Criminology 1 question dark figure of crime Essay

Criminology 1 question dark figure of crime - Essay Example Many of undisclosed as well as unreported crime to the authority lead to unresolved issues within a society hence portraying unreliability both in the governance as well as to a given society. The United States of America uses two major crime data collection in their statistics. These methods include the national Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and the uniform crime reports. The FBI crime department in United States of America majorly uses the Uniform Crime Reports system of data collection of crime. The FBI to detect crimes on murder, rape cases, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, as well as theft of vehicles uses this system of data collection. However, UCR data collection system has been re defined by FBI agency in United States of America. Meanwhile National Incident-Based Reporting system crime information system is another system that is used by FBI, having been revised from UCR as from 1980s.It majorly works based on justice systems characteristics, public attitudes on crime, persons arrested, known offenses, judicial defendant processes as well as supervision correction (Russell & Milovanovic, 2001). The ability of UCR system is that it only allows eight tracks of crimes to be detected while NIBRS tracks 46 crimes simultaneously. However, the arrests within UCR system have specific report on the incident that has happened while the counterpart contains more information arrests on each of the incident done per timeline. Meanwhile, UCR system of crime data collection mostly reports domestic violence giving less concern on simple assault unlike in the NIBRS system of crime data collection. The worse of all in the UCR system is that if a matter is about murder, the system only reports a single incident while the other system reports multiple offenses in relation to the victims and offenders. NIBRS system of crime data collection in regards to dark figure of crime is a new methodology of uniform crime report

History II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History II - Essay Example Japanese targeted Pearl Harbor and attacked Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is located on the west of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is under the command of United States Pacific Fleet. Japanese army attacked the Pearl Harbor on the 7th of December 1941. The impact of this attack was massive and began World War II. In the past the Pearl Harbor contained a shallow entrance and it was impossible for the large ships to enter the harbor (Hakim 93). The United States pacific fleet was previously located at the San Diego. Then President Franklin D. Roosevelt relocated it and sent it to the Hawaii (Hakim 149). The American invasion in the Hawaii made changes to the harbor and the rules related to it. The main motive of making of Pearl Harbor as narrated by United State is to protect the sailor and other men which are related to whaling industry (Hakim 152). It was decided to make pearl harbor a duty free harbor to increase the trade in the vicinity. By the start of the 1900 to 1908 t he American Navy expanded and improved the services (Hakim 153). On the day of 7th December 1941 Japanese imposed a surprise military attack on the United States Navy at the Pearl Harbor. According to Japanese the imposed military action is to avoid United States Navy to interfere in the Japanese invasion to the other parts of the world (Hoyt 104). The Japanese air strike nearly crushed many of the United States naval ships.

HIV Diagnosis Essay Example for Free

HIV Diagnosis Essay Because a new HIV diagnosis can be stressful to an individual, it is not only important to seek follow-up care from a medical standpoint, but from a mental and spiritual standpoint as well. Some follow-up recommendations may include: 1. Prompt medical treatment for initiation of antiretroviral medications, appropriate vaccine administration 2. Continuation of medical care including taking prescribed medication, even when not symptomatic. 3. Education regarding changes in behaviors to reduce risk of transmission to others. 4. Referrals to behavioral and psychological services to assist with emotional needs as well as assistance with coping strategies to deal with the many changes that accompany the diagnosis. 5. Encouragement to seek spiritual care and companionship. 6. Education regarding reproductive choices and contraceptive information.1 What is hiv? HIV is the virus that causes AIDS, which leads to immunosuppression. The immunosuppression can cause opportunistic infections, cancer, central nervous system degeneration, and death. HIV is transmitted from person to person from sexual contact, blood contact, or from mother to infant.. 