Test of English as a Foreign Language

English, the third most common language spoken after Mandarin and Spanish, is spoken by around 370 to 390 million people in around 50 different countries. Many renowned universities, require their students, in the undergraduate, graduate and post graduate programs to first prove their proficiency in the English language, as an entrance criteria. This created a need for a standard test, accepted and recognized by these universities, to be created. Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL as it is commonly referred to as, is such a test. This test is developed and conducted by the Educational Testing Service. TOEFL can be administered via the internet(TOEFL iBT) or can be written as a paper based test(TOEFL PBT). Written Tests are only administered in places where Internet Based Testing Centers for TOEFL are unavailable. This test score along with the applicant's other academical information becomes the foundation for their admission process. The test score scale ranges from 0 to 120, for TOEFL iBT, and from 310 to 677 for TOEFL PBT. The minimum test score acceptable, varies from university to university, depending on factors like courses undertaken or whether the applicant is an undergrad, grad or post grad.TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBT tests the four basic skills needed for effective communication namely- Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing. They test the takers toread, listen, and then speak in response to a questionlisten and then speak in response to a questionread, listen, and then write in response to a questionThe test is 4 hours long and it is essential that all the four sections of the test be taken on the same day itself.Test FormatSECTION FORMAT TIMEREADING 3-5 passages(700words), 12-14 question each 60-100 minutesLISTENING 2–3 conversations, 5 questions each4–6 lectures, 6 questi ons each 60-90 minutes10 MINUTES BREAKSPEAKING 6 tasks which include 2 independent and 4 integrated 20 minutesWRITING 2 tasks which include 1 integrated task and1 independent task 50minutes(20 for integrated and 30 for independent)The time displayed above is not an actual representation, and may vary on the number of questions.Reading SectionThe reading sections tests the applicant's ability to, comprehend, learn and to find information from university level academic passages and texts. The questions asked in the reading section are of the following formatMultiple choice questions- asking the applicant to select a single answer from a given set of optionsMultiple choice questions asking the applicant to select an option to â€Å"insert a sentence† where it fits best in a passageQuestions with more than four choices and more than one possible correct answer.Listening SectionThis section tests the applicants ability to understand Spoken English, by testing his/her ability to un derstand lectures and conversations. The applicant is allowed to take notes while listening to the material provided. These notes will be collected at the end of the test and destroyed. Questions asked in the Listening section, are usually asked in the following formatsMultiple choice questions with a single correct answerMultiple choice questions with more than one correct answerQuestions that require the user to order eventsQuestions that require the applicant to match objects or text to categories in a chartSome questions replay a portion of the audio material provided, so that the applicant need not memorize the material before answering the question.Speaking SectionHere the applicant is tested for his ability to communicate, participate in casual conversations, respond to questions etc. This section includes six tasks that that the applicant must undertake before proceeding further. The first two task are independent speaking tasks, where the user is asked to express their opinion or idea on topics provided, or on topics that the applicant is comfortable with. The next four tasks are integrated tasks where the applicant must use more than one of their skills before responding. These skills may include reading, listening and speaking. The user is only allowed to spend 20 minutes in this section.Writing SectionThis section tests the applicants ability to present their ideas in a clear and well organized manner. Here students are required to undertake two tasks, one integrated and one independent. Independent tasks include writing essays, articles, expressing opinions etc. The student's range of grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuations and layout are tested under Independent tasks. Under Integrated tasks students are required to summarize, paraphrase, and cite accurate information from the source material. The total time sanctioned for both these tasks is 50 minutes. TOEFL scores are valid for 2 years. These scores are visible,10 days after the exam on the TOEFL registration website. Printed Scores are mailed after 13 days. More than 10,000 universities in around 130 countries accept TOEFL scores for their admission process. So when you plan on an education abroad, Think TOEFL.

Analyse the work of Louis MacNeice, entitled, The sunlight on the garden

In this essay, I shall analyse the work of Louis MacNeice, entitled, ‘The sunlight on the garden. ‘ It is a modern verse that offers a self-reflexive commentary on life and its key elements. In similarity to the traditional epic verse, the poem is an expression of the speaker's particular personalities and motives. I intend to explore these two subjects in greater detail in my essay. According to the Oxford English dictionary, a poetic analysis is the process, or ‘detailed examination of studying a poem†¦ o determine its nature, structure, or essential features. ‘ This is a common practice used by both reader and critic in the reading of prose and poetry and I will adopt this technique in my essay. MacNeice's poem from the thirties transcribes the period of great hardship in the Western World, as well as the speaker's self-hardship of love and death. The Wall Street Crash in 1929 started a worldwide economic depression that lasted for much of the decade and industries such as steel, ship-building and coal mining suffered. Moreover, unemployment in Britain soared which left a hollowed and pessimistic outlook on life. This had a strong impact upon poetry of the time, this particular poem illuminating the confusions and irresolvable issues of the common man. There are many social and political events that influenced MacNeice's work, the First World War being the most significant. Though the event took place decades before the poet's publication, there are strong elements of futility, death and decay in his language. The line, ‘we are dying, Egypt, dying' in particular, is reflective of the dreary society that both the poet and the people lived through. The poet's reference to the Shakespearian tragedy suggests that the speaker or even MacNeice himself suffered from heartache or loss. The line, ‘hardened heart' expands this idea, revealing a meta-level of vulnerability and self-consciousness of both the poem and its writer. Moreover, MacNeice's use of the pronoun ‘we' rather than, ‘I' highlights that this is a communal suffering, a contrast to the typical self-infliction of epic poems. There is great discussion as to the traditions of the poem, MacNeice's experiments with classic meter and rhyme making the poem difficult to follow. The partial-serpentine rhymes, ‘minute within it' for example, are demonstrative of his varying rhyme scheme and poetic technique. However there are evident poetic qualities which suggest that he is writing in the style of lyric-epic poets. Firstly, the poem's occasion is focused on the past rather than the present-self. The line, ‘but glad to have sat†¦ ith you' emphasises the speaker's preoccupation with past events and his constant struggle with time and death. Furthermore, the narration of events (combined with the speaker's emotional and reflective self-expression), creates an identity of the lyric self that is not found in the traditional epic. The speaker's constant preoccupation of the self and of death is a strong characteristic of elegiac poetry. Moreover, instead of using the typical third person perspective found in Greek epic poetry, MacNeice uses, ‘we' and ‘you', typical of the lyric-epics of the time. Perhaps the poet, like other modernist writers, aspired to move away from the traditional epic layout and create a more modernised work as this was a fashionable movement in the early twentieth century. The poet Wordsworth, for example, experimented with new styles and verse forms to re-invent and modernise the lyric. Having identified the poetic form and tradition, I am now going to analyse the language in MacNeice's work. The use of imagery in all forms of poetry is a common technique used to draw the reader into poetic experiences, primarily through the senses. This is a characteristic in, ‘The Sunlight on the garden', where the work's title immediately evokes a simple image of beauty, nature and hope. The first line however, immediately transposes one's expectations as MacNeice's speaker descends into a metaphysical state of suffering, ‘sunlight†¦ hardens and grows cold. ‘ Moreover, the imagery of Egypt ‘dying' also reveals the somewhat macabre state of his vision; absent in love, emotion and feeling, ‘hardened in heart. MacNeice's vivid poetic imagery such as the line, ‘nets of gold', arouses our senses and evokes the speaker's pure and simple vision. Furthermore, the imagery of, ‘birds' and ‘flying' appeal to not only our sense of sight but also to the speaker's hope for freedom. However, on a meta-level, again our understanding is transposed as the imagery of ‘Cage' and ‘net' enforces not freedom but a sensation of being trapped and confined in one's self. In addition to imagery, another dominant characteristic of MacNeice's poem is rhyme. The rhyming scheme follows the same pattern (ABCBBA) in each stanza. The partial-serpentine rhyme of the poem acts as an enjambment, the syllabic meter from the previous line being carried to the next. This is again similar to the continuity of time and death that the poet discusses. The enjambment of the first line in the poem follows a rhyming word which then follows another rhyming word (‘garden hardens†¦ cold'). In doing so, the unavoidable continuity of time and fate is highlighted. Moreover, the confusion of poetic forms and rhyme scheme add to the futility and the speaker's lack of power or control. The use of alliteration ‘cannot cage' emphasises the futility of one's attempts to stop time. Again the speaker's self-consciousness is exposed by the poet as he ultimately fails in this, the line, ‘we cannot beg' emphasising his vulnerability of self. The disjointed and reckless rhyme scheme, as well as the varied pentameter, trochaic and heptameter, sound more fluid when spoken orally to an audience. MacNeice continues this old tradition of verbal poetry and in doing so, the beauty of the poem overcomes the confusion of the poetic form, acting as a work of art for both the eyes and ears. Now that I have analysed rhyme and rhythm, I am going to look at the purpose of the poem and the issues the poet raises. One of the fundamentals purposes of the poem that presents itself is that the speaker has a constant preoccupation with love and regret. The line, ‘our freedom†¦ advances towards its end' is suggestive of a strong nostalgia and pessimism in the speaker. This is a self-consciousness that he readily admits to his audience, perhaps something that he could not have done through another medium. There is also a strong debate upon reading the poem that he could be talking to his lover. The sentiments in the last stanza, ‘glad to have sat†¦ with you' and, ‘hardened in heart' imply that the poem's purpose is a written expression of his feelings towards her, a romantic perspective on the traditional lyric-epic. However, the most prominent purpose for MacNeice's work is that the poem is the speaker's farewell to his loved ones. The line, ‘we shall have no time for dances' coupled with the endless discussion of time and indeed death, infers that life, indeed his life is running out and no matter how many a ‘net of gold' he uses, one cannot prevent it. Having analysed the purpose of the poem, I am now going to identify the implication of the poem on primarily the reader and the effects on society itself. At first glance, there is little political reference in the poem, something that one would not have expected, particularly at a time of economic turmoil and war. However there is a strong implication on our philosophical understanding of love, life and fate. The phrase ‘we cannot cage the minute', for example, highlights the delicacy and futility of time that not even the speaker can stop or control. This in turn, highlights the vulnerability and weakness of man who has no control over fate, despite ‘the nets of gold'. This weakness of man represents a nation under threat with the foreboding threat of another war, and the future economic difficulties in the thirties. There might also be a political implication in the line, ‘We cannot beg for pardon', relating in my mind to the horrors and mistakes made in the first word war. In conclusion, the poem, ‘The sunlight on the garden' written by Louis MacNeice, is a typical lyric-epic poem focused around love, loss and time. There are many other themes (the speaker's gender for example) and aspects the poem's structure that I could have looked at in greater detail, rather than focusing solely on imagery and rhyme. The poem educates us about the importance of time and the growing shift occurring in epic poetry, a movement which MacNeice evidently took part in and which in turn affected the evolution of poetry in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Stricter Guidelines for Concussion Testing in High School Athletics Research Paper

