergency landing is required. When back at the airport she is only able to get a non-direct flight that stops in Chicago. While on this flight, Ellen reminisces about heartbreaking details of her past, so she takes prescription medicine with alcohol to try and diminish her pain. Eventually, a nervous man who had annoyed Ellen for hours, threatens to kill everyone because he is not happy with the airline service. With her built up frustration, Ellen picks up a fork and stabs the man repeatedly, which helps in restraining him long enough to land in Denver. The central idea of the story is that even a calm a nd constrained person can have an irrational outburst of emotion if his/her feelings are repressed. The protagonist of the story is Ellen. Ellen is thirty-two years old, with limp blond hair and a plain face and whose eyes oozed sympathy. She is also a fifth-grade teacher who has recently left her job after having experienced the embarrassment of a public fight with her partner Roy in front of her colleagues. From the beginning of the story she is frightened, anxious, with head down and shoulders slumped, indicating she has a lot of pain and suffering kept inside her. Doctors have described her as anemic and depressive and she knows that that life she has led so far has contributed for that diagnosis. The protagonist is a dynamic character because although she starts as a person who keeps all her emotions to herself, in the end, she explodes and releases her frustration on Mr. Lercher, the passenger who tried to kill everyone on the airplane. Her change in attitude can be observed when the narrator describes, â€Å" All she knew was that she’d had enough, enough of Roy and this big, drunken testosterone-addled bully and the miserable, crimpled life that awaited her at her mother’s, and she came up out of her seat as if she’d been launched†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The main conflict is Ellen’s inner conflict and the effect that her repressed feelings have on her life and her attitudes.

The Famous Architect

Known as one of the most famous architect of all times Frank Lloyd Wright is a legend. The child of minister, â€Å"William Cary Wright and teacher, Anna Lloyd Jones, Retrieved from http://architect. architecture. sk/frank-lloyd-wright-architect/frank-lloyd-wright-architect. php † Frank Lincoln â€Å"Wright was born June 8, 1867 in Richland Center, Wisconsin. † Retrieved from http://architecture. about. com/od/wrightwebsites/Frank_Lloyd_Wright_Web_Sites. htm.He later changed his name to Frank Lloyd Wright after his parents divorced. During his childhood Frank and his family moved several times. At the age of 12 his family had â€Å"settled in Madison, Wisconsin, where he attended Madison high school. † Retrieved from http://architecture. about. com/od/wrightwebsites/Frank_Lloyd_Wright_Web_Sites. htm His â€Å"summers were spent on his Uncle James Lloyd Jones farm in Spring Green, Wisconsin, here he realized his dream of being an architect. † Retrieved from http://architect. rchitecture. sk/frank-lloyd-wright-architect/frank-lloyd-wright-architect. php Without finishing high school he left Madison in 1885 to work for Allan Conover, the Dean of the university of Wisconsin's Engineering department. When employed at the University he attended two semesters of classes studying civil engineering. He moved to Chicago in 1887. When Wright moved to Chicago, he worked briefly for an architect. Shortly after that he landed a job as a draftsman for a firm with Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan.The Auditorium Building was the first project with that firm; the building was the largest building in Chicago of that time (1890). During the time he worked with Sullivan he designed several houses including one for himself in Oak Park, Illinois with Sullivan’s assistant, he stayed employed with Sullivan until 1893. Sullivan was not pleased when he found out that Wright was branching out on his own and after just a few years this lead to a break bet ween them; they did not speak for many years. Although they departed from each other on bad terms Wright had always felt.