2 HIV is generally classified into three categories; the primary infection phase, the latent phase, and the overt AIDS infection phase. The progression of these phases typically spans 8-12 years. Many people have symptoms after their primary infection that may include: fever, fatigue, sore throat, night sweats, gastrointestinal problems, rash, and headache. If the infection is detected during the primary infection period, the patient may have a much better outcome with early treatment. The primary phase is followed by the latent phase, when the patient is asymptomatic. This phase lasts an average of 10 years. The latent phase is followed by overt-AIDS. If untreated, this phase can lead to death within 2-3 years, or sooner.2 who’s at risk? Men who have unprotected sex with men are at the greatest risk for acquiring HIV. Infants are at risk for acquiring HIV from their mothers in utero, during labor and/or delivery, and during breastfeeding; however transmission can be almost entirely prevented by the proper use of antiretroviral  medications and the absence of breastfeeding. 3 Sharing contaminated needles, unprotected sex, receiving unsterile medical procedures, and accidental needle sticks put individuals at risk. testing There are several different tests available to screen for HIV. Testing is recommended at least once per year for sexually active persons. Enzyme immunoassay test (results take up to two weeks) 4 Rapid HIV antibody test (results take 10-20 minutes) 4 Both tests may be done using blood, oral fluid, or urine. If a positive result from either of the previous two tests, a Western Blot test must be performed. Testing may not be positive even in the presence of infection if testing occurs shortly after infection. The results of the Western Blot test may take up to two weeks. 4 Antigen test (blood test. Can diagnose earlier at 1-3 weeks after first infection) 4 PCR test Can identify HIV in blood within 2-3 weeks of infection. Used in testing of babies born to HIV positive mothers to determine if the babies themselves are positive 4 Home testing kits Home test kits may be purchased at most pharmacies. A small blood sample is mailed in and the patient is contacted with results. 4 Prevention There are several different ways individuals can help prevent acquiring HIV. Some of the methods include: 1. Correct and consistent use of condoms 2. Abstinence or mutual monogamous long-term relationships 3. Regular testing for HIV 4. Use of sterile syringes by IV drug users 5. Antiretroviral treatment for those infected5 6. Male circumcision TREATMEnt There is no cure for HIV. Treatment focuses on slowing down the replication of the virus. Treatment of the HIV virus involves taking medication that interrupts the virus’s replication process. Typically this involves using a combination of medications. The current standard treatment is a combination of three to four antiviral medications which is referred to as high active antiretroviral therapy or HAART.2 Because opportunistic infections are  highly problematic in individuals with HIV/AIDS, infection exposure should be limited and vaccines should be obtained as recommended. 2

QA Systems in Upscale Hotels

QA Systems in Upscale Hotels Quality assurance systems are an important element of any business strategy. As Porter (1985 and 2004) suggests, quality is now seen as a major force for gaining competitive advantage, particularly with the consumer. There is no commercial activity where this is more important than in the hotel sector. As Yavas et al (1995) state, the question is no longer whether to have quality assurance programmes, but rather how to make these programmes work,  within this sector of hospitality. It can be argued that in terms of quality assurance systems delivery the hotel sector is in a distinctive position, particularly when it is related to service satisfaction (Parasuraman 1997, Schiffman and Kanuk 2000). Unlike most other industries, where customer contact and engagement during a visit might be fleeting, as happens in retail shop environment, a hotels interaction with customers can last from a few hours to several days. Furthermore, as Kandampully et al (2001, p.28) the quality of the hotel product also has to take into account the customer-to-customer interactions. Following a brief literature review, the intention of this essay is to examine quality assurance systems and evaluate the effect that these systems have upon service quality and customer satisfaction within the upscale Hotel market. Quality assurance and management within the hotel environment