Enterococcus

Enterococcus By Richard Guilford Enterococcus Enterococcus, or more appropriately enterococci, are a family of bacteria in the division firmicutes (meaning strong skin and referring to the cell wall) and the class bacilli (which refers to its rod like shape). They look just like streptococcus bacteria from physical characteristics alone. In fact, members of the genus Enterococcus were classified as Group D Streptococcus until 1984 when genomic DNA analysis showed that a separate genus classification would be appropriate. Enterococci are part of the normal intestinal flora (good bacteria) of humans and animals but are also important pathogens responsible for serious infections. They are considered gram-positive, meaning they stain dark blue or violet. They also mostly occur in pairs or short chains. Enterococci are facultative anaerobic organisms, meaning they can thrive in both oxygen rich and oxygen poor environments. They do not form spores as many bacteria do, meaning they do not have a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and survival for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Nevertheless, they are tolerant of a wide range of environmental conditions: such as extreme temperature (10-45 °C), pH (4. 5-10. 0) and high sodium chloride concentration. In bodies of water, the acceptable level of contamination is very low, for example in the state of Hawaii, with among the strictest tolerances in the United States, the limit for water off its beaches is 7 colony-forming units per 100 ml of water. Anything above that, the state may post warnings to stay out of the ocean. In 2004, Enterococcus spp. took the place of fecal coliform as the new federal standard for water quality at public beaches. It is believed to provide a higher correlation than fecal coliform with many of the human pathogens often found in city sewage (eww right? ). There are many strains of enterococcus. Important clinical infections caused by Enterococcus include urinary tract infections, bacteremia, bacterial endocarditis, diverticulitis, and meningitis. Sensitive strains of these bacteria can be treated with ampicillin and vancomycin, two well known and often used antibiotics. An important feature of enterococcus is the high level of intrinsic antibiotic resistance, meaning its inherent ability to ithstand some of the more common antibiotics. Some enterococci are intrinsically resistant to beta-lactam-based antibiotics (those include some penicillins and virtually all cephalosporins) as well as many aminoglycosides (an amino-sugar that can sometimes function as an antibiotic). In the last two decades, particularly virulent strains of enterococcus that are resistant to vancomycin (vancomycin-resistant E nterococcus, or VRE) have emerged in nosocomial (infections caught in hospitals while care is being given) infections of hospitalized patients especially in the US. Other developed countries such as the UK have been spared this epidemic, and, in 2005, Singapore managed to halt an epidemic of VRE. VRE may be treated with quinupristin/dalfopristin (a special antibiotic developed to fight VRE) or Synercid with response rates of approximately 70%. Enterococcus avium is a species that is most commonly found in birds. Rarely, it is also a cause of infection in humans, and in such cases, may be vancomycin-reistant. It is referred to as VREA. VREA cases in humans have been successfully treated with linezolid (a synthetic antibiotic). Enterococcus durans and enterococcus faecalis are very similar. They are often mistaken for one another in determining infections. They inhabit the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other mammals. It is among the main parts of some probiotic food supplements. Like other species in the genus enterococcus, E. faecalis can cause life-threatening infections in humans, especially in the nosocomial environment. The naturally high levels of antibiotic resistance found in E. faecalis contribute to its ability to infect. E. faecalis has been frequently found in root canal-treated teeth in prevalence values ranging from 30% to 90% of the cases. Root canal-treated teeth are about nine times more likely to have E. faecalis than cases of primary infections. Enterococcus faecium is an alpha hemolitic or nonhemolitic, bacterium. It is used as a probiotic in animals. It can be commensal (a harmlessly coexisting organism) in the human intestine, but it may also be pathogenic, causing diseases such as neonatal meningitis. Enterococcal meningitis is also a rare complication of neurosurgery. It often requires treatment with IV or intrathecal (something introduced into or occurring in the space under the arachnoid membrane of the brain or spinal cord) vancomycin, yet it is uncertain whether its use has any impact on outcome. The removal of any neurological devices is an important part of the management of these infections. Enterococcus solitarius and Enterococcus gallinarum are two more species of enterococcus. The genus Enterococcus includes more than 17 species, but only a few cause clinical infections in humans. Infection control programs were created three decades ago to control antibiotic-resistant nosocomial infections, but there has been little evidence of control in most facilities. After long, steady increases of MRSA and VRE infections in hospitals, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Board of Directors made reducing antibiotic-resistant infections a strategic SHEA goal in January 2000. After 2 more years without improvement, a SHEA task force was appointed to draft an evidence-based guideline on preventing nosocomial transmission of pathogens, focusing on the two considered most out of control: MRSA and VRE. Medline searches were conducted spanning 1966 to 2002. Many interpretations of unpublished studies providing sufficient data were included. Frequent antibiotics in healthcare settings provided a small advantage for resistant strands, but patients with MRSA or VRE usually acquire it through spread. The CDC has long-recommended contact precautions for patients colonized or infected with these pathogens. Most facilities have required this as policy, but have not actively identified infected patients with surveillance cultures (lab tests performed to determine possible abnormalities or infection) and tests, leaving most infected patients undetected and not isolated. Many studies have shown control of endemic (exclusively native to a place) and/or epidemic (everywhere) MRSA and VRE infections using surveillance cultures and contact precautions. Active surveillance cultures are essential to identify the infected to prevent spread of MRSA and VRE infections and make control possible using the CDC’s long-recommended contact precautions. Testing for enterococci can be tricky. Enterococci have been recognized to be of fecal origin since the beginning of this century. The usual ecological home for the Enterococcus species is the intestines of humans and other animals. However, enterococci are ubiquitous (present everywhere) and can be found free-living in soil, on plants, or in dairy products. Enterococcus comprises gram-positive cocci that are catalase (a common enzyme found in nearly all living organisms that are exposed to oxygen, where it functions to catalyze the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen) negative, usually facultative anaerobic acteria. There is clear evidence of the genotypic (concerning the genetic makeup) identity of Enterococcus, based on molecular studies. Enterococci have also been related to human diseases, becoming established as major nosocomial pathogens. The isolation of strains resistant to many antibiotics has become important in public health concerns. In addition, Enter ococcus and Streptococcus have been proposed as indicators of fecal contamination in water because of their high abundance in feces and their long survival in the environment. Although the ratio of fecal coliforms to fecal streptococci has been ruled out as an indicator, the identi? cation of species associated with a given environment or host might provide additional information about the origin and the source of fecal contamination. The ability of enterococci to grow under particular conditions is widely used in their selective identification. This characteristic allows the detection and enumeration of enterococci with a selective medium (template used to grow bacteria) M-enterococcus agar or KF streptococcus agar, and by using bile-esculin-azide agar (another medium) as a further test for con? mation. Although this approach can distinguish Enterococci from other bacterial species, some may be identi? ed wrongly. The use of these media can hurt either selectivity (choices of bacteria found) or productivity (ability for bacteria to grow). Even though this approach was to identify enterococci species, it is unsuitable for the detection of certain enterococ ci species because they do not grow on these media. In addition, other bacterial species such as Streptococcus are able to grow on the media, presenting results similar to those of Enterococci. Enterococci are diverse and enigmatic. There are many strains and many complications that can arise from them. They are both harmless and deadly, useful and destructive. They can be used to aid digestion, or feared in a hospital setting. They are indeed a medical paradox. With continued study, we hope to learn from and understand these bacteria if not to aid us in our expansion of knowledge, then to rid us of a potentially critical threat in our hospital settings. Gilmore MS, (2002). The Enterococci: Pathogenesis, Molecular Biology, and Antibiotic Resistance. Fisher K, Phillips C (June 2009). â€Å"The ecology, epidemiology and virulence of Enterococcus†. Jin G, Jeng HW, Bradford H, Englande AJ (2004). â€Å"Comparison of E. coli, enterococci, and fecal coliform as indicators for brackish water quality assessment†. Carlene A. Muto, MD, MS; John A. Jernigan, MD, MS; Belinda E. Ostrowsky, MD, MPH; Herve M. Richet, MD; William R. Jarvis, MD; John M. Boyce, MD; Barry M. Farr, MD, MSc (May 2003). â€Å"SHEA Guideline for Preventing Nosocomial Transmission of Multidrug-Resistant Strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus†