Stricter Guidelines for Concussion Testing in High School Athletics - Research Paper Example Concussion results from a blow to the skull and instigates a disorder of working of the nerve cells in the brain. This means that division of the functions of the brain are for the time being 'on hold'. The indications comprise impermanent oblivion,  headache  and, most of the times, a memory loss about the dangerous incident. Nausea and vomiting are also general symptoms. As stated by Michael p. MacClenny â€Å" American athletes suffer 300 000 concussive injuries on a yearly basis and 19% of participants in contact sports such as football and rugby are likely to suffer a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) during a season†. The rate of recurrence of this injury, with a lack in understanding of scientific healing methods and physiology, has been the reason to augmented consideration from the world of sports medicine. The generally hotly discussed concern in sports concussion circles around efforts to set up a scientifically based guide for going back-to-play restrictions, g iven that a subsequent effect prior to previous one from a first concussion can have harmful effects. According to Hovda DA â€Å"This idea is based on recent animal models which suggest that symptoms of sports concussion are likely related to acute metabolic dysfunction† Post -traumatic hectic glycolysis and simultaneous reduced flow of cerebral blood have been concerned for the reason of this dysfunction. It is assumed that metabolic disorder, unless fully treated, may intensify the neurological susceptibility of the athlete if a following shock (even slight one) is continued. The second controversial influence disorder and less stern, although potentially debilitating post-concussion patterns are two dangers concerned with returning a sportsperson to engage in a physical activity before absolute recovery. According to Collins MW â€Å"Although long-term deficits in the form of post-concussion syndrome have been observed from a single concussive event , it is typically ass umed that proper management of injury should lead to a good prognosis and minimal, if any, long-term neurological deficits.† As a result, the exact supervision of concussion is necessary in protecting athletes from an enduring cognitive injury or else death. The great amount of concussive wounds are experienced at the high school and sophomoric levels of involvement, nonetheless many trainers, athletic coaches and team doctors may possibly be ignorant of the harsh penalties and consequences that can take place in returning an athlete to participate ahead of time. As stated by Taylor and Francis â€Å"Recent studies claim that the average concussion ameliorates within 1 week of onset and many concussion grading scales also clear mildly and moderately injured athletes for participation within 1 week.† It is the hypothesis of the author that an even slight concussion frequently needs more than seven days to entirely treat. Concussions have forever been a component of physi cal sports; however with players turning into stronger and bigger, some steps have to be done to increase consciousness of the seriousness of concussions and what may occur afterward down the road if sportsperson are not allocated the sufficient quantity of time to get well. According to Lindsey Newman â€Å" The National Football League has already put regulations on how long a player has to stay out after

Brand and Reputation Management in Tesco Plc in the Light of the Essay

Brand and Reputation Management in Tesco Plc in the Light of the Horsemeat Scandal - Essay Example This essay would reflect the different reputational and brand management initiatives that were taken by Tesco Plc while matching the same to the empirical understandings to reflect on the efficacy of the same in the meeting of end objectives. Tesco operates as a leading grocery retailer in the United Kingdom. The company was formed during the year 1919 by Jack Cohen through the creation of a large number of market stalls. Currently, the company operates based on a team of 500,000 people based on 12 global markets to generate the right quality of services to the customers. On a weekly basis, the team of 500,000 people based in 12 different nations contributes to addressing the needs of 75 million retail customers. Tesco as a global retail store focuses on to understand the needs of the customers and thereby to act in a responsible fashion to meet the need of the different communities. As a company, the management of Tesco focuses on promoting operations through effective teamwork such that it contributes to sharing knowledge and experience with each other. Working based on a team also contributes in generating a sense of trust and mutual respect for each other to help in the meeting of the organizational goals in a collective fashion. The company management of Tesco continually focuses on to invest in the development of different types of retail formats and also to incorporate needed technology to enhance the quality of services offered. The corporate or a company brand is signified as a constituent of the different products and services marketed by the company to its customers.

The Crisis Of Fordism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Crisis Of Fordism - Essay Example The above mentioned process results to a phenomenon of mass worker, controlled in bureaucratic trade unions, which negotiate common wages that increase in relation to the production levels. The common consumption patterns indicate the homogenization of the working class and this leads to a market with homogeneous commodities and a match between demand and supply (Lipietz, 1984, p. 20). Notably, the balance between the supply and demand is achieved through the Keynesian macroeconomic policies, while the balance between wages and profits is obtained through collective bargaining power. The challenges of Fordism are economic, technical and social. To begin with, the technical challenges are characterized by the exhaustion of the increasing productivity by gaining economies of scale, intensifying labor and de-skilling of the workers. Secondly, the economic limits are characterized by declining rate of profits, which is as a result of falling productivity growth or limited market for the homogeneous consumer goods while the income rises. Finally, the social limits are characterized by the rapid growing pressure on managerial prerogative, profitability and on the public financed enhanced by the rising demands of the mass workers (Lipietz, 1984, p.30). From the year 1940 to around 1965, most of the industrialized countries took the advantage of the continuous growth and rapidly increasing rates of wages and profits in a parallel mode.... However, unlike in the earlier economic recessions, the above mentioned Fordist strategy did not help. Rather, the industrialized countries encountered a period of currency instability, continuous inflation and rapid growing rate of unemployment. Notably, the failure in the economic policy in the industrialized nations was caused by the globalization of production. For instance, the European, Japanese and American countries had been for a period of over thirty years expanding in order to gain economies of scale on a global level. In absence of any control by national governments, the international trading system practiced by the multinationals was coordinated by the global financial markets. As a result of the decline of the fixed exchange rates, the global competition among various currencies determined the internal economic principles of the international industrialized nations. For instance, reflation in one country was controlled by balance of payment crises, which in turn forced a rapid return to the deflationary policies (Frieden, 2007, p.120). After the governments of the industrialized nations lost control over their economies, the complete circle of increasing consumption and production was discontinued. Rather, the workers in the industrialized nations began to incur cuts in social benefits, mass rate of unemployment and stagnant money wages. As a result of the recurrence of the social difficulties of the past, new ways had to be implemented in order to solve the deepening crisis of Fordism. The Fordist crisis was an over accumulation crisis caused by the rapid spread of the various Fordist productions methods to the Japan and Western Europe, leading to a decline of profit rate and saturation of the global markets in the

Isaac Newton Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Isaac Newton - Research Paper Example Although Newton was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome by his school psychologist, he constantly achieved the title of top student in the school. Newton was interested in the works of great philosophers and mathematicians, and he discovered the generalized binomial theorem when he was studying in the Trinity College. Between the period 1665 and 1667, Newton made some of his prominent achievements such as the development of calculus, the law of gravitation, and theories on optics. Newton died on 20th March 1727. Although Newton developed a range of theories in mathematics and science, his greatest four achievements include the study of light, discovery of the binomial theorem, discovery of calculus, and the development of the theory of universal gravitation. As Levin says, when Newton discovered that white light is made up of a spectrum of colors from his crystal prism experiments, it brought an end to the debate that whether or not color was an intrinsic property of light (39)i. In addition, Newton’s great works on refraction led to the development of first practical reflecting telescopes, which is known as Newtonian Telescope today. When scientists of Newton’s time supported the idea of ‘light as a wave’, Newton suggested light was made up of particles but not waves. Today, it is clear that light exists as both waves and particles. Binomial theorem was one of the greatest contributions of Isaac Newton to the field of mathematics. The binomial theorem has a range of applications such as multiple-angle identities, series for e, derivative of the power function, and nth derivative of a product. The discovery of calculus was another significant achievement of Newton in mathematics. According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, calculus is defined as â€Å"the branch of mathematics that deals with the finding and properties of derivatives and integrals of functions, by methods originally based on the