is focused upon satisfying the customer. Therefore, this review concentrates on the existing literature relating to customer satisfaction and the various methods and frameworks of service quality related to this focus. Academic literature relating to customer satisfaction falls within two main categories, these being the psychological perceptions of the customer and the practical ways in which customer satisfaction can be implemented to help a business achieve its objectives. In the hotel sector, this objective is to try and engender a high level of customer satisfaction in order to positively influence our customers repurchasing and communicative behaviour   (Hennig-Thurau and Hassen (2000, p.62). However, to achieve this aim the business has to understand what drives customer satisfaction. Christopher (1984), Holbrook (1999), Schiffmand and Kanuk 2000 and Brennen (2003) all agree that satisfaction is related to the consumers perception or judgement of a product experience and value when set against their expectations and the payment made. Zeithamls (1998, p.14) describes it as follows, being that   Perceived value is the consumers overall assessment of the utility of a product based on perceptions of what is received and what is given †¦ value represents a trade-off of the salient give and get components  , in other words the cost paid is measured against the value expected . Therefore, it can be suggested that the greater the service quality the higher the satisfaction (Kandampully et al. 2001, p.8) and, conversely, the higher the price the greater the perception of value. Bostepe (2007) further identifies that, within a service environment such as a hotel, consumer satisfaction does not simply rely upon the quality of service satisfaction received from business employees, although this is an essential element. The physical environment, for example the dà ©cor, bedrooms and other facilities offered, are also elements of the consumers perceived value and service satisfaction. If any of these are deemed as sub-standard, particularly when related to the price paid, this will reduce the customers enjoyment and levels of satisfaction. It follows therefore that only by concentration upon providing quality within all of these areas of the product will the business be able to assure satisfaction and encourage customer loyalty (Holbrook 1999, p.121), which Porter (1998), Parasuraman (1997) Agrawal (2000) and Harrison (2003) all agree is essential to competitive advantage. There are numerous quality assurance measurement systems and standards available for use within the business environment. Customer feedback is one such measurement. Client feedback can be achieved by two methods. The first way is to provide questionnaires that hotel guests are asked to complete before the end of their stay. The second is to rely upon externally conducted questionnaires, interviews and polls, which can be conducted on a continuous basis. However, whilst comments and responses provided by customers may act as a good testimonial for the business (Porter 1998, p.1478), these systems have their drawbacks. In addition to the fact that not all customers might respond, the design of the process itself is often flawed (Kandampully et al 2001) and can therefore be misinterpreted. For example, a simple complaints procedure would not necessarily identify areas of quality success. Secondly, these feedback processes tend to lack definition. Their use may therefore be inhibited by the fact that they do not provide management with sufficient detail to be able to locate and resolve the specific areas of the business where deficiency of service quality is occurring. Furthermore, a system of continuous surveys adds to the business administration costs and, in addition, raises the inherent issue of sampling (Visit Britain 2008 b). Evidence of these limitations can be seen in a recent survey conducted by Visit Britain (2008 a) (see figu re 1). Figure 1 Customer hotel choice determinants   Source: Visit Britain (2008 a, p.11)  Whilst it is clearly apparent from these results that customer satisfaction in related to encouraging loyalty and retention, as well as being inherently useful in turning existing customers into promotional tools for the hotel, this does not provide management with a detailed analysis of the areas where satisfaction has been achieved or denote what areas were not satisfying.  