Reinventing the Starbucks Experience

In his memo to his senior team, Howard Schultz wrote about his visions of Starbucks and his disappointment over what he called the â€Å"commoditization of the Starbucks experience. † He gave a detailed list of the decisions that has contributed to this fate. His visions are clear and the arguments he presented are impeccable but this paper will look at the situation from a different viewpoint. The question is should they stick with the changes or revert to the old ways and preserve tradition? Going Big Howard Schultz mentioned several decisions that that led to the â€Å"watering down† of the Starbucks experience. These are: †¢ Changing La Marzocca machines with automatic espresso machines. †¢ Shifting from fresh coffee to fresh roasted bagged coffee. †¢ Transforming store design. While he believes these changes resulted to the â€Å"commoditization† of Starbucks, he admitted that these were necessary and instrumental in bringing Starbucks from 1000 to more than 13,000 stores (Schultz, 2007). These changes allowed Starbucks to speed up their services, become more efficient, cost-effective and competitive. Starbucks Soul Everything has its own price. Starbucks achieved their business goals but lost sight of their vision along the way. For Howard Schultz, losing their â€Å"soul† for profit was a high price to pay. In his memo, he mentioned that shifting from La Marzocca to automatic espresso machines removed the â€Å"romance and theater† of the process. The height of the machines blocked the view and took away the intimacy of the experience. Shifting to roasted coffee took out the aroma and stripped the store of its tradition and heritage. Lastly, changing store design eliminated the â€Å"warm feeling of a neighborhood store† (Schultz, 2007). Reinventing the Experience Soul, experience, romance, theater, temple- these are some of the words Howard Schultz associated with Starbucks. Reading his memo gives everyone a glimpse of his vision for Starbucks. It shows how passionate he is about his product and his store. It details the experience he envisions customers would feel in going to his stores. To him, it is not just selling coffee, it’s an experience. It is not just a store, it’s a temple. It is not just good customer service, it is romance. For someone who found his â€Å"Mecca† in Starbucks, those things mean a great deal. However, Schultz has to consider the possibility that not all people share that vision. A lot of people love to drink coffee but that does not mean they are as passionate about the experience as he is. Some customers are not as in love with the tradition and legacy as he is. There is nothing wrong about Howard Schultz’s vision and we can not blame him for being alarmed by the changes that happened in his stores. However, Starbucks have to be open to the fact that there might be a big difference between people who hang out in coffee shops in 1981 to the millions of Starbucks patrons around the world today. They have to realize that it is not just a simple case of profit versus soul or efficiency versus tradition. They have to consider what kind of â€Å"experience† people are hoping to get from their stores and work from their. Starbucks are founded by solid visions but that can only take them so far. In the end it is what the customers think that matters. Conclusion Howard Schultz is not just a businessman, he is a visionary. For him, profit is not enough, he want to preserve the tradition and leave a legacy. However, he has to accept the fact that to some people, coffee is just an ordinary drink, a commodity that does not need to be romanticized.

