Consumer Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example As per definition, WOM refers to the process of oral communication between two individuals where the individuals increasingly communicate important values or related information pertaining to a particular category or brand. The advantage of WOM over standards methods of advertising is that the WOM marketing happens mostly through the process of communication of two individuals at a significantly lower price as compared to that of advertising. The word of mouth marketing has significantly high level of benefits on the development of the brand value for the product as well as the company2. For globally renowned Fiskars, it can be said that the company can leverage a lot of advantage out of the word of mouth marketing technique by maintaining high end quality for its products as well as introducing innovativeness in the product design. A vital point is that though the company’s product mostly falls under the consumer durables category, it increasingly caters to three business areas like the home division, the garden division and the outdoor division. The products especially for the outdoor division are extremely critical in nature and needs supreme durability and consistency in quality. As a matter of fact, a highly reputed brand that provides consistent quality will automatically lead to higher sales especially for this division, if accompanied by the consumer driven word of mouth marketing tool3. There are significant steps that have to be followed by the company, in order prevent negative impact due to the word of mouth marketing for the company’s products. A very important factor is the fact that the company needs to secure its distribution network across the global markets in the wake of various fluctuating scenarios of macro economic conditions. The company also needs to secure the flow of various raw materials

Juno Character Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Juno Character Analysis - Essay Example As the film unfolds, the viewer sees that Juno is not a bad girl; she is a young woman dealing with something she is really too young to deal with, she struggles with her situation and uses humor to manage her emotions, and she makes the decision that she feels is best for everyone involved. Throughout the film, the viewer is continually reminded that, despite her pregnancy, Juno is just a teenage girl. She is young and this was not a planned or wanted pregnancy. She is dealing with a entirely new set of emotions that she is not accustomed too. In addition to dealing with the emotions related to her pregnancy, Juno was dealing with facing the feelings she had towards Paulie, the baby’s father. As Juno spends more time with Mark, the adoptive father, she gets confused over her feelings towards him, as well. Juno states the situation of her age best when talking to her father. After witnessing Mark confront Vanessa about not really wanting to have a baby, Juno is filled with emo tions she isn’t sure how to deal with. She is confused and not sure how to deal with her emotions even though she has decided to still allow Vanessa to adopt her baby. After taking a minute to herself to cry, she goes home. Her father asks her where she had been, and she responds by saying, â€Å"just out dealing with things way beyond my maturity level.† Although she is clearly using sarcasm to mask her emotions, her comment accurately reflects the situation. After making the decision to put her baby up for adoption, opposed to keeping the baby or having an abortion, Juno does not deter from this decision. Despite this, she struggles with her decision. Her initial decision to have an abortion is abandoned early. She then immediately decides to put the baby up for adoption, and then works on finding an adoptive family. Juno frequently uses sarcasm and humor to get through emotionally difficult situations. When Vanessa questions her determination to put her baby up for adoption, Juno responds by saying, â€Å"If I could just have the thing and give it to you now I totally would.† If taken out of the context of the movie, this comment would sound cold and uncaring, but it is simply Juno’s way of expressing her determination while maintaining emotional distance. She struggles with the idea of giving the baby up for adoption, but she maintains her humor to stay focused. She also uses her humor to draw attention to her situation. She jokes about the fact she is sixteen and pregnant in an effort to divert negative attention for the same reason. During one of her interactions with Vanessa, Vanessa questions her regarding whether or not her parents know where she is. She responds to Vanessa’s questioning by saying, â€Å"I’m already pregnant so what other shenanigans could I get into?† This breaks the tension by exposing the elephant in the room. Juno makes the decision that she feels is best for everyone involved; this includes her, Paulie, Vanessa, and the baby. Juno recognizes immediately that her and Paulie are not equipped to give the baby a good life. In addition to this inability, she recognizes that fact that neither of them wants to stop being teenagers and start being parents. Forcing themselves to take on a role that neither of t

Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency

Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency:  An Inborn Error of Metabolism Marisa Houser The body’s metabolism is responsible for all the physical and chemical processes that convert or use energy. One of these processes is breaking down and digesting food. (National Institutes of Health , 2014) Food that is not broken down properly can lead to a buildup within the body and can be toxic or interfere with the body’s normal function. This build up can present with many different symptoms. Some of these symptoms can lead to developmental delays especially if left untreated or not controlled.(National Institutes of Health , 2013) The disorders that will not allow the body to properly turn food into energy are known as, inborn errors of metabolism. Though these are considered rare genetic disorders, there are many. Here, however, we will focus on just one, Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency. Ornithine Transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency is the most common urea cycle disorder affecting 1 in every 30,000 people. The urea cycle is the body’s way to dispose of excess nitrogen causing a buildup of ammonia within the body. 34% of patients will present within the first 30 days of life. (Sloas, 2013) These patients appear normal with no symptoms at birth but by day 2 to 3 they are extremely ill when they suffer from the first substantial buildup of ammonia in the body (˃150 µmol/L), also known as a hyperammonemic episode. (Jones, 2013) These patients may present with vomiting, poor feeding, irritability, fever and limpness. Prompt action needs to be taken to avoid critical long term affects. Some long term effects from hyperammonia can include seizures, swelling of the brain, developmental delays and liver failure. Many will not survive their first hyperammonemic episode and those that do will become hyperammonemic again. (Lichter-Konecki U, 2013) Late onset and partial disease of OTC deficiency disorder can also occur. Both late onset and partial disease are rare in both males and females. In either situation most will suffer a hyperammonemic episode at some point in their life. They may show mild presentation or not present at all until they suffer from severe illness, fasting, pregnancy or a new medication. These patients may present with anorexia, fever, irritability, rapid breathing, low muscle tone, vomiting, diarrhea/constipation, altered mental status, sleepiness, combativeness, psychosis, tremor, seizures and coma. (Sloas, 2013) All will also suffer from some type of neurological disorder such as developmental delays, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).(Lichter-Konecki U, 2013) When we eat, enzymes help break the food down so that our bodies can absorb the nutrients from the food. If the enzyme needed to break down the nutrients is nonexistent or deficient it halts one of the steps in the breakdown of our food for energy, and causes disease. When we eat protein it is broken down into essential and non-essential amino acids. The amino acids are converted to pyruvate then to oxaloacetic acid at which point they are introduced to the Krebs cycle. The Krebs cycle is where the majority of the energy from the food we eat is made. (ONeill, 2013) The Urea cycle is made up of five steps. The first step is the conversion of bicarbonate and ammonia to carbamyl phosphate. Next is the formation of citrulline from ornithine and carbamyl phosphate. The third step is the conversion of citrulline and aspartate to argininosuccinate. The fourth step is the cleavage of argininosuccinate to form arginine. The final step is the degradation of arginine to form urea and ornithine. (Figure 1) At this point the urea can be disposed of through the body in urine. This process is catalyzed by the enzymes that exist in the liver. One of these enzymes is Ornithine Transcarbamylase. (Shambaugh III, 1977) Ornithine Transcarbamylase is an enzyme of the liver and intestinal mucosa that catalyzes the breakdown of citrulline from ornithine and carbamyl-phosphate. In OTC deficiency this process is halted. Now the body cannot detoxify ammonia to make urea, a substance that is disposed of through urination and the ammonia builds up within the system. (Herin glake, Boker, Manns, 1997) The 3rd step, the conversion of citrulline and aspartate to argininosuccinate, is the link between the Krebs cycle and the Urea cycle. Figure 1. Urea Biosynthesis (Shambaugh III, 1977) Figure 2 Urea Cycle â€Å"The urea cycle functions primarily in the liver, and is a metabolic pathway that detoxifies ammonia by converting it into urea. Ammonia is generated from the conversion of proteins and nucleic acids in our diet as well as due to normal cellular turnover. Defects of the urea cycle result in hyperammonemia which can progress to brain edema and result in cognitive impairment or death.