Nutrition Assignment Essay

Cooking is the application of one of two types of heat. Name them and then classify all the methods of cooking (baking, blanching etc) listed in your course according to which type of heat they use. Cooking is the application of one of two types of heats which are using moist or dry methods of cooking. Baking: Baking is a commonly used cooking technique that applies dry heat to a food, along with an air flow. It avoids the problems of nutrient loss due to leeching, and is effective at breaking down starches. However, heat labile nutrients will be destroyed and the long cooking time will negatively affect nutrient value. Baked goods loose moisture and tend to be dry; fats will leech out as well. Blanching: Blanching is the plunging of a food item into boiling water for a very short time period, before removing it and transferring it to cold or icy water. The cold water stops the cooking process. Blanching can remove the bitter taste from some vegetables and can also enhance their colour, making them more appealing. The application of very high heat will kill many micro-organisms and will also soften the tough fibres in vegetables. Braising: A method of cooking that is similar to baking, however, a liquid is placed beneath the food, or the food placed in a liquid. The liquid, at high temperatures, will convert to steam and so the food will be partially baked and partially steamed. It is used primarily in the preparation of meat dishes, where the tough collagen fibres require high heat and time to become softened and palatable. This of course impacts on the level of heat labile nutrients in the food, and leeching may also be a problem in the early stages of cooking. High temperatures will seal foods quickly, helping to trap juices and the nutrients within them to some extent. Other terms for braising include stewing or pot-roasting. Casserole and stews are braised dishes. When the meat is kept in the fluid, or the fluid returned to the meat nutrient losses will be lessened. Grilling: Grilling, like baking, is a dry cooking method, the difference being that grilling is the direct application of heat to the food as opposed to hot air. Food is generally cooked very quickly, which is good for limiting nutrient degradation, but at very high heat, which causes loss of the heat labile nutrients. Barbecuing, cooking over hot coals or charcoals are all consider variations of grilling. With larger cuts of meat, cooking time is lengthened, resulting in additional nutrient loss. Poaching or Boiling: Poaching, as opposed to boiling, is the gentle heating of a food in water. Typically, an acid is also added to the water (wine, vinegar, citrus juice) and this can impact on acid/pH sensitive vitamins such as vitamin K. Leaching is of course a major source of nutrient loss, but as the heat is lower; B group vitamins should remain intact as the temperature is below 100C. Mineral content is not dramatically altered with poaching or boiling but is more apparent than other cooking methods. Comment on the ease/difficulty for a person, suffering the medical condition you investigated, who has to stick to the dietary guidelines you created in question 7. Write a paragraph. If a person is naturally used to eating healthy following the crohn’s diet might be easy to follow for a person. Fatty and oily foods must be avoided all together as they are difficult to digest when a person has this medical condition. Eating a softer and blander diet is also essential to avoid discomfort. Sometimes bland foods are hard to follow as they are boring to an individual this can be hard to follow. Coffee lovers might also find it hard as caffeine can irritate the stomach as well. References http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/healthy-eating/mums-united/healthy-eating/Pages/default.aspx?gclid=CPKCw6rk5rMCFUhZpQodSn0AXg http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/behavior.htm http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Weight_loss_a_healthy_approach http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0415/p1769.html http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet-basics.html http://www.livestrong.com/article/426491-nutritional-requirements-for-diabetics/#ixzz2D7F4J47I http://www.livestrong.com/article/286671-diet-for-gastric-problems/ http://www.livestrong.com/exercises-for-obese-people/ http://www.kitchensavvy.com/journal/2006/03/blanching_food.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/treatments/healthy_living/your_weight/whatis_bmi.shtml http://www.arhp.org/publications-and-resources/quick-reference-guide-for-clinicians/postpartum-counseling/diet Course Notes http://www.trimdownclub.com/introduction/index.html?ad=311 Health Magazines have also been investigated.