BNSF Railway Transportation Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

BNSF Railway Transportation - Article Example The services offered by the industry are bulk freight, intermodal services, passenger services and switching and terminal railroad services (IBISWorld, 2011). According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, freight shipments have increased from 27% of the ton-miles of U.S. freight in 1980 to 38% in 2005 (Laurits R. Christensen Associates, Inc., 2009). This increase shows the growing significance of the role of railways in the U.S. economy. Among the cargo being shipped through the railroads, coal represents the largest proportion in terms of tons (Laurits R. Christensen Associates, Inc., 2009). Other commodities transported by railroads include chemicals, farm products, non-metallic minerals and miscellaneous mixed shipments. Over the years, the railway industry has experienced consolidations that have reduced the number of Class I from about 40 railways to the current seven. The seven major players in the railway industry are Union Pacific Corporation (UP), Burli ngton Northern Santa Fe Corporation (BNSF), CSX Corporation, Kansas City Southern (KCS), Canadian National Railway (CN), Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and Norfolk Southern Corporation (NS). In terms of operating revenues of the major North American railroad, the Union Pacific posted the highest revenue with $15.5 million. It is followed by BNSF with operating revenue of $14.8 million, NS with $9.4 million, CSX with $8.6 million, CN with $6.8 million, CP with $4.1 million and KCS with $0.87 million (Association of American Railroads, 2008) . Porter’s Five Forces Like any other industry, the railway industry is influenced by Porter’s five forces model which shape the strategies of companies, as shown in Figure 1 (Porter, 2008). The first force identified by Porter is the threat of new entrants. This force is the possibility of new companies entering the industry. This force is not very influential in the strategy of a company in the railway industry because of several ba rriers to entry. The barriers to entry in the railroad industry are (1) huge capital requirement needed; (2) restrictive government policy which is being regulated by the Surface Transportation Board; and (3) the availability of the infrastructure needed to compete with existing ones. In the future, it is expected that mergers will continue in the future and may even reduce the present seven companies to two transcontinental railroads because of the uncertainty of the structure of the railroad industry (IRS, 2007). Fig. 1 Porter’s Five Forces Model The second force identified by Porter is the bargaining power of suppliers. Suppliers of the railway industry include the manufacturers of tracks, railway equipment, structural metal products, freight cars, locomotives and construction companies who build the tunnels and bridges. Investors in railway companies can be considered as suppliers of the much needed financing to improve the industry. Recently, billionaire Warren Buffet in vested in BNSF by buying it for $26 billion while Microsoft’s Bill Gates now owns 10% of CN railway. Investment of these two prominent personalities says much of the future of the railway industry (North America's Corridor Coalition, Inc., 2010). To illustrate clearly, the supplier power according to Porter includes (1) charging of high prices; (2) limiting the quality of the

Capital budgeting decision Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Capital budgeting decision - Coursework Example Michael Evans investing in vineyard Garrison, Noreen, & Brewer, (2014) was a good decision. Growing a vineyard in an opulent estate where land is expensive was an enormous capital outlay. The property is utilized in investing in a less costly business decision of investing in vineyard plantation rather than real estate that is more capital intensive. Michael Evans opened a cooperative society business. He relinquished vineyard-growing business to other investors. Michael Evans made a wise business decision. Selling and lease back where he charged the new investors a one-off fee of $85,000 and an annual maintenance fee of $3,500 to process one bottle of wine Megan, (2014). Through this, he raised initial capital to fund his cooperative business investment. In conclusion, the cash flows of the new business line are guaranteed. The business may use this annual cash flow to invest in other long-term projects. Michael Evans is a realized the importance of the net present value of the assets and utilized opportunity to invest in a new business