Analyse the development of British policies towards the Middle East Essay

Analyse the development of British policies towards the Middle East from 1945 to 1967 - Essay Example Britain emerged from the Second World War in a precarious position both domestically and internationally. It faced repayment of a staggering 3.75 billion dollar loan from the United States, a convertibility crisis in 1947, a devaluation in 1949 and a balance of payment crisis in 1947. During this time there was prolonged public debate on the proper use of Britain's economic and military resources. The Labor government, committed to the eradication of Imperialism, believed foreign policy aims could be achieved in the long run by dealing with the peoples of the newly liberated nations as equals. Britain played an integral role in the Middle East since the close of World War I, and faced many difficulties in the region during the inter-war years. In large part these problems were brought on when they reneged on the pledge of independence they made to various Ethnic groups during their campaign against the Ottoman Turks. In addition, the parceling out land and creation of artificial states and borders resulted in various uprisings, most noticeably that in Iraq in 1920. Finally, their handling of the Palestine issue was not well met by Arab nations. The handling of the Palestine issue in the War's aftermath was a foreshadowing of Britain's coming impotence in the region. Unable to resolve the issue, Britain gave administration of Palestine to the United Nations in 1946. On Nov 29th 1947, the UN put forth a resolution calling for the partitioning of Palestine into two parts, one Jewish, one Arab. The results were not favorable to the Palestinians: three states, including the Soviet Union and the United States said yes, thirteen said no-mostly Arab and Muslim states-and ten abstained, among them Britain. Blackwell (1993) believes that the failure to hold Palestine, coupled with Britain's economic weakness and financial dependence on the United States all contributed to the undermining of British views on its world role at the end of the war (p.107). Despite the policy slump of the years following the war, in the 1950's there was a resurgence of foreign policy aims, most noticeably in the Middle East. Almog and Watt (2003) believe that this was due largely to Britain's interest in the Suez Canal. They claim, "The Suez Canal still remained a vital route of communication to Britain's interests in the Far East, e.g. Malaya and the empire in East Africa and Australia. In addition, in was an important link to British oil interests, largely those in Iran; in 1939, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company was one of Britain's most important economic assets (Olmag and Watt, 2003, p. 1). Changing views by the British government on foreign policy were, to a large extent, an impetuous for policy expansion. Young (1997, p. 147) states, "By 1951 the Labour Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, a former trades union leader of lowly background but forceful personality, had abandoned all idea of isolationism and led Britain into a peacetime, permanent alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)." In 1952 Sir John Harding defined two fundamental principles that were to govern British initiatives and most importantly requirements for bases, in the Middle East. Cohen (2004) states, These principles marked the recognition that the UK could no longer aspire on its own to provide an effective defence of

George Bernard Shaw Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

George Bernard Shaw - Essay Example The social themes present within Pygmalion and other more or less "political" plays had a profound influence upon a number of different dramas. While political theatre may in many ways be traced to the very beginnings of Western drama in Ancient Greece (Fischer-Lichte, 2005), in recent times it was Shaw who introduced the idea that a play could be both political and entertaining. The influence of Pygmalion is difficult to exaggerate. First, it provided the opportunity for playwrights to use language in a way that they had not been able to before. Shaw provided playwrights working in the late Twenteith Century with an impetus to use language/plot that was considered scandalous. It may seem quaint today, but at the time the fact that Eliza says "not bloody likely (Shaw, 1980) was seen as scandalous and shocking. Characters in proper drama on the West End simply did not swear. Shaw received complaints about the 'swearing' but kept the language in because he said it was the realistic vernacular of the person within that situation (Innes, 1998). The subject matter of Mrs Warren's Professioni (prostitution), especially the fact that it was tackled in a manner which showed the pressures that society puts on women that causes them to become prostitutes, also received a good deal of public criticism. But because Shaw believed in his own plays, and refused to change a word because of the apparently over-sensitive feelings of some, he paved the way for much later playwrights. Take the example of Edward Bond, whose Saved in 1965 was the subject of much controversy because of its language and subject matter. The young, working-class and unemployed people in the play constantly swear because this is just about all they have left within a society that has brutalized them. It was one particular scene, in which the characters stone a baby to death in its baby carriage, which caused the Lord Chamberlain to ask that that subject be cut from the play or the play would be banned. As in Shaw's day, any play put on in London still had to be officially approved by the Lord Chamberlain, a power dating from a 1737 law. Bond, following the Shavian tradition, refused to change that scene - saying that it was an essential part of the play's climax, showing the depths to which the characters had sunk. The Royal Court Theatre became a "private club" in order to stage the play, but the Chamberlain prosecuted the English Stage Company for producing the play even in that location. Shaw was well-known to have as much sense of humor within his life as within his plays, and was always askance at authority that appeared to be arbitrarily used. He would thus have supported Bond's next theatrical event, Early Morning (1967), a tongue-in-cheek play in which Queen Victoria has a lesbian relationship with Florence Nightingale, the princes are Siamese twins, Prince Albert and Disraeli plan a coup throughout and then the whole cast of characters is damned to be cannibalized in Heaven after falling off Beach Head. This play was perhaps designed to incur the wrath of the Lord Chamberlain in virtually every scene. He banned it, the English Stage Company ignored the banned, and the archaic power curtailment of free speech represented by the Lord

Breastfeeding moms college graduation by Lisa Flam Essay

Breastfeeding moms college graduation by Lisa Flam - Essay Example One hereby asserts that the display of information that the article exposed was inappropriate for the venue and situation. Initially, the author presented the point of view of Thurman who argued that she had no inclination that posting the photo would generate such a controversial stir. Thurman was acknowledged to have decided to post the photo in a Facebook page, Black Women Do Breastfeed, to holistically support another woman who was noted to be a recipient of dirty looks while she apparently breastfed in public. In her honest reaction, she was disclosed to indicate that she believed breastfeeding is natural and that there is nothing wrong, even if the nursing is done in public. In addition, some of her classmates, who attended the May 22 graduation ceremony was reported to have quipped that the act was cool and some even commended her for promoting breastfeeding. Flam indicated in the article that the public display came at an opportune time when the promotion was most needed. Cit ing a pediatrician, Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, from Cooper University Hospital, black women were reported to have the lowest breastfeeding rates among women of ethnic origin (Flam). Concurrently, although there were comments relaying support for breastfeeding, subsequent reactions from those who encountered the post were noted to have signified negative comments. For those who had opposing views regarding breastfeeding in public. For those who had opposing views regarding breastfeeding in the public.