Building Flexibility Into Contracts

The main rationale for building flexibility into an outsourcing contract is based on the premise that factors both internally and externally may change and thus impact the achievement of the desired objectives of the outsourcing. For example, the internal requirements of the sourcing organization may change during the outsourcing contract or another supplier in the supply market may achieve a technology breakthrough, which allows it to realize significant performance improvements.In the latter case, the establishment of a long-term contract with a competing supplier prevents the sourcing organization from accessing the superior capabilities of this supplier. Therefore, incorporating elements into a contract that create flexibility can ensure that the desired benefits are being achieved from outsourcing and in particular, ensure that the sourcing organization is not locked into a relationship with an uncompetitive supplier.Likewise, building flexibility into contracts aids organizatio ns in benefiting from the outsourcers’ cost improvements as they occurred, avoid lawsuits and save face in the future. Ways to Build Flexibility into Contracts McIvor (2005) related that flexibility can be achieved through either incomplete or incentive contracts. Incomplete contracting creates a situation in which parts of the contract can be renegotiated based upon changes in circumstances. It is mainly concerned with optimization over time, seeking to minimize the costs of adapting to the constantly changing conditions of the economic environment.There are a number of methods incorporating flexibility into a contract through incomplete contracting like price flexibility, renegotiation, contract length and early termination (Langfield-Smith, Smith and Stringer, 2000). Price flexibility allows prices to be renegotiated as circumstances change during the contract. Incorporating price flexibility means that all future contingencies do not have to be fully considered at the out set, as the buyer and supplier are aware that prices can be adjusted to reflect changes in circumstances.For example, changes in the requirements of the sourcing organization during the contract may necessitate an adjustment in prices. In renegotiation, mechanisms are incorporated into the contract that allow for renegotiation based upon changes in the business environment. The contract may include specific clauses under which renegotiation should occur including fixed calendar dates or changes in economic indices. Renegotiation often involves renegotiating more than price and can also focus on the terms of contract.The employment of shorter contracts can be employed to achieve flexibility. At the end of the contract period a new contract can be negotiated that reflects the current circumstances both internally and externally. Rather than have the five- to seven-year contracts of the last decade, contracts are now being broken into manageable timeframes which have short initial term s and options for extensions. Few organizations can predict their needs with any certainty over long lengths of time, thus it is prudent to have flexibility over the contract continuance.A clause may be incorporated into the contract that sets out the conditions under which the contract may be terminated. The omission of such a clause can result in considerable penalties in the event of the contract being terminated prematurely. Incentive contracting, on the other hand, involves incorporating mechanisms into the contract that allow the supplier to share any cost savings or profits generated through the outsourcing relationship (Dimitri, Piga and Spagnolo, 2006).Taking advantage of a contractor’s general objective to maximize profits by giving it the opportunity to earn a greater profit if it performs the contract efficiently lies at the core of incentive contracting. The essence of said contracting type is the effort by one individual or organization (the principal) to induce and reward certain behaviors by another (the agent). It has been the subject of considerable discussion in the economics literature, as incentive contracts are often employed to encourage performance improvements in the outsourcing arrangement in areas such as cost reduction and service levels (Bolton and Dewatripont, 2005).This type of contract stimulates the contractor to limit costs by leaving him a fraction of cost savings, but at the same time it reimburses him some money in case of cost overrun. The contract will include mechanisms that ensure the supplier shares any savings that are realized from performance improvements. Incentivization can create a more cooperative relationship between parties, overcoming the traditional adversarial approach to contracting.The purpose of the incentives is not just to motivate the contractor but to tie performance of all participants to the contract’s objectives. The proper use of an incentive contract aligns the priorities of contra ct participants who would otherwise have diverse motives. Potential Risks of Building in Too Much Flexibility Nowhere is the potential trade-off between control and flexibility more apparent than when it comes to designing the contract. As with anything that is too much, there are potential risks of building in too much flexibility into contracts.By having too much contract flexibility, short-term opportunistic behavior is more likely, which is why classical legal contracts remove flexibility by building in as much legally enforceable control as possible that protects both parties from such behavior. With respect to incomplete contracting, problems arise when any agreement is negotiated under conditions of incomplete or asymmetric information, risk and uncertainty. It has also been associated with certain organizational costs, as it needs to be revised or renegotiated as the future unfolds.John (2000) identifies three such types of costs: ex post costs of haggling over the terms of the revised contract upon renegotiation; those related to inefficient agreements caused by asymmetric information; and ex ante costs of not investing in relation-specific investments in fear of encountering ‘hold-up’ behavior upon contract renegotiation. Since it is impossible to write a complete contract that specifies what the agent is required to do in all contingencies, legal precedent is employed to determine obligations of the contracting parties that are not explicitly written into a contract.Familiar contractual forms have the advantage that there is a wealth of legal precedent concerning them. Thus, disputes are likely to be resolved speedily. More exotic contractual forms, for which there are few legal precedents, are more prone to costly and acrimonious legal disputes (Aghion and Bolton, 2002). Further, incomplete contracting discourages both relation-specific investments and value-enhancing agreements.When it comes to incentive contracting which operates on the theory of the carrot and the stick (there’s a financial carrot for a supplier for better than agreed-on quality, reliability, delivery or performance and a financial stick for worse than agreed-on levels of those parameters), the principle is attractive but the practice is another matter. Suppliers are reluctant to accept financial penalties, especially for reliability targets are not reached, and customers are reluctant to extend financial incentives to suppliers if agreed-on targets are not met.In incentive contracting, the risks' amount, probability, and impact are major factors influencing the design of the contract since the main purpose of this is transferring the risks. As well, there are several limitations to incentive contracting, as it depends on a purchaser with the ability to specify performance, the possibility of meaningful performance measures that can be identified, agreed upon and implemented, the existence of resources to oversee and monitor performance , and the practical ability to take action, including replacing the contractor, where performance is unsatisfactory.The front pages provide too-frequent illustration of the ways in which contract incentives designed by the best and most well-intentioned experts may yield unintended adverse consequences. Incentives can divert attention from other important goals, work too well on their own terms, or encourage distorted reporting. WORKS CITED 1. Aghion, P. & Bolton, P. (2002). On Partial Contracting. European Economic Review. 46, 745-753. 2. Bolton, P. & Dewatripont, M.(2005). Contract Theory. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 3. Dimitri, N. , Piga, G. & Spagnolo, G. (2006). The Handbook of Procurement. New York: Cambridge University Press. 4. Langfield-Smith, K. , Smith, D. & Stringer, C. (2000). Managing the Outsourcing Relationship. Australia: University of South Wales Press, Ltd. 5. McIvor, R. (2005). The Outsourcing Process: Strategies for Evaluation and Manag ement. New York: Cambridge University