Wall street journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Wall street journal - Essay Example market share as well as attempt to keep the sales in China rolling if the company is to be able to attain its goal of selling eight million units. Both the two company executives will continue to the company’s Chief Executive Mark Fields (Ramsey, 2014). Since his appointment to operations in 2010, Mr. Odell has been instrumental in crafting a restricting effort that has resulted in an 18% reduction the company’s operating capacity as well as the closure of three plants in a region where the closure of plants is acknowledged to be rather difficult. Although Ford’s European sales and market share are noted to be up this year, of concern is that the decline of the Russian economy has largely prevented the company from earning any revenue in that country. Mr. Farley who is considered as Mr. Mulally’s first major hire was brought into the company in 2006 and has since been crucial in effecting Ford’s turnaround. He is reputed as having helped in pushing the move by Ford to sell some of the relatively pricier vehicle versions such as the Titanium time line. He is also recognized as having played a major role in improving the company’s involvement in social media and a range of other nontraditional marketing avenues before this became commonplace across the entire industry. The swap is expected to help both company executives to significantly broaden their experience (Ramsey, 2014). Ramsey (2014) also points out that according to analysts, it is thought that there was a push by Mr. Farley try and do something else. This is because the issue in Europe has been identified as being not so much as bout marketing as Ford has a relatively strong market presence in that region. It is primarily about the market. This does not mean that Mr. Farley will not be able to succeed, however Europe has been an extremely difficult place. Although the European restructuring designed by Mr. Odell is

Introduction to Transportation Management Questions Assignment

Introduction to Transportation Management Questions - Assignment Example The key focus revolves around the formulation and adoption of strategic plans that aim to define transport logistics requirements for the firm, identify ways and means in which these requirements can be met most effectively and optimizing business processes to ensure cost effective means of procurement and delivery of goods (Deloitte, 2011). Logistics decisions are based on the operational requirements and the overall focus of the management is on creating and adopting a high value oriented solution that is cost effective and reliable. The key aspects considered in this process are reliability of choices, accuracy of information available at the time of transit of goods, and the time required for transit. Transportation activities can be made more effective and efficient through the use of information systems that help in tracking the movement of goods. Firms can leverage their transportation activity and develop it as an internal competency that can contribute to competitive advantage through adequate focus on optimized supply chain process and effective information systems that can help in efficient decision making (Coyle et al., 2011). Transportation project planning is the process by which state governing agencies monitor and address the demand for movement of goods, commodity and people in the region. Various transportation alternatives are considered and implemented based on the requirements analysis. One of the key aspects behind the rampant adoption of project planning activities in the transportation segment in US economy is the role it plays in developing existing transport alternatives and establishing more efficient systems that can cater to the growing demands from various sectors of the economy. Growth in trading activities and economic requirements has placed intense pressure on governance bodies to develop infrastructural facilities (Coyle et al., 2011). Moreover, investment in developing transportation

Exploring the Chess Discourse Community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exploring the Chess Discourse Community - Essay Example From this paper, it is clear that  the Chess discourse community is comprised of people who have an interest in the game of chess. Chess is a board game that is played by two players who apply different strategies and tactics to beat the opponent. Each player starts with 16 different pieces of knights, rooks, bishops, pawns, a queen, and a king with the main objective being to capture the opponent’s king. The main issues of concern for the chess discourse community are ways to play chess and the opportunity to help each other in developing chess-playing skills. Members of the chess community aim at winning many games and rising to rank within the community.  According to the study findings, the discourse community undertakes the objective of organizing and facilitating chess tournaments between members in the group and chess communities in other institutions. Knowledge in the group constitutes information about ways to play chess. Knowledge is the community is created expe rimentally and through discussion. Members can learn new strategies and tactics by experimenting during games against other members. Members can also gain new knowledge through discussions and conversations with other members.  The chess discourse community utilizes a complex language in interactions between members. During chess tournaments between members, the common words exchanged between the players are â€Å"Checkmate†, â€Å"Check† and â€Å"Adjust†.

Public and Private Finance in Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Public and Private Finance in Property - Essay Example ncreased consumption levels, reduction in unemployment rate, increased exports, growth in corporate profits as well as increased foreign direct investments. The British government does not only depend on tax revenue to fund its budget but also other sources which include state owned organizations, privatizations, foreign direct investments, sale of assets. The British government own several corporations, which forms a commendable source of revenue to the government in form of profits. For instance, the UK government own the postal service company- Royal mail, train-operating company-East Coast, and education holding company- BPP Holdings. The British government has been involved in a number of privatizations whereby the government relieve its ownership and interest in parastatal to private investors. An example of such privatization includes that of the British rail in 1993. British government is major player in local business and this is evident through participation in sovereign we alth funds. The UK government own motorways, harbours, airport terminus and sewer lines that forms an important source of revenue to the government when members of the public use these infrastructure. The government has also in a number of occasions disposed off its assets to get additional revenue in order to fund its operations. Government Expenditure The UK government has been experiencing a number of challenges with its expenditure patters for a long period. It is quite unfortunate that the UK government’s total expenditure for its fiscal years have always surpassed its revenue (Parliament, 2012). This trend has remained like this for a considerable period. The government has been forced in most cases to borrow surplus funds from the public in order to meet its expenditure need.... The British government does not only depend on tax revenue to fund its budget but also other sources which include state owned organizations, privatizations, foreign direct investments, sale of assets. The British government own several corporations, which forms a commendable source of revenue to the government in form of profits. For instance, the UK government own the postal service company- Royal mail, train-operating company-East Coast, and education holding company- BPP Holdings. The British government has been involved in a number of privatizations whereby the government relieve its ownership and interest in parastatal to private investors. An example of such privatization includes that of the British rail in 1993. British government is major player in local business and this is evident through participation in sovereign wealth funds. The UK government own motorways, harbours, airport terminus and sewer lines that forms an important source of revenue to the government when memb ers of the public use these infrastructure. The government has also in a number of occasions disposed off its assets to get additional revenue in order to fund its operations. The UK government has been experiencing a number of challenges with its expenditure patters for a long period. It is quite unfortunate that the UK government’s total expenditure for its fiscal years have always surpassed its revenue (Parliament, 2012). The government has been forced in most cases to borrow surplus funds from the public in order to meet its expenditure need.