Essential Features of Contemporary Organisations Essay Example for Free

Essential Features of Contemporary Organisations Essay This essay aims to discuss why teams and groups are seen as essential features of contemporary organisations. Firstly, it will examine what exactly constitutes a group or team, then it will go on to discuss different types of groups and teams which exist within an organisation. Next it will explain why groups and teams are key to contemporary organisations in particular and finally, it will discuss the disadvantages associated with groups within organisations. Firstly, it is important to distinguish what exactly constitutes a team or a group. As Khan (2010) states, all teams are groups because the individuals in it have some kind of of unifying relationship, but not all groups are teams because the individuals making up a group may have very little or no interdependence and they could just as well work alone. For the purposes of this essay we will assume that the terms team and group are interchangeable. Therefore, a group is a collection of individuals who share a common set of norms, who generally have differentiated roles among themselves, and who interact with one another toward the joint pursuit of common goals (Steers and Black, 1994). Within an organisation different types of groups exist and are essential for the day to day running of the company. Formal and informal groups are the most common groups found within organisations; where formal groups are the groups brought together by the organisation for a specific purpose for example, the human resources department and where informal groups are the social groups formed voluntarily by individuals within the organisation for example, people who share common interests. Businesses cannot exist without both formal and informal groups. Informal groups provide individuals with a means of gaining help and support to carry out their particular objectives (which may or may not be the same as the organisations objectives) (Handy, 1993 as cited in Kahn, 2010). Informal groups provide employees with the social contact they desire which makes them more agreeable in the work environment and as such more willing to participate actively in their formal groups. Open and closed groups also exist within organisations; where an open group is one whose membership changes frequently and a closed group is one whose membership is relatively stable. In a closed group status relationships are established among the members, meaning that there will be clear cut high status and low status members. Within an organisation the management can manipulate these different sets of groups in order to achieve their goals. For example, keeping decision making groups as open groups means that leadership roles are more difficult to establish amongst the members and thus high status members of the group will find it hard to establish norms and the team will work to its best potential. Many contemporary organisations are now spread globally, so it is of utmost importance for them to factor in another type of group, the virtual group. Virtual groups are able to come together regardless of time and space restrictions to work on resolving any issues. Thanks to advances of the world wide web, for the first time teams can virtually collocate all of the information they need to work together and put it all in context (Lipnack and Stamps, 1997). Virtual groups allow the organisation to respond quickly to any market changes, take pressure away from top management and instil a sense of belonging and importance amongst the employees. The virtual group is an important factor for global organisations as it allows for cultural diversity in the solutions which are proposed. For example, the Chinese office may have a different way of thinking than the American office, but through virtual groups it is easy to transfer this cultural knowledge to other areas of the business. A more and more technology driven marketplace pressurises organisations to respond quickly to changes but thanks to these technological advances, organisations can begin to use the world wide web to their benefit through virtual teams. Virtual teams allow the organisation to easily spread decision making to trusted individuals rather than only to top management. Groups can be essential to an organisations level of productivity. If there is a high level of group cohesiveness the group will experience high morale and will become a desirable entity to be part of within an organisation which means there will be plenty employees willing to compete with each other for a spot in the group, which in turn raises productivity. Managers need to control the size of groups in order to stay at an optimum level of productivity and also offer incentives like bonus pay for good performance to enhance the desirability of the group even further. Groups also relieve some of the responsibility of the manager, as they do not have to keep a constant eye on each individual employee, they can trust that group members will spur on the productivity of the group in order to gain the proposed incentives. Groups can provide an organisation with more than one solution to a proposed problem because as Maier (1967) states, a group has a greater knowledge store than that of any individual. Monitoring the size of groups here is vital from management, as with a large sized group there may be plenty of ideas generated, but they are not necessarily well formed ideas. Splitting groups into smaller member sizes will ensure the ideas are well thought out and in an extremely competitive marketplace, this is the best strategy for managers to ensure they have a variety high quality solutions to choose from instead of opting for the first good idea that comes to light. As beneficial as groups are to contemporary organisations, it is also useful to be aware of some of the risks that go along with groups within organisations. Even though it is believed that the quality of ideas or decisions made within a group will be higher than from an individual, people have been known to make riskier decisions within a group context than they would ever have made alone. The reason being people want to conform to group norms as shown in the tests conducted by Milgram (1963). Milgram showed how easily people can be influenced to stray from their initial beliefs for the norms of the group and also how easily people go back to their own beliefs if the group is in support of them through his experiments. This all shows how easily influenced people can be and how they will change their behaviour to that of their peers in order to avoid possible conflict. One further disadvantage of groups within organisations is the theory Groupthink which was developed by Irving Janis (1972) which states that once within groups individuals may lose sight of the end goal and instead only focus on reaching an agreement. If suffering from groupthink people may become over confident and invulnerable, they may view outsiders in negative terms and disregard their views and they may force different thinkers to conform to their ideas. Football fans tend to be affected by groupthink, for example, they get sucked into the group and follow the behaviour of others which is vastly different from the way they would act in their day to day lives. Managers can combat groupthink through a number of ways and thus maintain the effectiveness of the group entity to the organisation. In conclusion, groups and teams are essential features of contemporary organisations. Groups come in many forms and businesses cannot exist without the merging of all different types of group within the organisation. Virtual groups are key to contemporary organisations as they allow the organisation to stay up to date in the technology stakes and also allows them to merge great minds from the different corners of the globe. Groups with high levels of cohesiveness will increase the productivity of the organisation and can be encouraged and manipulated by management to remain productive. Although groups are essential features of organisations they do also come with their disadvantages, groups can lose their individuality and take even riskier decisions than they would ever do alone. From this essay it is clear that groups and teams are essential features of contemporary organisations as long as the top management understands the complexities of the group and keeps renewing membership s o as to gain the most benefits for the organisation. References Kahn, H (2010), â€Å"Groups and Conflict Management† (chapter 6), Organisational Behaviour, Heriot Watt University Steers, R. M and Black, J. S (1994) Organisational Behaviour, Prentice Hall Lipnack, J and Stamps, J (1997) Virtual Teams, [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=enlr=id=171-FrLDhvUCoi=fndpg=PR17dq=virtual+teams+lipnackots=Bu_xw63cfIsig=Is-ymM KvujoYxynZKxXfIJ_tQs8#v=onepageqf=false [Accessed 4 November 2011] Maier, N (1967) â€Å"Assets and Liabilities In Group Problem Solving: The Need For An Integrative Function† Psychological Review, Vol 74(4) [online] Available at: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/rev/74/4/239/ [Accessed 4 November 2011] Milgram, S (1963). â€Å"Behavioural Study Of Obedience† Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 67 [online] Available at: http://www.wadsworth.com/psychology_d/templates/student_resources/0155060678_rathus/ps/ps01.html [Accessed 4 November 2011] Janis, I. L (1972). â€Å"Victims of Groupthink: A Psychological Study of Foreign Policy Decisions and Fiascoes† Houghton Miffin.