A campaign for the City Bike Company Essay

The City Bike Company started in the United States as a sharing program. It situated in New York dealing with bicycles which are of high quality. Interestingly, it is the biggest bike sharing program in the country and even the whole world. The company was selected to advance and operate the system using a new technology. In that reason the company has a great opportunity hence enlarging its operation system in the City. Basically, it spent millions of dollars to lead a certain sponsorship for around six good years. This actually portrays how the company has made a rigid foundation to success its’ operation. The system was opened officially to the people with around 300 stations as well as 6,000 bicycles in 2013. Fortunately, last year’s number of subscribers was roughly 93,000 while the Citi Bike riders took an average of 34,000. This was done in every day of that year. (Staub, 2014).Ladies and gentleman, our company has come to culmination, and now you have the power to change the working landscape of City Bike Company. As we advertise time and time again, if you choose the products of our company, there are several things will be done to you fully as you continue to enjoy. For that reason, we ensure that your needs are our needs. Therefore, we are ready to meet them day in and day out across this land. First of all, we plan on proposing new legislation of investing more incentive dollars in our company, not only to meet the needs of today, but to reduce the price of our bicycles hence developing minds for the future. Also, such new funding would be used to buy quality materials and retain our mission and vision. In addition, we intend to fund for building and renovating new companies of the same. Our dear customers, the company has created a strategy plan setting aside US$ 20.4 million for the discount and printing free magazine ads showing the products and the relating prices. This awesome target starts in the mid of the year 2015. To accomplish this, I request all of you to remain patient in this company since there are more and fabulous things the board of directors have for you. No more price increases, instead it will reduce. At the same time, the discount will be attached of 40 % of the fixed price. As I see this creates wonderful smile to most of our customers and even to the prospective customers. Eventually, the list of bicycle sharing systems has increased in the world and even in United States. Therefore, we have stiff competition that is behind us ready to make their sales. The statistics depicts that by August 2014; more than 600 cities worldwide had a bike sharing program of the same type of ours. That is up from 535 systems, in 49 countries; in April 2013. Actually, this is incredible sharp increase from 2011, when it was 375 schemes operating 236,000 bicycles. Precisely, adoption outside the continent Europe sharply increased over that duration of time, up from one system that is, in Washington D.C to around 143, having more than half percent of the world fleet in Asia (Steves, 2014). It should be noted that the City Bike Company is the most and famous company that produces quality bicycles in the world. Furthermore, it offers quality and recommendable services to the customers as most of you are aware of it. Kindly let us stick to our culture which is in our beloved company. Finally, ladies and gentlemen keep in mind that there is only boss one in the business who has the power to sack and employ the manager. Do you know the boss is you as customer because you are able to determine where you are money will go to? I implore you to support our company together. I really appreciate you excellent turn up and being tolerant until now while listening our strategy plan. See you there. Thank you. Reference Staub, M. (2014). Best bike rides New York City: Great recreational rides in the five boroughs. Steves, R. (2014). Europe Through the Back Door 2015 : The Travel Skills Handbook. Avalon Travel Publishing. Source document