Feudalism Study Essay Example for Free

Feudalism Study Essay There is no specific start or end date when it comes to feudalism in Germany or anywhere. It is best to say that feudalism in Europe occurred during the period known as the High Middle Ages. Classical feudalism occurred around the 10th century. The height of feudalism was during the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. The decline started in the 13th century and continued until about the 15th century. Feudalism had its strong and weak points. Its strong points include things like a safer society, if compared to the late Roman empire and to Barbaric invasions. Feudalism divided people who lived to fight from quiet people, who did not want to be involved in wars. Wars were more diffused but seldom involving civilians. They were a problem between nobles. There was more social security; people were linked to their land or work. Somebody could not take land from somebody else without a good reason. The taxes were much lower than that of the late Roman Empire, and nothing if compared to today. The weak points of feudalism were that people were linked to their role; a noble would always have to be a noble, a knight would always be ready to fight, a peasant could no nothing more than to be a peasant. Feudalism went away slowly in Germany. The rise of powerful monarchs in France, Spain, and England broke down local organization. Another disruptive force was the increase of communication, which broke down the isolated manor, assisted the rise of towns, and facilitated the emergence of the burgess class. This process was greatly accelerated in the 14th cent. and did much to destroy the feudal classifications of society. The system broke down gradually. It persisted in Germany until 1848. Many relics of feudalism still persist, and its influence remains on the institutions of Western Europe.