To provide detailed quality service observations therefore, a more robust quality assurance system is required and most of these are based upon variations of the Total Quality Management (TQM) system (Dotchin and Oakland 1994 and Ziethaml et al 2000). These methods are designed to assess and monitor the level of quality being maintained throughout all areas of the business process and its supply chain, from an internal as well as external viewpoint. One such variation, particularly applicable to the hotel industry, is the SERVQUAL method, which originated from the works of Parasuraman et al (1991). Kandampully et al (2001, p.68) observe that many academics and practical studies have used SERVQUAL as a true measure of customer service and that it has been extensively applied (Shahin 2005, p.4) in service based organisations. Amongst these service industries will be included the hospitality and hotel sector of the tourism industry. Despite the fact that recent researches have sought to extend the elements of quality measurement with the SERVQUAL model, fundamentally it is still based upon the level of quality assurance to be measured and gained within five key sectors of the business processes, which are: Tangibles Physical facilities, equipment and appearance of personnel. Reliability Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Responsiveness Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. Assurance (including competence, courtesy, credibility and security). Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence. Empathy (including access, communication, understanding the customer). Caring and individualized attention that the firm provides to its customers. Source: Sahney et al 2004 The SERVQUAL measurement can be used internally, through measurement against preset quality assurance standards such as the ISO 9001 Quality certification process (BSI 2008) and the Star Rating system operated by Visit Britain (2008) in conjunction with the Automobile Association. In this case the hotel services and processes are measured against pre-determined sets of quality criterion and monitored at least annually by those who regulate these standards. The internal quality assurance programme is also complemented by external consumer questionnaires and interview surveys. The SERVQUAL quality assurance method has been in existence for some years and is tried and tested  (Shahin 2005, p.5), making it a firm favourite within the hotel service industry, where managers are comfortable and confident with the outcomes of these measurements. An element of SERVQUAL that is considered particularly important in this respect is the fact that the system and its measurements are monitored and updated on a regular basis (Holbrook (1999), Sahney et al (2004) and Boztepe (2007)), for example annually (Shahin 2005, p.6). Both ISO 9001 and the Star Rating systems conform to these determinants. As will be seen from the following analysis, the quality assurance systems applied to the hotel in terms of both the internal industry Star Rating and external SERVQUAL systems are virtually synonymous in terms of the standards and factors they rely upon for measurement. To maintain their perception as upscale or 5 star hotels, in each of these cases the hotel will have to achieve much higher levels of standards. 4.1 Star Rating system  Although the Star Rating system is formatted in a slightly different way to SERVQUAL, the quality elements of this process are still graded in a similar manner. The main difference is the fact that there are minimum quality requirements before the hotel will even be considered for a rating. However, even these equate to the tangible element of the SERVQUAL system (figure 2).  Figure 2 Minimum entry requirements   Source (Visit Britain 2005, p.8)  Once the minimum entry requirements have been met, to assess which star level is applicable to the establishment independent inspectors will monitor five quality bands and award a quality percentage to each. These percentages determine what rating the establishment has achieved (figure 3). Figure 3 Quality bands for star rating Star rating Bands One star 30-46% Two stars 47-54% Three stars 55-69% Four Stars 70-84% Five Stars 85-100% Source: Visit Britain (2005, p.6) Furthermore, this standard of quality has to be achieved across a range of five product elements, which include cleanliness, service, food quality, bedrooms and bathrooms. Simply complying in one of the areas is not sufficient to earn the highest star. Therefore, if the hotel fails to achieve the required 85-100% standards during an annual monitoring it risks its rating being downgraded to four stars or a lower standard. For instance, in the example shown below (figure 4), despite the fact that the hotel being monitored has achieved the five star requirements in three of the five bands, its failures in the other two would demote it to a four star hotel. Figure 4 Quality bank achievement Level Standard 1 2 3 4 5 Cleanliness X Service