Factors Affecting Postharvest Quality of Fresh Fruits

Factors Affecting Postharvest Quality of Fresh Fruits A ripened ovary of a flower together with any accessory part associated with, is referred to as fruit (Lewis Robert 2002). In non-technical usage the term fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state, for example apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries and bananas (Mauseth James, 2003). Fresh fruits and vegetables are living tissues which undergo continuous changes after harvest. Some of these changes are desirable, but from consumers point of view most of them are undesirable. It is not possible to stop the postharvest changes in fresh produce, but they can be retarded within certain limits (Kader, 2002). There are several atmospheric factors which affect the postharvest life of fresh fruits. Climatic conditions, specially temperature and light have a significant effect on the nutritional quality of fresh fruits and vegetables (Kader, 2002). FACTORS AFFECTING THE POSTHARVEST LIFE OF FRUIT RESPIRATION Respiration is the process by which stored organic materials are broken down into simple end products with a release of energy. During this process oxygen (O2) is consumed while carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced. All living organisms must carry out respiration at all times (Kader, 2002). Respiration Metabolism Even after the harvest, fruits and vegetables remain as living organs. Like all living tissues, harvested produce continues to respire throughout its postharvest life. The main purpose of respiration is to maintain sufficient supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).The process of aerobic respiration involves the regeneration of ATP from ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and Pi (inorganic phosphate) with the release of CO2 and H2O. In case of hexose sugar the overall reaction can be written as (Kader Saltveit, 2003) The different components in this reaction have different sources of destinations. The 1 mole of glucose (180g) can come from stored simple sugars (glucose, sucrose) or complex polysaccharides (starch). The 6 moles of O2 (192g) used to oxydize the 1 mole of glucose diffuses into the tissue from the surrounding atmosphere, while the 6 mole of CO2 (264g) diffuses out of the tissue. The 6 mole of water (108g) produced is simply incorporated into the aqueous solution of the cell.(Kader Saltveit, 2003) Aerobic respiration involeves a series of three reactions, each of which is catalyzed by a number of specific enzymes that either (i) add a phosphate group to a molecule, (ii) rearrange the molecule, or (iii) break down the molecule to a simpler one ((Biale, 1960);(Davies, 1980)). The three interconnected metabolic pathways are glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) and the electron transport system. Glycolysis The breakdown of glucose occurs in the cytoplasm, which produce two molecules of pyruvate. 10 different sequential reactions are catalysed by one enzyme. Phosphofructokinase (PFK) is the main enzyme in Glycolysis, which cleaves fructose 1, 6-diphosphate into two triose phosphate molecules. By controlling PFK activity of Glycolysis, cell can control their rate of energy production. ATP is used as a negative feedback inhibitor to control the activity of PFK (Davies, 1980). Besides pyruvate, Glycolysis also produces two molecules of ATP and two molecule of NADH (reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) from the breakdown of each molecule of glucose. Tricarboxylic Acid (TCA) Cycle The TCA cycle occur in mitochondrial matrix, involves in the breakdown of pyruvate into CO2 in nine sequential enzymatic reactions. Pyruvate is decarboxylated to form acetate, which condenses with a co enzyme to form Acetyl CoA. This compound then enters the cycle by condensation with oxaloacetate to form citric acid. Citric acid has three carboxyl groups, from which the cycle derives its name (Kader Saltveit, 2003). Through a series of seven successive rearrangements, oxidations and decarboxylations, citric acid is converted into oxaloacetate, which is then ready to accept another acetyl CoA molecule. The TCA cycle also produces one molecule of FADH2 (reduced flavin adenine dinucleotide) and four molecules of NADH for each molecule of pyruvate metabolism. Electron Transport System The electron transport system occurs in the cristae of mitochondria, results in the production of ATP from the FADH2 and NADH. The energy produced is more than the cellular process requirement. In a series of reactions, one NADH molecule produces three ATP molecules and one FADH2 molecule produces two ATP molecules, but the exact number of ATP produced during electron transport depends not only on the energy of NADH and FADH2 but also on the chemical environment within the cell and mitochondria. In the absence of O2, NADH and FADH2 accumulates, the TCA cycle stops and Glycolysis become the only source of ATP production. In anaerobic respiration hexose sugar is converted into alcohol and CO2 in the absence of O2. Pyruvate produced in Glycolysis is decarboxylated by the enzyme pyruvate carboxylase to form CO2 and acetaldehyde. The acetaldehyde is converted by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase to ethanol with regeneration of NAD+. Two moles of ATP and 21 kcal of heat energy are produced in anaerobic respiration (alcoholic fermentation) from each molecule of glucose (Kader Saltveit, 2003). Respiration Quotient (RQ) The respiration quotient (RQ) determines the amount of substrates utilized in the respiration process. In other words RQ is the ratio of CO2 produced to O2 consumed measured in mole or volumes. In the aerobic respiration of carbohydrates the RQ is near 1, while is 1 for organic acids. Very high RQ values usually indicate anaerobic respiration in those tissues which produce ethanol. GAS EXCHANGE Barrier to Diffusion Gas exchange between a plant organ and its environment follows Ficks first law of diffusion. The sequential steps are (i) diffusion in the gas phase through the dermal system (i.e. cuticle, epidermis, stomata etc.); (ii) diffusion in the gas phase between the intercellular spaces; (iii) exchange of gases between the intercellular atmosphere and the cellular solution (cell sap) and (iv) diffusion in solution within the cell to centres of O2 consumption and from centers of CO2 production. This exchange is a function of the resistance of the dermal system to gas diffusion, the surface area across which diffusion can take place etc. CO2 produced within each cell will raise the local concentration and this will drive diffusion of CO2 outward, toward the lower concentration near the cell-wall surface adjacent to the intercellular space. Diffusion of CO2 into intercellular space continues toward regions of lower concentration until it reaches the intercellular space below the dermal system. From there, CO2 moves through the cuticle or openings in the commoditys surface to the air (Burton, 1982). Movement of O2 within plant tissue is in a reverse but similar process to that mentioned above for CO2. In senescent tissue, O2 diffusion may be slowed down if the intercellular spaces become filled with cellular solution that anaerobic conditions develop within tissues. The rate of gas movement depends on the properties of gas molecule and the physical properties of the barriers (thickness, density etc.). Solubility and diffusivity of each gas are important for its diffusion across barrier. CO2 moves more readily than O2, while diffusion rate of C2H4 and CO2 are similar. Internal concentration of CO2 and O2 in plant organs depend upon the maturity stage at harvest, the current organ temperature, the composition of external atmosphere and any additional barrier. Maturity stage influences the dermal system that effects gas diffusion. Increased temperature results raised rate of respiration as a result internal CO2 level increases as the O2 level decreases. If all other factors are held constant and the movement in the gas concentrations is the driving force for diffusion, then the concentration of O2 and CO2 within the tissue will fluctuate according to the fluctuation in the external atmosphere. Methods to Alter rates of Gas Exchange There are three types of barriers to gas exchange that affect the postharvest handling of fresh produce (Fig. 1). These are (i) the structure of the dermal system such as thickness of cuticle, number and distribution of stomata and breaks in epidermis etc. Resistance to gas diffusion can be increased by adding barrier such as wax coating or covering produce with polymeric films. (ii) The package in which the commodity is shipped can be additional barrier to gas diffusion. (iii) The degree of gas tightness of the transit vehicle or storage room will also affect gas exchange with outside air. Schematic model of a commodity and its environment with three levels of gas exchange: B1=structure of dermal system and added barriers (waxing and film wrapping), B2= Permeability of package to gas diffusion, and B3 = gas tightness of the storage room Source: (Kader Saltveit, 2003) Ficks first law of diffusion states that the movement or flux of a gas in or out of a plant tissue depends on the concentration gradient across the barrier involved, the surface area of the barrier and the resistance of the barrier to the diffusion. Ficks law can be written as follows: J = A. ΆC/R Where J =Total flux of gas to be diffused (cm3.s-1) ΆC= Concentration gradient across the barrier A=the surface area of the barrier R= Resistance to diffusion If the production or consumption rate of the gas by the organ and the concentration of the gas in the internal and external atmosphere is known, then the resistance is calculated as follows: R = Concentration gradient/ Production or consumption rate Different harvested fruits and vegetables have different rates of respiration; some respire at a faster rate (more perishable), while some respire at a relatively slow rate (less perishable vegetables) (Table 1). Table 1: Classification of Sample Horticultural Commodities According to Respiration Rates (Wilson, 1999). Respiration Rates Types of Fruits and Vegetables Very Low Dried fruit and nuts Low Apples, garlic, grapes, onions, potatoes (mature), sweet potatoes Moderate Apricots, cabbages, carrots, figs (fresh), lettuce, nectarines, peaches, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes (immature), tomatoes High Artichokes, Brussels sprouts, cut flowers, green onions, snap beans Extremely High Asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, peas, sweet corn The process of respiration is very important during ripening of fruit. In general there is an inverse relation between the rate of respiration and the postharvest life of fruit. Postharvest produce are classified according to their respiration rate as climacteric or non- climacteric. The rate of respiration increases in climacteric fruits during ripening while non-climacteric fruit shows no change in their low CO2 and ethylene production rates during ripening (Kader, 2002). If prevention or decrease in respiration is achieved, this will prolong post-harvest storage life. Ethylene causes the increase in respiration, so decreasing ethylene is also a strategy used to increase post-harvest storage life. Factors affecting respiration rate Environmental Factors Temperature Temperature is important environmental factor in the postharvest life of fresh produce due to its outstanding effect on rates of biological reactions, including respiration. Within the physiological temperature range, the velocity of biological reaction increases two to threefold for every 10  °C rise in temperature (Vant Hoff rule). The ratio of reaction rates at two dissimilar temperatures is called the temperature coefficient (Q10) if the interval between the two temperatures is 10oC. If the temperature interval of Q10 is not exactly 10o C then it can be determined by the following equation: Q10 = (R2/ R1) 10/T2-T1 Where R2 = rate of respiration at T2 R1 = rate of respiration at T1 T1 and T2 = temperature in  °C Scientists have found that Q10 is not constant for most biological processes over a wide range of physiological temperatures. Usually Q10 ranges from 1 to 5, although higher value may occur. For most biological reaction the Q10 is between 2 and 3 for temperature between 10 to 30  °C that means the reaction rate will be double or triple with every 10  °C increase. O2 and CO2 Concentration Practically, respiration can be controlled by either increasing carbon dioxide or decreasing oxygen. Decrease in oxygen near to zero is not desirable, though the O2 concentration reduces below that in air (20.9%) and especially below 10%, a significant reduction in respiration rate is observed (Gorny, 2001). However when O2 concentration drops to less than 2 %, anaerobic respiration rate become predominant and CO2 production increases. (Figure 2) (Kader Saltveit, 2003). Ethylene Concentration Exposure of climacteric tissues during their pre-climacteric stage to ethylene raises the rate of respiration. Once the respiration rise has begun, the endogenous rate of ethylene production increases and the internal ethylene concentration also increases, reaching levels that saturate its biological activity. However, unlike the case in climacteric tissues in non-climacteric tissues endogenous ethylene production remains unaffected (Kader Saltveit, 2003). Internal factors Type of Commodity Fruits and vegetables vary greatly in their respiration rate (Table. 