The Great Smart Phone War; Apple vs. Samsung Essay Example for Free

The Great Smart Phone War; Apple vs. Samsung Essay Apple Inc. is an international software company that globally produces and supplies digitally enabled gadgets. History of the company. The company was started by the late Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak on April 1, 1976. Jobs and Wozniak schooled together in high school and had been friends. They both dropped out of school and got employed by different companies. Steve Jobs got to work with Atari while Wozniak worked with Hewlett-Packard. Wozniak made the first Apple I design in 1976 but it did not capture the hearts of many. In 1977, they presented the new Apple II phone at a local computer trade show and it captured the attention of many. This led to an increase in demand of the product which led to a huge need of immediate workforce. They hired a lot of employees and during the launch of their Apple III, Apple Company became a real company. Like any company, Apple Inc has had its good and bad days alike. They lost the co-founder Steve Jobs in October 5, 2011 to respiratory arrest and Steve Wozniak retired. Currently, Tim Cook is the company’s CEO. Products and services. Apple Company has successfully launched and sold many products and services worldwide. They create personal computers, mobile phones, portable digital music players and media devices. They also provide the OS X and iOS operating systems and consumer and professional software. They also offer application software, headphones, printers and storage devices. Their most popular products and services include iPhone, iPod, Macintosh (MAC) computers, iPad, Apple TV, iCloud, iTunes Stores, iBooks Store, and Mac App Store. Competition facing the company’s products. IPhone is currently one of the most trending and most sort after mobile phone in the gadget market. Samsung, Sony, and Nokia are some of the multinational corporations that compete gadget-wise with Apple. Apple Inc launched iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last year. They were released on September 2014. These two iPhone versions have tremendously upgraded from the previous version iPhone 5s. Unfortunately, Apple is not the only the only company with an upgrade in its mobile devices. Samsung came up with its new version, Samsung Note IV which is equally popular and trendy as Apple’s new versions. Nokia continually launches its Nokia Lumia phones the latest being Nokia Lumia 1020. Sony also has quite impressive and outstanding mobile phones. One of their greatest achievements is the launching of its water-proof mobile phones. Sony Xperia Z was one of the firstly launched water-proof phones that captured the hearts of many. All these m obile devices by different corporations battle out in a perfect competitive market with Apple Inc. In order to keep up, Apple should aim at advancing and embracing innovative ideas and continually launch high-end products. Personal computers (PCs) are some of the designs and products that Apple manufacturers. Competition is tense because companies like Dell Inc, Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), Lenovo Group Limited, and Acer Inc. These companies produce personal computers and laptops too. Some of the companies have established a firm reputation in the manufacture of the computers. Companies like Dell and HP are world widely sort after by multiple organizations due to their consultancy services. This makes the competition quite intense for Apple. Apple has come up with Macintosh (MAC) computers and they are quite marketable but regionally and continentally. This is not the same case with Dell and HP products which are sort after globally. IPods are Apple’s digitally enabled pocket-size music players. They made music less burdensome and more enjoyable. One could be able to enjoy music without the burdensome struggle of carrying around a phone or a music player. Apple had been the main and single company that had successfully launched and marketed the digital music player devices. Samsung did not want to disappoint, so they launched their own, Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0 and Samsung Galaxy Player WiFi 5.0. Sony was not left behind; they also launched their own Sony Walkman Z. It was prosperous in the market but not as equally successful as the iPod touch. Apple happens to be a producer of operating services. They offer OS X and iOS operating systems. Their Macintosh computers use the MAC OS X version while their mobile phones use the IOS mobile operating system. Their operating system gets extremely wild competition from Windows and Android operating systems. Windows OS is managed by Microsoft and is used by different gadgets. Many computers have installed the Windows OS. Nokia recently partnered with Microsoft in launching their new phones with enabled Windows OS. Android OS is managed by Google Inc. under the maintenance of Open Handset Alliance. It’s the most common OS used by majority of the mobile devices and companies such as Sony and Samsung. Majority of these operating systems have an upper hand advantage, they offer the developers freedom to come up with more versions of the OS. This is what makes the Android OS more popular than Apple’s OS X and iOS systems. Apple TV was first launched in 2006 and the current one was introduced on March 20012. Many people confuse the Apple TV with actual television but that is not the case. The Apple TV is a compact set that uses application software to wirelessly stream contents from a nearby PC to a high definition (HD) TV. It faces competition from Amazon Fire TV, Roku Streaming Stick, Virgin Media TiVo, Now TV and Freetime. Amazon Fire TV is widely common because it directly streams any media content into your TV. This is way easier because it does not have the pressure of MAC OS X systems. Competitors in the market. Every company experiences competition, in one way or the other. The competition can be from within or from outside. Majority of the competition that most corporations face is from other rival organizations. Apple Inc. like any normal corporation has its own competition in the existing market. Some of the top competitors that compete with Apple Inc. include, Sony Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, Dell Inc, Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), Microsoft Corporations and others. Corporations in competition Sony Corporation (Sony) is a producer of electronic products. The company’s headquarter is in Tokyo, Japan. It designs and sells audio and video products, personal computers, cameras, mobile phones, televisions, batteries, game software, music software and animation works. Sony is considered as competition by Apple Inc due to their unique designs in personal computers and mobile phones. Sony has been successful in launching mobile gadgets that can operate in water which gave many mobile manufacturing companies including Apple Inc. a run for their money. This phone design marked a new margin of innovation and these assisted the Sony Corporation in setting pace for the other organizations. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Samsung) is a sole manufacturer of televisions, mobile phones, personal computers, LCD panels, and storage and fiber optic devices. Samsung’s headquarters are located in Seoul, Republic of Korea. It offers stiff competition to Apple and other gadget manufacturing companies. They intend to fully respond to the ever growing demand of high-end products. They plan to achieve this by launching successful smart-phone with the purpose of making fiction reality. Some of their recently launched products, such as Samsung Note IV and Samsung Galaxy S IV come highly recommended in the market, competing with Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The Samsung and Apple Company have been at loggerheads and in constant competition to see whose products and services would yield the most utility. Dell Inc is also one of the leading and top manufacturers of desktop personal computers, software and peripherals. Its main headquarter is in Round Rock, the US. They mainly produce and sell laptops, mobile phones, desktops, printers, and storage devices. They are competitive due to their extensive manufacturing and supplying of laptops and desktops. Majority of their products are globally used by many organizations. Apple and Dell computers both offer excellent services, but majority of the people view Apple’s products as generally expensive. Evaluation of consumer prices and general market prices agree with the hypothesis. Apple products and services are generally more expensive than others, including Dell. Dell is quite popular in a lot of organizations due to its easy to access and easy to use applications. Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), like Dell also produces and manufacturer personal computers, and application software. HP is headquartered at Palo Alto, California, the US. Their main products include laptops, desktops, printers and mobile phones. They compete with Apple Inc mainly in the marketing and selling of personal computers and laptops. Their mobile phone brands and tablets have not swept the market by storm. With their plan to extensively launch new products such as their HP ElitePad 1000 and HP ProPad 600, they might rocket to be the highest technology companies. Currently HP stands at a higher edge in production and trade-offs in personal computers and laptops than the Apple Inc. Case study on the apple INC Apple Inc. has greatly succeeded in shaping the today’s technology. Apple provides services to legal companies, healthcare facilities, government institution and media platforms. These different institutions yield satisfaction from products and services that are offered by Apple Inc. Most of these facilities are equipped with Apple personal computers, printers, and tablets. Tablets are quite useful in the current setting. In the not so distant past, people used to carry around laptops in order to access notes or presentations. This quite both cumbersome to a lot of people. But with introduction of Apple Tablets, iPads, work was lessened and less burdensome. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, recently convinced corporations that Apple Inc. is currently moving forward in enhancing a more secure platform for organizations through data-encryption technology. The main aim of this strategy is to convince more businesses to partner in making Apple Inc. their sole software producer. If an organization considers itself as the pinnacle success or exclusivity, it has to portray such an image. For example, if it’s a five-star hotel, for people to rate it as such, it should have elite and prestigious facilities and services. Apple Inc. happens to produce exclusive products such as their fine MAC computers and Apple TV. The Apple TV could be installed in different rooms so that the guests could watch the streamed videos and music. The MAC computers would be used by staff such as at the reception. If the hotel management decides to invest in these products, they may achieve the reputation they desire. These actions would set them apart from the rest of the resorts hence giving them a competitive advantage. In the current global-awareness and internet ruled age, majority of the organizations seek to get customers by luring them with the promise of special gifts and prizes to be won. Some are true while some do not hold up to their end of the bargain. In different websites, companies advertise their products and place an ad in the page claiming that if someone takes certain quizzes or subscribes to a certain subscriptions, they would stand a chance of winning a prize. More often than not these coveted prizes include tablets, mobile phones or laptops. When the iPhone 6 emerged, many ads placed a free offer of an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus in order to attract people. This is considered as a competitive advantage to the companies. Hence, the products of the technology company are once more useful in enabling businesses to pitch their ideas. References BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Apple. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2015, from Apple: https://www.apple.com/ Eichenwald, K. (2014, June). The Great Smart Phone War; Apple vs. Samsung. Retrieved March 05, 2015, from Vanity Fair. iPhones. (2013, January). Retrieved March 05, 2015, from Apple: https://www.apple.com/iPhones/ iPod. (2011). Retrieved March 05, 2015, from Apple: https://www.apple.com/iPod/ MAC. (2012). Retrieved from Apple: https://www.apple.com/MAC/ Mackie, K. (2011). Analysts:Microsoft Facing Disruptive Competition From Apple and Google. Competion. Source document