† (Childrens National Medical Center, 2007) OTC deficiency is a disorder involving the mutation of the ornithine transcarbamylase gene, located on the short arm of the X chromosome at position 21.1. (Sloas, 2013) (Figure 3) OTC deficiency is an X linked disorder and therefore will mostly affect males, especially early onset as a baby. More than 300 mutations have been identified in patients that have OTC deficiency. Most are single base alterations that alter the amino acid code. Most families have mutations that only occur within their own genome usually found at the CpG dinucleotides. CpG dinucleotides are where the cytosine nucleotide and guanine nucleotide are next to each other on the DNA. According to the Children’s National Medical Center, these are â€Å"mutation hotspots†. (Childrens National Medical Center, 2007) Figure 3. Cytogenetic Location: Xp21.1. Molecular Location on the X chromosome: base pairs 38,352,482 to 38,421,449 (U.S National Library of Medicine, 2015) There are no measures that prevent OTC deficiency all together, however there are preventative measures that can be used to help reduce or avoid hyperammonemic episodes. Families can provide doctors with their family health history and undergo genetic testing to help the family make informed medical and personal decisions. If either parent is a carrier, testing can be done to diagnose OTC deficiency prenatally. This can help the healthcare team avoid the initial and often critical first hyperammonemic episode. For patients that are not diagnosed prenatally but within the first few days of life, reducing the concentration of ammonia in their system rapidly is critical. This can be done by hemodialysis. Hemodialysis is a process used to clean your blood by pumping it through a special machine. The faster the ammonia level is lowered the greater the chance of avoiding severe brain damage from the buildup of ammonia in the bloodstream. In addition protein intake should be restricted, especially animal proteins as these are high in nitrogen and lead to hyperammonemic episodes. Many partial and late onset OTC deficiency patients practice a vegetarian diet to avoid the risk of elevated ammonia levels. Another course of treatment is finding an alternate pathway for nitrogen excretion. (Lichter-Konecki U, 2013) Phenylbutyrate and oral sodium benzoate are nitrogen scavengers. They provide an alternate way for the body to dispose of nitrogen and safely take in more protein. Liver transplants are a common course of treatment as well. The transplant can prevent reoccurring hyperammonemic episodes and long term neurological effects. These are typically performed by age sixth months. Those diagnosed with partial OTC deficiency or late onset may also be liver transplant candidates if they suffer from frequent hyperammonemic episodes. (Lichter-Konecki U, 2013) Researchers are investigating some new therapies to manage OTC deficiency. Hypothermia for neuroprotection, cooling to body down has been shown to reduce ammonia production by lowering the body’s metabolism overall. Liver cell transplant is being studied to see if I can temporarily stabilize critically patients while they are waiting for a liver transplant. Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are being considered. This therapy would use the patient’s cells to generate stem cells that can then be induced to become liver cells. Gene therapy could possibly be used to correct the disorder in the new cells and then used to for liver regeneration in the patient. (Lichter-Konecki U, 2013) These promising new approaches continue to give hope to patients and their families. Works Cited Childrens National Medical Center. (2007). Welcome to the Ornithine Transcarbamylase website . Retrieved from Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency Website: http://ureacycle.cnmcresearch.org/otc/ Heringlake, S., Boker, K., Manns, M. (1997). Fatal clinical course of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency in an adult heterozygous female patient. Digestion 58.1, 83-6. Jones, P. M. (2013). Altered Mental State in a Teenager. Clinical Chemistry 59.10, 1442-4. Lichter-Konecki U, C. L. (2013, August 29). Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency. Retrieved from GeneReviews: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK154378/ National Institutes of Health . (2013, June 9). Inborn errors of metabolism. Retrieved from MedLine Plus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002438.htm National Institutes of Health . (2014, August 7). Metabolism . Retrieved from MedLine Plus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002257.htm ONeill, M. (2013, January 4). Metabolic Pathways of Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats in Humans. Retrieved from Ketopia wonderful low card science: http://ketopia.com/metabolic-pathways/ Shambaugh III, G. E. (1977). Urea biosynthesis I.The urea cycle and relationships to the citric acid cycle. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2083-87. Sloas, H. A. (2013). At the intersection of toxicology, psychiatry, and genetics: a diagnosis of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine 31.9, 1420.e5.