1). Differences among plant parts and in the nature of their surface coatings (e.g. cuticle thickness, stomata, lenticels) influence their rate of diffusion characteristic and consequently their respiration rates. Stage of development at Harvest The respiration rate is usually high at early stages of development and decreases as plant organs mature. Thus fruits and vegetables harvested during the active growth phase have high respiration rates. Chemical Composition Respiration rate decreases with a decrease in water content of the tissue. The value of Respiration Quotient (RQ) is usually controlled by the rate of utilization of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids etc. ETHYLENE PRODUCTION Ethylene (C2H4) is a gaseous hormone produced from bacteria, fungi and all parts of higher plants such as shoots, flowers, seeds, leaves, roots, and fruits (Pech et al., 2003). It is a flammable and colourless gaseous compound (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002). Being a ripening hormone ethylene play a very important role in the postharvest life of many horticultural products, like increasing senescence speed and reducing shelf life but beneficially it improves the quality of the fruit and vegetables by manipulating uniform ripening process (Reid, 2002, p. 149). Because of the enormous influence of ethylene on the physiological development and postharvest life of fruits and vegetables, its biosynthesis, action, and control have been intensively investigated (Reid, 2002; Pech et al., 2003). The biosynthetic process of ethylene is usually completed in three major steps. The ethylene biosynthetic pathway is given in the figure 3. Step I: The biosynthesis of ethylene hormone is started by the conversion of Methionine (MET) to S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) by the enzyme methionine adenosyltransferase (Pech et al., 2003). However, methionine adenosyltransferase is thought to consider as a rate limiting enzyme in ethylene biosynthesis because formation of SAM depends on the activity of this enzyme and SAM levels may indeed regulate ethylene production. Therefore, the sensitivity or importance of methionine adenosyltransferase to SAM implies that this enzyme may play a regulatory role in ethylene biosynthesis (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002, p. 13). Step II: SAM is consequently converted to 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic-acid (ACC) by a pyridoxal enzyme ACC synthase (ACS) (Figure 1). Actually, before the discovery of ACC, as intermediate, immediate precursor in MET dependent ethylene production process, the ethylene biosynthetic pathway was intangible (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002, pp. 11-50). The conversion of SAM to ACC by ACS is another rate-limiting step in the biosynthetic pathway of ethylene. ACS is a cytosolic enzyme (found in the cytoplasm of plants) (Paliyath Murr, 2008b) and its activity is strongly inhibited by aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) (a competitive inhibitor) and aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) (an inhibitor of pyridoxal phosphate-mediated enzyme reactions) (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002, pp. 11-50). Moreover, the activity of ACC synthase is also influenced by factors such as fruit ripening, senescence, auxin levels, physical stresses, and chilling injury. The synthesis of this enzyme increases with an increase in the level of auxins, indole acetic acid (IAA) and cytokinins (Wills et al., 1998, p. 42). Step III: At last the ACC converts into ethylene by the action of ACC oxidase (known as ethylene forming enzyme or EFE) (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002, pp. 11-50; Pech et al., 2003). However, ACC oxidase is a bi-substrate enzyme as it requires both oxygen and ACC. Moreover, this enzyme also requires Fe2+, ascorbate and CO2 for its activity. Activity of ACC oxidase is inhibited by cobalt ions, and temperatures higher that 35oC (Wills et al., 1998, p. 42). The sub cellular position of ACC oxidase is still a point of controversy because there is a large number of data is available showing that this enzyme is associated with plasma-membrane or with apoplast or tonoplast. The activity of this enzyme (ACC oxidase) has been studied in many horticultural crops like melon, avocado, apple, winter squash, pear and banana. The activity of ACC oxidase is not highly regulated as ACS. It is constituted in most  vegetative tissues and it is induced during fruit ripening, wounding, senescence and fungal  eli citors (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002, pp. 11-50). In fruits and vegetables several metabolic reactions starts after harvesting. In most cases, an increase in biosynthesis of gaseous hormone like ethylene serves as the physiological indication for the ripening process. During ripening process, in some fruits large amount of ethylene is produced which is usually referred as autocatalytic ethylene production response. However, fruits are divided into two main categories on the basis of ethylene production, i.e. climacteric (those produce large amount of ethylene) and non-climacteric fruits (those produce smaller amount of ethylene). In climacteric fruits like apple, pear, banana, tomato and avocado, ethylene production usually ranges from 30-500 ppm/(kgh) during ripening. While non-climacteric fruits like orange, lemon, strawberry and pineapple, produce 0.1-0.5ppm/(kgh) of ethylene (Paliyath Murr, 2008) (Table 2). Therefore application of even a very low concentration of ethylene (0.1-1.0 ÃŽÂ ¼L/L) is sufficient enough to accelerat e full ripening of climacteric fruits; however, the magnitude of the climacteric rise is not dependent on the amount of ethylene treatment. On the contrary, application of ethylene causes a temporary rise in the rate of respiration of non-climacteric fruits and the degree of increase depend upon the amount of ethylene (Wills et al., 1998). Moreover, the difference in the respiratory patterns of climacteric and non-climacteric fruits is associated with the different behaviour in terms of the production and response to ethylene gas (Burton, 1982). The increase in respiration, as influenced by ethylene application, may happen several times in non-climacteric fruits, but only once in climacteric fruits (Wills et al., 1998). Indeed, ethylene is produced by all parts of the plant but the magnitude of ethylene production varies from organ to organ and also depends on the stage and type of growth and developmental process. In fact, recent ethylene based research findings have increased the understanding of biosynthetic pathways and enzymes involved in ethylene production, as well as the development of several ways to manipulate ethylene production e.g. by genetic alteration of plants (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002). Ethylene is produced by various plant parts growing under normal conditions however, any kind of biological, chemical or physical stress (e.g. wounding) strongly promotes endogenous ethylene synthesis by plants. Among stress induced ethylene production, pre-harvest deficit irrigation is one of the most important factor causing higher ethylene production rates in fruits like avocado (Adato Gazit, 1974) and tomato (Pulupol et al., 1996). REGULATION OF ETHYLENE BIOSYNTHESIS In plants, ethylene itself stimulates the ability of the tissue to convert ACC into ethylene, which is also regarded as phenomenon of auto-regulation. In ripening fruits, regulation of ethylene biosynthesis is a characteristic feature and is triggered by the exposure to exogenous ethylene by the activation of ACC synthase and/or ACC oxidase (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002, pp. 25-27). On the other hand, sometimes ethylene inhibits its own synthesis, as negative feedback has already been recognised in a number of fruits and vegetable tissues. In such cases, exogenous ethylene significantly inhibits the production of endogenous ethylene, induced by ripening, wounding and/or treatment with auxins. Moreover, this auto inhibitory effect seems more directed towards limited availability of ACC in the presence of AVG, an inhibitor of ACC synthase (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002, pp. 25-27). Scientists have also revealed that the inhibition or negative regulation of ethylene synthesis is the result of activity of a gene, E8 whose expression leads to the inhibition of ethylene production in tomatoes (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002, pp. 25-27). MECHANISM OF ACTION The response of ethylene action can be classified into two categories namely concentration response and sensitivity response. The concentration response involves the changes in concentration of cellular ethylene while the sensitive response involves the increase in tissue sensitivity to ethylene. Moreover, both of these responses involve the binding of ethylene to some components of the cell to mediate the physiological effects (Arshad Frankenberger, 2002, pp. 28-36). Wills et al. (1998, pp. 42-45) likewise explained that plant hormones control the physiological processes by binding to specific plant or fruit receptor sites, which trigger the succession of events leading to visible responses. In the absence of ethylene, these receptor sites are active, allowing the growth of plant and fruit to proceed. During fruit ripening, ethylene is produced naturally or, if it is artificially introduced in a ripening room, it binds with the receptor and inactivates it, resulting in a series of events like ripening or healing of injuries in plant organs. Ethylene action can be controlled through modification of the amount of receptors or through disruption of the binding of ethylene to its receptors. Binding of ethylene is believed to be reversible at a site which contains metal like copper, zinc, or iron (Burg Burg, 1965, as cited in Burton, 1982). The affinity of receptor for ethylene is high in the presence of oxygen and decreases with carbon dioxide. Changes in the pattern of ethylene production rates and the internal concentrations of ethylene associated with the onset of ripening have been studied in various climacteric fruits. For instance, tomato and honeydew melon exhibited a rise in ethylene concentration prior to the onset of ripening, determined as the initial increase in respiration rate. On the other hand, apple and mango did not show any increase in ethylene concentration before the increase in respiration (Wills et al., 1998, pp. 42-45). Ripening has been associated with senescence as it leads to the breakdown of the cellular integrity of the tissue. It is part of the genetically programmed phase in the development of plant tissue with altered nucleic acid and protein synthesis occurring during the onset of the respiratory climacteric resulting in new or enhanced biochemical reactions operating in a coordinated manner (Wills et al., 2007, p. 40). These concepts confirm the known degradative and synthetic capacities of fruit during the ripening process. The ability of ethylene hormone to initiate biochemical and physiological events leads to the theory that ethylene action is regulated at the level of gene expression (Pech et al., 2003; Wills et al., 1998, pp. 45-46). TRANSPIRATION/ WATER LOSS Plants depend more on the availability of water than any other single environmental factor (Kramer and Boyer, 1995). Water loss is very important in determining the shelf life and quality of harvested plant organs. As long as the harvested produce retains water, it remains fresh. Transpiration is one of the main processes that affect postharvest life of the fruit (Ben-Yehoshua Rodov, 2003) Most fresh produce contains from 65 to 95 percent water when harvested. Within growing plants there is a constant flow of water. Fresh produce continues to lose water after harvest, but contrary to the growing plant it cannot replace lost water from the soil and so must use up its water content remaining at harvest (Gustavo et al., 2003). This loss of water from fresh produce after harvest is a serious problem, causing shrinkage and loss of weight. When the harvested produce loses 5 or 10 percent of its fresh weight, it begins to wilt and soon becomes unusable. To extend the usable life of produce, its rate of water loss must be as low as possible (Wilson et al., 1995). Although temperature is the prime concern in the storage of fruits and vegetables, relative humidity is also important. The relative humidity of the storage unit directly affects water loss in produce. Water loss means salable weight loss and reduced profit (Wilson et al., 1995). Transpiration of fresh fruits is a mass transfer process in which water vapor moves from surface of the plant organ to the surrounding air. Ficks law of mass transfer explains this process as follows: J = (Pi-Pa) At / (RDT)r Where Pi and Pa are the partial gas pressures in intercellular spaces and in the ambient atmosphere respectively; At is surface area of fruit; RD is the gas constant per unit mass; T is the absolute temperature; r is the resistance; and J is the gas flux. According to Ficks law, the movement of any gas in or out of the plant tissue is directly proportion to the partial pressure gradient (Pi-Pa) across the barrier involved and the surface area of the barrier and is inversely proportion to the barrier to diffusion. Therefore the driving force of transpiration is the difference of water vapor pressure (WVP) between the tissue and the surrounding air. While the water vapor pressure deficit (VPD) of the air is difference between the WVP of air and that of saturated air at the same temperature. Relative Humidity is the most popular term for expressing the water content of air. It can be defined as the ration of actual WVP in the air to the saturation WVP at a given temperature. Water loss depends on the difference between the water vapour pressure inside the fruit and the pressure of water vapour in the air. To control water loss in fresh produce as low as possible, it must be kept in a moist atmosphere. Air movement also plays a vital role in the water loss from the fresh produce. Water loss is directly proportion to the air movement in the surrounding. Though air movement through produce is also indispensable to remove the heat of respiration, but the rate of movement must be kept as low as possible (Gustavo et al., 2003). ROUTES OF WATER TRANSMISSION As the harvested fruits and vegetables are detached from plant, the xylem vessels are blocked with air and their operation is stopped (Burton, 1982). Therefore, water has to use different routes to move through the tissue. Following are the major potential pathways for water movement in harvested produce. Symplast The cytoplasm of connected cells is interconnected by plasmodesmata, filled with protoplasm and lined with the plasmalemma. Therefore symplast is formed throughout the interior of a plant organ. Water and dissolved solutes move through the symplast system from cell to cell by diffusion (Ben-Yehoshua Rodov, 2003). Apoplast The cell wall surrounding symplast also form a continuous system, termed as apoplast. The apoplas provide an alternative avenue for liquid water movement by hydrostatic pressure through the interfibrillar spaces in the cell wall (Woods, 1990). Intercellular Atmosphere The plant also contains a system of intercellular gas-filled spaces that form a continuous network and serve as main pathway for O2 and CO2 transport. This field of air space provide adequate gas exchange in bulky organs (Ben-Yehoshua.S, 1969). MAJOR EVAPORATION SITE: COMMODITY SURFACE There are three major routes for moisture loss from harvested commodities to the atmosphere: (a) through outer layer that forms a surface for evaporation (cuticle and epicuticle wax; periderm) resistance for water movement through (b) the apertures in the surface connecting the internal and external atmosphere (stomata, lenticels) and (c) through the stem scars or pedicel. Cuticle and Epicuticular wax This layer, which lines all interfaces between the plant and the atmosphere, protects the plant from its relative dry environment. Resistance to water movement is derived from cuticular layer (Ben- Yehoshua, 1969; (Burg Burg, 2006). The cuticle cosntains a matrix of cellulose, polyuronic acids, proteins and phenolic compounds. These are combined with variation of amount of waxes embedded over its surface (Kolattukudy, 1980). Permiability to water usually depends more on amount of waxes than on the thickness of cuticle (Kramer Boyer, 1995). Periderm Periderm is a corky peripheral tissue. This tissue consists of several layers of cells that become corky as a result of deposition of waxes on their cell walls, and they lose their living contents. The periderm is not readily permeable to water and is permeable to gases only through lenticular pores, which replace the stomata of the original epidermis. About 97% of the total water lost from the potato tubers migrates through cell walls to the periderm, where it evaporates (Burton, 1982). Trichomes and Hairs Unicellular or multicellular projections develop on the epidermis of all parts of plants. Their exact function is still vague, but they are considered to reduce water loss (Cutter, 1976). The presence of trichomes can decrease the driving force of transpiration by reducing the surface temperature and increasing the boundary layer resistance. Stomata Before harvest, most of the evaporation occurs from undersides of leaves via stomatal guard cells and adjacent cells (Kramer and Boyer, 1995). Stomata occur in many fruits at early stages of development, but sometimes they are not found in mature fruits of some species, for example, in the grape berry (Possingham et al., 1967). Orange has greatest stomatal density reported so far for any fleshy fruit (Banks, 1995). Stomata usually function less effectively in mature fruit (Blanke and Leyhe, 1988). In most cases it is reduced with maturation and usually of minor importance for fruit water loss during postharvest period (Ben-Yehoshua Rodov, 2003).