Starbucks International Expansion Company

Starbucks International Expansion Company Starbucks Corporation is a Seattle, Washington-based coffee company. It was the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 50 countries. Starbucks sells drip brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, snacks, and items such as mugs and coffee beans. Starbucks is the world leader in the premium coffee market and has an amazing success story. Starbucks sells not only coffee; it sells the Starbucks experience. The company is successful to convey its vision to the customers. It has successfully convinced customers paying more for high-quality products and a new life style. Starbucks reached its goal to establish and leverage its powerhouse premium brand through rapid expansion of retail operations, introduction of new products and store concepts, as well as development of new distribution channels. Starbucks has revolutionized the coffee business. History The first Starbucks was opened in Seattle, Washington, on March 30, 1971 by three partners: English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegl, and writer Gordon Bowker. The three were inspired by entrepreneur Alfred Peet (whom they knew personally) to sell high-quality coffee beans and equipment. Entrepreneur Howard Schultz joined the company in 1982 as Director of Retail Operations and Marketing, and after a trip to Milan, Italy, advised that the company should sell coffee and espresso drinks as well as beans. Starbucks began providing coffee to restaurants and espresso bars. In 1987, with the backing of local investors, Giornale acquired Starbucks assets and changed its name to Starbucks Corporation. The company also opened stores in Chicago and Vancouver. A year later Starbucks introduced a mail order catalog with service to all 50 US states. Expansion strategy In year 1992, Starbucks developed an expansion strategy based on targeting areas with favorable demographic profiles together with the companys infrastructure to support and service them. For each region, a large city was selected to serve as a hub where a team would support the goal of opening at least 20 stores in the first two years. One of the key success factors in this operation was to recruit professionals with marketing and operating experience in chain-store retailing as area manager. This strategy built upon the growing reputation of the Starbucks brand, which, in some instances, had reached new markets even before stores opened. The main marketing strategy is to represent Starbucks store as a third place between work and home. The company could increase the market share in existing markets and open stores in new markets rapidly. Additionally, Starbucks always tries to expand its products portfolio. The company cooperates with other companies to develop and distribute new products. In 1991, the company had formed a team to manage store development based on a six-month opening plan. Every store has to be varied in size and shape, but must be able to deliver appropriate vision and value, contributing to strengthen the companys reputation and image throughout the regions being expanded into. Cost reduction was achieved by centralized buying, by standard contracts development and fixed fees for certain items, and by consolidated work under contractors with good cost-control practices. Starbucks product supply was also a key in a successful expansion. As another differentiating factor, the company buys coffee on arrangement basis at a significant premium above normal price; this allowed for Starbucks to build trust with producers and obtain top-notch coffee beans from producing countries. In order to secure an adequate supply, the company entered into fixed-price purchase commitments when available, and preorder coffee to ensure price protection. By this approach, Starbucks able to control costs and avoid price rising in the stores that would have a devastating effect on the companys image. Starbucks expansion strategy also relied on a limited number of licensing agreements for areas where it did not have the ability to open its own outlets. Licensees like Marriot Host International and Aramark allowed Starbucks opening stores respectively in airports and university campuses. Others like Horizon Airlines and United Airlines had Starbucks coffees served on commercial flights, while agreements with Nordstroms, Barnes and Noble and Well Fargo opened even more opportunities. In 1997, the specialty sales division of Starbucks generated sales equal to 12.2% of total revenues. International Expansion The companys international expansion started in 1995, and was based on two strategies: to provide licenses or to create a joint venture with branded local company in the target host country. Starbucks Coffee International (SCI) was created in 1995 to coordinate the international expansion, which started in Japan, Hawaii, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan and Korea. Starbucks expansion strategy was well thought: the offensive was to take place in the Pacific Rim in order to gain momentum and strength, far away from Europe and Latin America where coffee shops competition is very strong. In April 2003, Starbucks completed the purchase of Seattles Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia from AFC Enterprises, make the Starbucks store around the world became more than 6,400. On September 14, 2006, Starbucks rival Diedrich Coffee has announced that it would sell most of its company-owned retail stores to Starbucks. In 2008, Starbucks continued its expansion, settling in Argentina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Portugal. In Buenos Aires, the biggest Starbucks store in Latin America was opened. In April 2009, Starbucks entered Poland. New stores will be opened in Algeria. Building a Unique Culture While Starbucks execute almost enthusiastic standards about coffee quality and service, the personnel policy at Starbucks for employee is free and supportive. Employees are encouraged to put themselves in the position business partners. Management do believes that cheerful employees are the key to remain competitiveness and develop. Multiple Channels of Distribution Besides its stand-alone stores, Starbucks has set up cafes and carts in banks, hospitals, buildings shopping centers, supermarkets and office buildings. Further distribution contract have included hotels, airlines and office coffee supplier. Office coffee is a large segment of the coffee market. Associated Services (an office coffee supplier) provides Starbucks coffee exclusively to thousands of businesses round the United States. Conclusion Despite the fact that Starbucks is the largest and well known coffeehouse chains and its existence is very obvious in civic areas, the firms research stated that only a small percentage (around 7%) of the US population has tried Starbucks product. Through additional distribution contract and new product joint venture, Starbucks hopes to seize more of the US market.