X Food quality X Bedrooms X Bathrooms X Source: adapted from Visit Britain (2005, p.7) 4.2 SERVQUAL system  When using the SERVQUAL system, which is largely based largely upon the results of customer satisfaction surveys, although all hotels would be looking to achieve the maximum service quality satisfaction level of 100% in terms of the overall scoring, there is a significant difference in the way this would be achieved when related to the different standard of establishments. To provide an example of how this equates in practice, the following is a comparison between the SERVQUAL requirements of a 5 star hotel against lower rated hotel, such as the budget Travelodge hotel chain (figure 5). Figure 5 SERVQUAL comparisons SERVQUAL criterion 5-star hotel Travelodge Tangibility 20% 20% Reliability 20% 30% Responsiveness 20% 15% Assurance 20% 25% Empathy 20% 10% Total 100% 100% It is apparent from the above comparison that the 5-star establishment requires their quality of service to be more balanced, in other words no one area of their product should be delivering a lower quality of service than any other. However, with the budget chain, which operates on a low cost strategy that eliminates much of the human resources and food elements, these specific areas are shown to have less importance to the business, but need to be compensated by increased levels of satisfaction in other areas of quality if the business is to remain successful. What is immediately apparent from the analysis of the two quality assurance systems identified above as being used within the hotel sector is their compatibility. This not only applies to the systems per se, but also to the measurement of the results. In both cases an upscale hotel would need to achieve a balanced score with high ratings in all of the quality determinants if it is to maintain its market position and be perceived by the potential customer as a quality (5 star) hotel. Conversely, the lower quality hotels pay less attention to those areas of the standards that are more directly related to the quality of service provided by their human resources, relying instead upon other elements to satisfy customer quality perception, such as low cost (Porter 2004). Whilst it could therefore be stated in simple terms that quality assurance is related to the price being paid for the product, what research such as that conducted by Shahin (2006), Ziethaml et al (1990) and Holbrook (1999), and the fact that all hotels, irrespective of their standards, operate quality assurance systems, shows is that price is simply one element required to fulfil customer satisfaction needs. Whatever price is being charged for the hotel product the customer will still weigh the experience received against the value they expect from the product enjoyed at that price (Zeithaml 1988 and Parasuraman et at 1994). A customer who decides to spend a greater amount of his or her disposable income on arranging to stay in a 5-star hotel will have a much greater value expectation than one who chooses a budget hotel stay. The former will expect the service quality to exist in all aspects of the hotel product. This includes the dà ©cor and the ambiance of the environment, the facilities that are being offered, including meals and room service, and the performance of the hotels human resources. If these quality expectations are not met that customer will perceive that they have not received value for money and therefore will view the experience as less than satisfactory. Therefore, they will be unlikely to promote the hotel in a positive manner to others or re-use it. It is apparent that in the case of an upscale or5-star hotel the combination of the industry Star Rating and SERVQUAL quality assurance systems will have a significant impact upon their service quality and the level of customer satisfaction achieved from using the product. In terms of the Star Rating system, the higher the star rating the greater the expectation of the customer in terms of their perception of the quality that will be found in this establishment. Therefore, the five star establishments are likely to attract customers who wish to avail themselves of the higher quality experience.   With regard to the external SERVQUAL system of measurement, because these are results from customer experiences, the greater the levels of quality achieved in the areas measured, the more likely it is that customers will be retained and act as recommenders to other potential customers. In both cases therefore, it can be concluded that the quality assurance system is designed to achieve competitive advantage by attracting additional market share, thus improving the hotels revenue and profitability levels. Agrawal (2000). Managing service industries in the new millennium: Evidence is everything. Paper presented at the AIMS Convention on Service Management  Berry L L and Parasuraman, A (1991). Marketing Services: Competing Through Quality,  Free Press. New York, US  Boztepe, Suzan (2007). User Value: Competing theories and models.  