The Future of Print and Cyberculture Essay -- Writing Writers Technolo

The Future of Print and Cyberculture As our class learned from the last assignment in which we created a writing technology, the introduction of new technology can change the way that people operate on a day-to-day basis. Inventions like the automobile and the television, for example, have forever changed the culture in many countries. However, no invention has changed the world more than the computer. In fact it has been the computer that has made the most recent technological phenomenon, the Internet, possible. While the Internet has made obvious changes in the way people communicate, it has also changed how we perform other functions that are as fundamental to us as reading and writing. One of the issues the Internet and similar technologies have forced upon us is the switch from reading from textbooks to reading what is referred to as "hypertext" on the computer screen. Because the Internet has turned into such an extensive source of information, many people find themselves reading from the screen what they normally would have read from plain text in the past. Although this is a process that a lot of people are uncomfortable with, James Sosnoski, author of the essay Hyper-readers and their Reading Engines, believes that reading from computer screens will soon become commonplace. "Though I readily acknowledge that many persons do not like to read from their screens at this time, I assume that over a period of time, the practice will become so habitual that it will seem 'natural' - just as it now seems customary to use a computer rather than a typewriter," he said (404). Reading hypertext is different from the reading that we are accustomed to for a variety of reason s, one of which being that people tend to be more selec... ...de Web is a vast (hyper) text that we read with such increasing frequency that it has become increasingly difficult as the day wears on to dial up one’s account in order to access the Web because so many of its readers are already online," (401). Bringing publishing opportunities to the masses and having speed and convenience applied to written communication sure sounds like an enhancement to me. Works Cited: Landow, George. "Twenty Minutes into the Future, or How Are We Moving Beyond the Book?" Writing Material: Readings from Plato the Digital Age. New York: Longman, 2003. 214-226. Lesser, Wendy. "The Conversation." Writing Material: Readings from Plato the Digital Age. New York: Longman, 2003. 227-233. Sosnoski, James. "Hyper-readers and their Reading Engines." Writing Material: Readings from Plato the Digital Age. New York: Longman, 2003. 400-417

Quiz econ

When costs fall, the supply curve increases or shifts to the right. Since changes in producer costs is not a demand factor, there would be no impact on demand. Points Received: 10 of 10 Comments: Question 2. Question : (TCO A) Ceteris paribus, Brand A Plain potato chips and Brand B Plain potato chips are substitutes in consumption. The price of Brand A Plain potato chips increases. (4 pts. ) a. What happens to the demand for Brand B Plain potato chips? (6 pts. ) b. What happens to the demand for Brand A Plain potato chips? a) As price of A rises demand for A falls so that demand for B rises.The demand curve for B shifts to the right b)As price of A rises, demand for A falls due to law of demand. The demand curve moves along the upward direction. Instructor Explanation: a. When the price of a substitute good rises, the demand for the other good increases. Price of Brand A rises demand for Brand B increases. b. This tests your ability to distinguish between a change in demand and a cha nge in quantity demanded. When the price of Brand A rises THERE IS NO EFFECT ON THE DEMAND for Brand A potato chips. Remember that the Price of the good itself is NOT a Determinant of Demand for that good.Points Received: 6 of 10 Comments: In (b) when the price ofa good changes that only affects quantity demanded. The demand for Brand A remains unchanged (no shift of the demand curve). See instructor explanation, Chapter 3, and the tutorial in week 1 on the difference between a change in demand and a change in quantity demanded. When you say there is a change in demand you are saying that something other than price has SHIFTED the demand curve. Question 3. Question : SA 3. (TCO A) The number of wheat producers decreases. (4 pts. ) What happens to the supply of wheat? 