Performance Appraisal of Agilent Technology Essay -- essays research p

Executive Summary For this report, I had chosen Agilent Technologies Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd as my research topic. It is one of the branches in the world that delivers innovative technologies, solutions and services to a wide range of customers in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of Agilent's goals is to maintain a good-quality relationship between employees and management regardless of the economic conditions in which the business is operating. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This report focuses on the Performance Appraisal  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  of Agilent Technologies. Performance appraisal is one of the factors related to an organization’s long-term success. It has the ability to measure how well employees perform and then use the information to ensure that performance meets present standards and improves over time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To help us have a view in the performance appraisal system of Agilent Technologies, an interview was conducted with two members of the company, Ms. Lim and Ms. Tracy Leong. Ms. Lim is the Assistant Manager in Customer Service, whereas Ms. Leong has been working in the Customer Service department for more 2 years. She is responsible for ensuring that their company’s customers receive an adequate level of service or help with their questions and concerns. Also, she interacts with customers to provide information in response to inquiries about products or services and to handle and resolve complaints, through a variety of means, either in person, by telephone, e-mail or regular mail correspondence, or fax, or even over the Internet. In Agilent, the Human Resources (HR) department has focused on improving responsiveness, clarifying the scope of its services and continuing to build its expertise. Despite difficult economic conditions in recent years, they have continued working toward making Agilent an employer of choice across the globe. The aim is to provide employees with a working environment they find challenging and enjoyable by hiring some of the best people and encouraging open communication and feedback with management. In Agilent, it is the responsibility of the managers to maintain a work environment where employees can openly discuss their performance, progress and development. This requires open and frequent c... ...l process. This helps reducing sampling error by increasing the number of observations and reduces the effect of possible biases. This way, the supervisors and managers will feel more comfortable, since they are no longer solely responsible for what happens to the person as a result of the rating. Probably there are still many ways to be researched and then be conducted. However, I do think these three ways are as important as they will lead the performance appraisal to a better system in Agilent Technologies. References: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stone, R.J. 2002, 4th edn, Human Resource Management, John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd., Australia. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fisher, C. D., Schoenfeldt, L. F. and Shaw, J. B. 1993, 2nd edn, Human Resource Management, Houghton Mifflin Company, London. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Paterson, T. T. 1972, 2nd edn, Job Evaluation: A New Method. Business Books Limited, London. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  www.agilent.com.my 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.agilent.com/environment/esr/employment.html 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.agilent.com/environment/esr/2001/agilent-employees.html

Othello: the Abnormal Behaviors and Happenings Essay -- Othello essays

Othello: the Abnormal Behaviors and Happenings  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   The audience finds in William Shakespeare’s tragic drama Othello a curious collection of abnormal behaviors and happenings. In this paper let us examine in detail the abnormalities.    In her book, Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies, Maynard Mack defends the Moor as one who is not necessarily the victim of a psychological deficiency, as some critics maintain:    What should be noticed in particular is that, essentially, Shakespeare invented Iago; set him down in his dramatis personae with the single epithet â€Å"a villain†; and devoted most of the play’s lines and scenes to showing in detail the cunning, malignancy, and cruelty of his nature, including the cowardice of his murder of his wife. It seems to me therefore impossible to believe, as some recent critics would have us do, that the root causes of Othello’s ruin are to be sought in some profound moral or psychological deficiency peculiar to him. (137)    A more obvious example of the irregular appears in the conduct of Iago. The abnormal behavior of the ancient is partly rooted in his misogynism. In â€Å"Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello† Valerie Wayne implicates Iago in sexism. He is one who is almost incapable of any other perspective on women than a sexist one:    Iago’s worry that he cannot do what Desdemona asks implies that his dispraise of women was candid and easily produced, while the praise requires labour and inspiration from a source beyond himself. His insufficiency is more surprising because elsewhere in the play Iago appears as a master rhetorician, but as Bloch explains, ‘the misogynistic writer uses rhetoric as a means of renouncing it, and... ...normal psychology. (89-90)    WORKS CITED    Bevington, David, ed. William Shakespeare: Four Tragedies. New York: Bantam Books, 1980.    Campbell, Lily B. Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroes. New York: Barnes and Noble, Inc., 1970.    Coles, Blanche. Shakespeare’s Four Giants. Rindge, New Hampshire: Richard Smith Publisher, 1957.    Mack, Maynard. Everybody’s Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies. Lincoln, NB: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.    Shakespeare, William. Othello. In The Electric Shakespeare. Princeton University. 1996. http://www.eiu.edu/~multilit/studyabroad/othello/othello_all.html No line nos.    Wayne, Valerie. â€Å"Historical Differences: Misogyny and Othello.† The Matter of Difference: Materialist Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Ed Valerie Wayne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991.   