Displays of Love in Endymion and Tamburlaine Essay -- Marlowe Lily

Comparing and contrasting the kinds of love represented by Tellus and Endymion in Lyly’s comedy of errors, Edymion, and the love between Tamburlaine and Zenocrate in Marlowe’s Tamburlaine show similarities where passions drive lovers to capture suitors, but differ in one couple desiring the unattainable, and another taking action to attain. Love is presented in different ways, specifically in Lyly’s play the love is unattainable and unreal, as opposite in Marlowe’s play the love is attainable. Both, couples also have similarities when lovers are driven by their passions. We can judge Tellus by her actions and their consequences. If she loves Endymion, she has a strange way of showing it. Tellus in the end is responsible for arranging a sorceress to put him into a deep sleep that lasts decades and robs him of his youth. When confronted by Cynthia in 5.4, Tellus confesses her wicked actions and professes her love for Endymion. Tellus’ love for Endymion is so intense that it made her dangerously possessive of him. She tells Cynthia of a â€Å"not-to-be-expressed yet always-to-be-felt love.† (5.4.71) Tellus’ love sickens her, and when she realizes her lover loves another, her love turns into hate. Perhaps hate and love are similar in this play. They are similar in the way that they are intensely the extreme. Extreme love makes Tellus sick, and extreme hate makes her act on revenge to hurt her love. Her excuse for wicked ways is that her body was becoming sick from this kind of love. Her feelings are psychologically re al, but incredible unhealthy. She rationalizes her actions by pleading a kind of self-defense. Tellus is a dangerous, possessive woman, who probably never really experienced love that is kind, gentle a... ...n unattainable love, but Tamburlaine wins it through battle. Though Tamburlaine captures Zenocrate, he does not rape her. Instead, he professes to win her love and her heart with the only means he knows how – through battle. In conclusion, the lovers in Marlowe’s Tamburlaine and Edymion and Tellus in Lyly’s Endymion are all consumed and controlled by their passions. Both couple are relatively young in the psychologically stages of their love and both couples initially victims and capture love. Perhaps the greatest difference is that Marlowe has written a love story that ends in victory. Just as Tamburlaine is a great conquer in the battlefield, he, too is a great conquer in love. His prize is Zenocrate and her heart opens to him. Whereas Tamburlaine is victorious, our lovers, Endymion and Tellus, reach for the unattainable, and lose in the end.

Human Resources :: Business Management Studies

Human Resources Introduction Businesses recruit staff for a variety of reasons. To know why and how decisions to recruit staff are made, there are mainly four reasons to why and how staff is recruited. Â · If the organisation is big and need more staff to work for them, or if the organisation is expanding and need to recruit more staff. Â · Recruitment could be done within the work place changing job in the organisation. Â · Vacancies can be filled in by new comers who have a better attitude then the employee who retires or who gives a resignation etc. Â · The last of all internal promotions can be given to employees who have achieved the goals and should be moved up within the organisation. For a better experience of its work place and to know new people within its category Recruitment And Selection For a staff to be recruited it is sometimes easy for a person who has already done the job already and it could be hard for a new comer. But to be recruited into the organisation is sometimes tricky because many details are seen before the person can either be told to come for an interview if needed. First of all the new employee has to figure out what type of department he/she wants to work in. Secondly an Application Form is to be filled in showing all its qualification and what he is capable of. Then the employer has to decide whether he/she is capable of working and is sent of acceptance or declined. During the interview many questions are asked for which the person has to practise for or not. The new comer is asked simple questions but has to answer to them precisely. The employer uses a sheet where he writes down the grades of how the employee did on his interview. This is done over many new comers and on the end only one is selected for the job by seeing if he/she is capable at its job. Mainly with there application form many people send the CV (Curriculum Vitae) this shows all the capabilities of the person and all its past experience. Anti-Discrimination Legislation The new comers should be able to understand how recruitment interviews are planned, carried out and evaluated. They should be able to understand the legal and ethical responsibilities relating to equal opportunities, and know the key implications for recruitment of the following legislation: Equal Pay Act 1970 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 Race Relations Act 1976 Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Job Description For different types of work Job Descriptions are given to show what