6 pts. ) What happens to the demand for wheat? 100 20†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 300 ) It the number ot wheat producers decrease supply tor wheat will decrease and prices might go up. b) The demand for wheat will stay the same. Instructor Explanation: Instructor Explanation: The supply of wheat would decrease, or shift to the left. The number of suppliers is obviously a supply factor, so the less suppliers thare are, the smaller would be the supply. The demand for wheat remains the same as before because the number of suppliers is a supply factor, not a demand factor.Points Received: 10 of 10 Question 4. Question : (TCO A) A market is in equilibrium with equilibrium Quantity of MEQ and equilibrium nce of MEP. (2 pts. ) a. What happens to Market Equilibrium Quantity (MEQ) if there is an increase in Demand? (4 pts. ) b. What happens to Market Equilibrium Price (MEP) if Supply decreases as Demand increases? (4 pts. ) c. What happens to Market Equilibrium Quantity (MEQ) after there has been an increase in Supply followed by a decrease in Demand which is followed by another increase in Supply? ) If their is an increase in demand then the price will rise because their is a move from Dl to D2 b)When sup ply decreases prices go down and demand increases until their is a new equilibrium. c)an increase in supply will lower rices and move sl tos2, a decrease in demand will lower prices, following an increase in supply will lower prices, overall the price will go down. Instructor Explanation: a. MEQ increases b. MEP increases c. MEQ is indeterminate as the shifts force Quantity in different directions and the sizes of the shifts are not given.Points Received: O of 10 Comments: Please see instructor explanations for all 3 parts here. You have not answered the questions asked. Question 5. Question : The following table shows part of the demand function for tickets to an outdoor summer concert by a popular singing group: pnce (P)†¦ quantity (Q) 5†¦. 180 (2 pts. ) What is demand elasticity in the $10- $20 price range? Is demand elastic, inelastic, or of unitary elasticity? Calculate the value and show all of your work. Be sure to use the midpoint equation used to determine elastic ity. b. (4 pts. Assume demand elasticity is 1. 3 in the $35 – $50 price range. In this range of demand, by what percentage would quantity demanded change if price increases by 9 percent? Show your detailed calculations. (4 pts. ) What is the effect of a price decline from $35 to $20 on total revenue for the event? Does total revenue (TR) increase, decrease, or remain the same? By how much? Show your detailed calculations. a) 200/300 = . 6667 10-20/20=. 5, . 6667/-. 5=1. 3334, demand elastic b)38. 1 20*300 =6000 Total revenue decreases by 300 Instructor Explanation: a.Using the recommended mid-point formula for calculating elasticity one can see that demand is slightly inelastic in this range since the calculated elasticity value equals 0. 746 which is slightly less than 1. 0. Ed † [change in Q / (sum of Q/2)] / [change P/ (sum ofP/2] = [(500- 300)/800/2] / [(20 -10)30/2] = . 50/-. 67 = 1. 7461, rounding.. b. For this question the point elasticity formula is best since i t contains all of the mportant elements in the one formula. Since Ed = %change Q / %change P, according to the point elasticity formula rearranging the equation and solving for %change Q, gives us %change Q = (%change P)(Ed).Thus, in this case, %change Q (9) (1. 3) = a decline of 11. 7 percent. c. This question can be answered in 2 ways: (1) You could calculate the elasticity in the $35 – $20 range. This is [(300- 180) / 480/2] / [(20- 35) / 85/2] = [120 / 240] / [15 / 43] = 0. 50 / 0. 55 = -0. 