International Journal of Design,  Vol. 1, Issue. 2, pp.55-63.  Brennan, Ross (2003). Value in Marketing: Confusion or Illumination? Available from: http://mubs.mdx.ac.uk/Research/Discussion_Papers/  Marketing/dpap%20marketing%20no25.pdf (Accessed 22 December 2008)  BSI (2008). ISO 9001Quality. Available from: http://www.bsi-global.com/en/Assessment-and-certification-services  /management-systems/Standards-and-Schemes/ISO-9001/ (Accessed 22 December 2008)  Chetwynd, Catherine and Knight, Jenny (2007). Time to capitalise on falling hotel occupancy.  The Times. London, UK.  Christopher, M. (1996). From brand values to customer value.  J ournal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science,  Vol. 2, Issue.2, pp.55-66.  Dotchin, J.A and Oakland, J.S (1994). Total Quality Management in Services: Part 3: Distinguishing perceptions of Service Quality.  International Journal of Quality reliability Management, Vol. 11, Issue. 4, pp.6-28  Gale, B. T. (1994). Managing customer value. Free Press. New York, US.  Harrison, Jeffrey S (2003). Strategic Management: Of Resources and Relationship.  John Wiley Sons Inc.  New York, US.  Hennig-Thurau, Thorsten and Hansen, Ursula (eds) (2000). Relationship Marketing: Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Customer Satisfaction and Customer Retention.  Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidleberg. New York, US.  Holbrook, M. B. (Ed.). (1999). Consumer value: A framework for analysis and research.  Routledge. New York, US.  Kandampully, Jay., Mox, Connie and Sparks, Beverley (2001). Service Quality Management in Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure.  Haworth Press. New Yo rk, US.  Kotler P (1999). Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control (Millennium ed.) Englewood Cliffs, N J;  Prentice-Hall, 279-317.  Parasuraman, A. (1997). Reflections on gaining competitive advantage through customer value. Academy of Marketing Science, 25(2), 154-161.  Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. (1991), Refinement and reassessment of the SERVQUAL scale.  Journal of Retailing, Vol. 67, pp. 420-450.  Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. (1993), Research note: more on improving service quality measurement,  Journal of Retailing, Vol. 69, No. 1, pp. 140-147.  Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. (1994), Reassessment of expectations as a comparison standard in measuring service quality: implications for future research,  Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58, pp. 111-124.  Porter, M. E. (1998). Competitive advantage: Creating and sustaining superior performance.  Free Press. New York, US  Porter, M .E (2004). Competitive Advantage. Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors.  Free Press.  New York, US  Sahney, S., Banwet, D.K., and Karunes, S. (2004), A SERVQUAL and QFD approach to total quality education: A student perspective,  International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol.53, No.2, pp. 143-166.  Schiffman, L g and L L Kanuk (2000). Consumer Behaviour.  FT Prentice Hall, New Jersey, US.  Shahin, Dr. Arash (2005). SERVQUAL and Models of Service Quality Gaps: A Framework for Determining and Prioritizing Critical Factors in Delivering Quality Systems. Available:  Visit Britain (2008 a). UK Market Profile 2007. Available from: http://www.tourismtrade.org.uk/  Images/UK_DMarketing_tcm12-22850.pdf (Accessed 21 December 2008)  Visit Britain (2008 b). Britain Inbound: Overall Market Profile. Available from: http://www.tourismtrade.org.uk/Images/Inbound  FINAL_2008_%20BritInbound3F_tcm12-40935.pdf (Accessed 21 December 2008)  V isit London (2005). Hotel Accommodation; Quality Standards. Available from: http://www.qualityintourism.com/content/pdfs/Standards/  Hotel%20Standard%20INT.pdf (Accessed 21 December 2008)  Yavas, U., Yasin, M and Wafa, m (1995). Front and back-stage strategies in service delivery in the hospitality industry: a conceptual framework.  Market Intelligence Planning.  Vol. 13, Issue, 11, pp.22-26  Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value: A means-end model and synthesis of evidence. Journal of Marketin,, Vol. 52, Issue. 3, pp.2-22  Zeithaml, V.A., Parasuraman, A. and Berry, L.L. (1990),  Delivering quality service; Balancing customer perceptions and expectations.  The Free Press, New York, NY.