Analysis Phase Of System Development Life Cycle Thesis - 1

Analysis Phase Of System Development Life Cycle - Thesis Example Remaining at the current status will likely cost $53,230 each year while by implementing the new system, the corporate will save half of this amount. Improving the current system (software and hardware) will cost $35,000. A thorough analysis tells us the needs of this company, whats wrong with the current system, potential problems toward implementation and costs. The recommendation of this paper is to conduct a thorough analysis of the situation, build budgets and timelines that reflect realities, understand that employees are going to be a little skeptical (so spend time and money on training) and also understand there will be a learning curve. Corporate House needs to implement this enterprise system to solve the stated problems. Doing so will allow for unlimited growth and if the improved information, reporting and efficiencies allow them to after accounting for implementation costs. Information systems, in theory, are geared toward helping improve productivity by improving the flow of information. But when systems become obsolete or a company grows or both, the information systems can turn from an advantage into a liability. Employees find they must work around the system, rather than work with the system. What is the best step when an information system no longer is able to meet the needs of the organization? Should a company simply invest in patches in the current system and do business as usual? Or would a new system be called for? There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to both of these processes. But to make a rational decision, a company needs to have an understanding of where it currently is with the system, where it needs to be, and the steps that are necessary to get there. In the following case with Corporate House, well do just that. Corporate House, a generic company, is finding itself in the same position as a lot of

Cash Management Techniques Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cash Management Techniques - Case Study Example 1. The company usually creates realistic cash flow budgets for both short term and long term. This helps the company to critically analyze the management policies of their cash and also pass recommendations to improve their current strategies. Competition- A company business environment plays a critical role in determining the credit policies that the company will adopt. The practices being carried out by other players in the industry will be a deterministic factor as well. In a relative competitive business environment, a high degree of importance is usually emphasized in regard to credit availability. The reason behind this is to ensure that the company remains competitive since it will be an attraction to clients. Even when the industry is not competitive enough, a company can use credit availability as a tool to be more competitive ( Cooper, 2004). Customer type-The type of customers that a company interacts with will be critical in deterministic of the policies the company will adopt. In situations whereby the clients of the company are characterised with short capital it is unlikely the company will adopt policies that will increase credit availability ( Albrecht, Stice, & Stice, 2010). Profit margin- the profit margin from goods or services provided by the company is a critical deterministic aspect of the credit policies a company will implement. If the profit margins are slim, then the credit department needs to be careful about the policies they adopt. On the other end, high profit margins are more tolerant to risks associated with credit, thus allowing more flexible and ease policies ( Albrecht, Stice, & Stice, 2010). The government regulations - government might set specific credit regulations in order to govern the sale of specific commodities for example alcohol. Therefore, companies should select credit policies that are in line with government regulations. Short term financial

Book summary and critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Book summary and critique - Essay Example Details of his courageous battle and determination to defeat cancer, despite being the tremendous odds of survival, were narrated in a matter-of-factly form. His commitment to his craft was his ultimate concern right after being diagnosed with cancer – even more than the possibility of untimely demise. Armstrong acknowledged the disease as an eye-opening opportunity to remunerate of his life, as he indicated â€Å"my illness was humbly and starkly revealing, and it forced me to survey my life with an unforgiving eye† (Armstrong & Jenkins, 4). The exceptional determination to win encouraged him to strive beyond expectations and enabled Armstrong to catapult to fame from winning the Tour de France in seven consecutive years from 1999 to 2005, despite the rigors of the dreaded disease. His inspirational experience provided the impetus for the establishment of a foundation, the Lance Armstrong foundation, with the mission of improving the lives of people who have been drast ically affected by cancer. Critique The book was inspirational for readers from all walks of life.