909, rounding. Since we have slightly inelastic demand in this range we know that lowering price will esult in an DECREASE in total revenue; or (2), Simply calculate the total revenue at the two prices at $20 total revenue is $20 x 300 = $6,000, and at $35, total revenue $35 x 180 = $6?00. o total revenue DECREASES when the pnce lowered to $20 from $35. Points Received: 6 of 10 Comments: Please see instructor explanations for the 1st and 2nd parts here. Question 6. Question : (TCO B) U se a hypothetical example to illustrate whether you agree or disagree with the following statement: â€Å"Unemployment will go up more if the demand for labor is inelastic because the demand tor labor will decrease more when you nave inelastic emand than if demand were elastic. † Explain why, using hypothetical numbers to illustrate your case.Disagree, Unemployment will not go up if the demand for labor is inelastic. demand for labor would be inelastic when the change in demand for labor is less than or equal to 1, and it will not have an impact on unemployment when the change in labor is elastic it is greater than or equal to 1 so it will have an impact on unemployment. Instructor Explanation: The unemployment impact would be greater in the case of elastic demand. Starting with an equilibrium quantity f labor equal to, say, 100 units, an increase in the minimum wage would reduce the quantity of labor demanded.Let us say that demand is inelastic and that Ed = 0. 5. Suppose th e minimum wage increases by 10 percent. The quantity of labor demanded would fall by = 5 percent. Alternatively if demand was elastic such that Ed= 2 (say), then the quantity of labor demanded would fall by = 20 percent. Clearly, unemployment is impacted far more in the latter case (elastic demand) than it is in the former (inelastic demand). Points Received: 5 of 10 Comments: Please see instructor explanation regarding the reason why the tatement is false, and the hypothetical example. Question

Shareholder Wealth Maximisation

SHAREHOLDER WEALTH MAXIMISATION: SUMMARY ‘Business Finance’ assumes that the objective of a company is to maximise shareholder wealth. This means that companies should attempt to maximise the value of the shareholders’ investment in the company. This is achieved by maximising ‘Total Shareholder Returns’: dividends and share price appreciation.The most powerful basis for understanding and measuring shareholder wealth is the ‘economic valuation model’, under which the value of the shareholders’ investment is measured as the present value of future cash flows that are attributable to the shareholders. This approach involves converting future cash flows into their equivalent value in today’s terms, by adjusting for the effect of the ‘time value of money’. The ‘time value of money’ concept refers to the reality that ? 100 today is worth more than ? 100 in a year’s time.This is for three reasons: à ¢â‚¬ ¢ Inflation: which reduces the purchasing power of money over time †¢ Consumption preference: we prefer to spend money now rather than wait to spend in the future †¢ Risk: this refers to the variability of future returns from an investment. This time value of money effect means that shareholders require a rate of return from their investment in a company which is sufficient compensation for the time value of money effect that they suffer. This rate of return is known as the ‘cost of capital’.For a company to create wealth for shareholders, it must generate a rate of return which exceeds the ‘cost of capital’. Arguments in favour of ‘shareholder wealth maximisation’ being the assumed objective of the company: †¢ Shareholders are the legal owners of the company †¢ Shareholders bear the risk †¢ Assuming competitive markets, maximising wealth of shareholders should ensure the interests of customers and employees are al so met †¢ Decision-making is simplified Arguments against shareholder wealth maximisation: Some argue it will lead to the interests of other stakeholders such as customers and employees being neglected (eg through selling poor quality, over-priced products and providing poor conditions and rates of pay to employees). However, in competitive markets, arguably the only way that companies will create wealth for shareholders is by selling products/services customers want to buy, and therefore customers’ interests cannot be ignored. Also, the way to ensure customers’ interests are met is arguably by ensuring staff are well motivated and properly trained.Furthermore, employees prospects of having a secure and well paid job are improved by working for a company that is financially successful. †¢ Some argue that it will lead to ‘short-termism’ (decisions that improve short-term profits at the expense of long-term value, such as reducing research and deve lopment and marketing investments). However, the concept of economic value means maximising shareholder wealth should mean that long-term and short-term performance is captured.