Transnational Mgt. Case Analysis :: essays research papers

Problem Statement   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McKinsey & Company is a highly successful consulting firm worth over 1.8 billion dollars. However, its leader Rajat Gupta wondered if the company could better utilize the knowledge of its employees to better serve its worldwide clients. It was obvious that McKinsey & Company had a strong base of core competencies among its employees, but Gupta was unsure if knowledge development was meeting its clients’ needs in an information and knowledge driven age. Clients hired McKinsey & Company expecting leading edge information from to assist them in their decision-making processes. Gupta felt a process was needed to develop, capture, and leverage this information which he considered an asset to the company. So, the task lay before them on how to accumulate and store the information quickly and make it readily available to consultants on a global scale. List of Symptoms †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McKinsey & Company desired to provide state-of-the-art knowledge to its clients but currently had no means of measuring exactly how well they were doing in developing their knowledge. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Employees were not being properly developed for the new direction of the McKinsey & Company. McKinsey & Company still had the ability to provide excellent advice to its Clients. However, they were not as prepared as their competitors for dealing with the upcoming technologies of the future. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McKinsey & Company had experienced rapid growth. McKinsey & Company had 3,800 consultants in 69 offices worldwide. In its present state, the large number of employees and offices it managed actually hindered McKinsey from effectively performing its operations worldwide. Essentially, McKinsey & Company had become too large for itself under its current architecture. Alternative Solutions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McKinsey & Company did not desire to rest on its laurels and remain content with the status quo, rather they aggressively sought out to find answers to their dilemmas. They realized that being a 1.8 billion dollar company did not come easily and also that without modifications they would not remain in their top position in consulting. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (1) McKinsey & Company must implement a system of knowledge management in which the entire organization is able to benefit from the sharing of knowledge between employees. This will allow the company to benefit internally. Alternative Solution One: (2) In order to measure the results McKinsey & Company must revisit their goals to develop, capture, and leverage their knowledge to better serve their clients. Alternative Solution Two: Know the audience to be measured and what benefits they seek from their relationship with McKinsey & Company.

Alzheimer’s Disease Essay -- Alzheimers Disease Essays

Alzheimer’s Disease INTRODUCTION Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive degenerative disorder of insidious onset, characterized by memory loss, confusion, and a variety of cognitive disabilities. It is the major cause of dementia in the elderly and is characterized by the presence of neuropathologic lesions including: neurofibrillary tangles in the neuronal perikarya and in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and neocortex, nucleus basalis of Meynert, and periaqueductal gray. Neuritic (senile) plaques often with a central or core deposition of amyloid within the plaque and in some cases with amyloid infiltration of blood vessel walls (amyloid angiopathy) and the adjacent perivascular neuropil; loss of neurons, most often in the hippocampus, neocortex, locus coeruleus, and nucleus basalis; and disturbance of acetylcholine transmitter activity marked by lowered levels of acetylcholine and choline acetyltransferase (4). ETIOLOGY Alzheimer’s disease may strike as early as age 40, but is most common after the age of 60. As the average life expectancy continues to increase so too does the incidence of AD. In its early stages it is difficult to distinguish from normal aging. However, whether AD is a specific qualitative disorder such as an infectious process, endogenous or exogenous toxic disorder or biochemical deficiency, or whether it is a quantitative disorder, in which an acceleration of the normal aging processes occur and dementia appears as neural reserves are exhausted, remains to be seen. New techniques of molecular genetics provide a promising new approach for understanding AD in view of the evidence that there is a familiar factor present in the disease (4). In several studies, over one thi... ...scular disease, Parkinson’s disease, hydrocephalus, amyotrophic lateral and multiple sclerosis, and dementia’s resulting from tumors and brain injuries. In light of all this, with an aging population, it is clear to see the need for further study in order to gain a better understanding of the cause and parameters of AD. Works Cited: 1) Guela and M. Mesulam (1989). Cortical Cholinergic Fibers in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Morphometric Study. Neuroscience, Vol.33, No.3: pp. 469-481. 2.)Guela, C., Tokuno, H., Hersh, L., and Mesulam, M., (1990). Human Striatal Cholinergic Neurons In Development, Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease. Brain Research, 508: pp.310-312. 3.) Nappi, G., Sinforiani, E., Martigonoi, E., Petraglia, F., Rossi, F., Genazzani, A. R. (1988). Aging Brain and Dementia’s: Changes in Central Opioids. European Neurology. 28: pp.217-220.

Regionalism in India

On 15th of December 1953, when Potti Sriramulu succumbed to death not able to sustain 52 days of marathon fast that was undertaken to demand a separate state for Telugu speaking people, little did he realize that his death would become a launch pad for the dawn of Political Regionalism in India – that would in course of time alter the whole landscape of India. But the brand of regionalism that evolved after Potti Sriramulu’s death was legitimate, genuine and logical. It reflected the aspirations of people at that time. It stood for fulfilling the longstanding desire of people to have their own linguistic state. Thus, Andhra Pradesh became the first linguistic state of India. Today, Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh is renamed as Potti Sriramulu. After the death of Sriramulu, reluctant Nehru was forced to accede to the various cries from other parts of the country with similar demands. In 1954, a States Reorganization Committee was formed with Fazal Ali as its head, which recommended the formation of 16 new states and 3 Union Territories based on the language people spoke in those respective regions. This heralded a new phase in the Indian politics. The subsequent movements for separate states and territories gave birth to slew of regional parties which eventually became prominent in national level and thus started coalition culture in Indian politics. Regionalism: Meaning Regionalism is a feeling or an ideology among a section of people residing in a particular geographical space characterized by unique language, culture etc. that they are the sons of the soil and every opportunity that exists in their land must be accorded to them first but not to the outsiders. It is a sort of Parochialism. In most of the cases it is raised for expedient political gains but not necessarily. Growth and Development Regionalism in India can be traced back to Dravida Movement started in Tamil Nadu. The movement initially focused on empowering Dalits, non-Brahmins, and poor people. Later it turned against imposition of Hindi as sole official language on non-Hindi speaking areas. Finally, the movement for some time focused on seceding from India to carve out their own Dravidastan or Dravida Nadu. The movement slowly declined and today they have become prominent regional parties after many splits and factionalism. Throughout India regionalism persisted. In Maharashtra Shiv Sena against Kannadigas in the name of Marathi pride and recently MNS activists against Biharis; in Punjab against non-Punjabis that gave rise to Khalistan Movement and earlier Akali Movement; in Andhra, Telangana Movement with an aim of separate state; in Assam ULFA militants against migrant Biharis and Bengalis; in North-East against other Indians. It can be traced that regionalism slowly turned from non violent means to violent means to achieve their goals. From Potti Sriramulu’s non violent means of fatsing to Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena (MNS) and ULFA’s violent means, regionalism has come a long way. Regionalism in present day India is readily used for political gains by petty politicians and secessionist organizations. Economic reasons are exploited for political dividends. When violence is used against people in the name of regionalism it is a criminal act and is punishable. Article 19 of the Constitution of India provides a citizen of India to move freely throughout the territory of India, to reside and settle in any part, and to practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business. When ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) militants or MNS(Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) activists used violence against poor migrant workers, they clearly violated law of the land and also the Constitution which is above all, even above the Parliament. Do we need to fear Regionalism? No. Regionalism in India is only a short cut to attain the political ambitions by emotionally exploiting the sentiments of the people. The fear of Balkanization is void of any logic. India is bound by a common culture that has flourished on this land many thousand years ago. I may be Kannadiga or Tamil but I am an Indian first. My identity outside India is that of an Indian. The states which fought for complete independence are now part of Indian Union and they have renounced for some extent violence; they include Mizoram, Nagaland, Kashmir, Bodoland, Tamli Nadu. India is too big for these states to fight against and win. Today regional parties define how the governments are formed and conducted both at the centre and the state level. Indeed it is a good development as some political entities such as RJD, BSP, LJP, DMK, AIADMK, BJD have to some extent represented those people who were neglected in the political process for long time. As long as they thrive for regional development without discriminating against outsiders, regionalism is good for India. Every Indian is a son of this soil. A Bihari becomes Mumbaikar when a bomb explodes in Mumbai and a Mumbaikar becomes Bihari when Kosi wrecks havoc in the plains of Bihar. We are united by an idea called India and that unity is imperative if we want to do a ’Chinese’ thing in future – that of actually walking on the path to becoming a global superpower instead of daydreaming