The Media and Environmental Awareness Essay examples -- media, Environ

Media is defined as the means of communication, such as radio and television, newspapers, and magazines, which reach or influence people widely. Over the last 50 years, media has transformed our everyday life to the point where we are aware of world events within minutes of their occurrence. Media has progressed to a point never observed before. World topics, such as the environment and global warming, have progressed in media coverage due to new technologies and public interest. Overall, there is more choice, freedom, speed and competition in all aspects of media today. Media has definitely evolved throughout our history, beginning way back to the invention of language and the sharing of information. Then there was the invention of writing, such as ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, where information could be passed from generation to generation. Other major inventions, such as the printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1440, revolutionized media. This has led to the easier publication of print to the masses and the faster spread of information. This spread of information transformed from books, to newspapers and articles which covered a wide range of subjects. Newer technological advances, such as the radio and telephone, led to even faster communications as word of mouth could be spread across countries and even continents. The invention of the television and satellites connected the world by delivering live footage and the spread of instantaneous news all over the world. Now, with the invention of the internet and high-tech mobile devices, information is literally available with a few key strokes or just a mouse click away. New apps, blogs, and vlogs have made the access to media fast and easy. This has evolved in... ...ources we have today are almost endless. The idea of climate change has gone from a few magazine articles, to brief mentions on television networks, to front page news, to web articles, to detailed documentaries, and blogs and websites and other social media dedicated to climate change. The impact media can have on topics such as climate change is enormous. Public awareness relies on the media. The Medias increase of coverage on this topic, especially due to new technologies such as the internet, can have a profound impact. Already throughout history we have observed a country come together for one cause (Earth Day) and new laws and agencies created due to public environmental awareness. The progression of media has made access to information easier and faster than ever. Information is powerful and with its spread due to mass media, it can impact the whole world.

Developing Marketing Strategies and Plans MCQS Essay

1. A key ingredient of the marketing management process is insightful, ________ marketing strategies and plans that can guide marketing activities. a. creative b. measurable c. macro d. micro e. niche Answer: a 2. According to a chapter story about H&M clothing stores, H&M is able to put products out quickly and inexpensively by all of the following EXCEPT ________. a. having few middlemen and owning no factories b. buying large volumes c. having extensive experience in the clothing industry d. having a great knowledge of which goods should be bought from which markets e. having total control of its distribution channel from the time the goods are produced until the time they are sold Answer: e 3. The task of any business is to deliver ________ at a profit. a. customer needs b. products c. customer value d. products and services e. improved quality Answer: c 4. In a hyper competitive economy such as ours, a company can win only by fine-tuning the value delivery process and choosing, providing, and ________ superior value. a. communicating b. selecting target markets with c. composing d. developing e. researching Answer: a 5. The traditional view of marketing is that the firm makes something and then ________ it. a. markets b. sells c. distributes d. prices e. services Answer: b 6. Today, the â€Å"mass-market† is actually splintering into numerous ________, each with its own wants, perceptions, preferences, and buying criteria. a. micro markets b. market targets c. macro markets d. customer cliques e. demographic units Answer: a 7. The first phase of the value creation and delivery sequence is ________ that represents the â€Å"homework† marketing must do before any product exists. a. choosing the value b. market research c. target marketing d. service consideration e. projective thinking Answer: a 8. The last step in the value creation and delivery sequence is ________ the value where the sales force, sales promotion, advertising, and other communication tools announce and promote the product. a. developing b. distributing c. communicating d. reversing e. researching Answer: c 9. The Japanese have refined the value delivery process to include a component that emphasizes ________. a. zero servicing b. zero customer feedback time c. zero promotion d. zero dependency on intermediaries e. zero marketing costs Answer: b 10. The ________ is a tool for identifying ways to create more customer value. a. value chain b. customer survey c. brand loyalty index d. promotion channel e. supplier database Answer: a 11. The ________ identifies nine strategically relevant activities that create value and cost in a specific business. a. value proposition b. value chain c. mission statement d. annual report e. manager’s log Answer: b 12. The ________ in the value chain cover the sequence of bringing materials into the business (inbound logistics), converting them into final products (operations), shipping out final products (outbound logistics), marketing them (marketing and sales), and servicing them (service). a. operations process b. manufacturing process c. primary activities d. secondary activities e. tertiary activities Answer: c 13. Procurement, technology development, human resource management, and firm infrastructure are handled in certain specialized departments and are called ________. a. materials handling b. support activities c. inventory activities d. primary activities e. benchmark activities Answer: b 14. The firm should estimate its competitors’ costs and performances as ________ against which to compare its own costs and performance. a. competition b. standards c. challenges d. benchmarks e. moveable standards Answer: d 15. The firm’s success depends not only on how well each department performs its work, but also on how well the various departmental activities are coordinated to conduct ________. a. core strategies b. satellite businesses c. core values d. core business processes e. core technologies Answer: d 16. With respect to core business processes, all the activities involved in gathering market intelligence, disseminating it within the organization, and acting on the information is referred to as the ________. a. market sensing process b. market research process c. target marketing process d. market pulse process e. deployment process Answer: a 17. With respect to the core business processes, all the activities involved in researching, developing, and launching new high-quality offerings quickly and within budget are referred to as the ________. a. new product process b. new offering realization process c. product development process d. product launch process e. return on investment process Answer: b 18. With respect to the core business processes, the ________ is considered to be all the activities involved in defining target markets and prospecting for new customers. a. customer acquisition process b. customer relationship management process c. fulfillment management process d. customer prospecting process e. customer equity process Answer: a 19. A good way to describe the ________ would be discuss all the activities involved in building deeper understanding, relationships, and offerings to individual customers. a. customer acquisition process b. customer relationship management process c. customer prospecting process d. customer fulfillment management process e. customer equity process Answer: b 20. Another way to describe a value delivery network (partnering with specific suppliers and distributors) is to call it a ________. a. teamwork group b. cabal c. domestic power center d. link to relationships e. supply chain Answer: e 21. The key to utilizing organizational core competencies is to ________ that make up the essence of the business. a. make the competencies pay for themselves b. own all intermediaries who come in contact with your goods and services c. own and nurture the resources and competencies d. emphasize global promotions e. segment workforces Answer: c 22. We can say that a ________ has three characteristics: (1) It is a source of competitive advantage in that it makes a significant contribution to perceived customer benefits, (2) it has applications in a wide variety of markets, and (3) it is difficult for competitors to imitate. a. core competency b. business strategy c. core technology d. strategic business unit e. winning strategy Answer: a 23. Core competencies tend to refer to areas of special technical and production expertise, where ________ tend to describe excellence in broader business processes. a. process benchmarks b. distinctive capabilities c. core business values d. value statements e. mission statements Answer: b 24. George Day sees market-driven organizations as excelling in three distinctive capabilities: ________, customer linking, and channel bonding. a. target marketing b. market research c. fulfilling customer needs d. market sensing e. customer service relationships Answer: d 25. Competitors find it hard to imitate companies such as Southwest Airlines, Dell, or IKEA because they are unable to copy their ________. a. product innovations b. distribution strategy c. pricing policies d. activity systems e. logistics system Answer: d 26. One conception of holistic marketing views it as â€Å"integrating the value exploration, ________, and value delivery activities with the purpose of building long-term, mutually satisfying relationship and co-prosperity among key stakeholders.† a. value creation b. value proposition c. value management d. value research e. value chain Answer: a 27. Holistic marketers achieve profitable growth by expanding customer share, ________, and capturing customer lifetime value. a. undermining competitive competencies b. building customer loyalty c. milking the market for product desires d. renewing a customer base e. inspecting all market share data Answer: b 28. The holistic marketing framework is designed to address three key management questions. Which of the following is one of those questions? a. Value claims—how does the company deal with value erosion? b. Value proposition—how can value propositions be made profitable? c. Value chain—are there weak links in the company’s value chain d. Value network—how can a company effectively network? e. Value exploration—how can a company identify new value opportunities? Answer: e 29. The customer’s ________ reflects existing and latent needs and includes dimensions such as the need for participation, stability, freedom, and change. a. competence space b. resource space c. emotional space d. relationship space e. cognitive space Answer: e 30. The companies ________ can be described in terms of breadth—broad versus focused scope of business; and depth—physical versus knowledge-based capabilities. a. business mission b. core strategy c. cognitive space d. competency space e. resource space Answer: d 31. The collaborator’s ________ involves horizontal partnerships, where companies choose partners based on their ability to exploit related market opportunities, and vertical partnership, where companies choose partners based on their ability to serve their value creation. a. resource space b. competency space c. cognitive space d. rational space e. service space Answer: a 32. Business realignment may be necessary to maximize core competencies. Which of the following would be one of the steps in this realignment process? a. Reviewing all macro relationships. b. Reviewing global outreach projections. c. Redefining the business concept (the â€Å"big idea†). d. Reviewing successes from e-commerce (if any). e. Revamping the ethics statement. Answer: c 33. ________ allows the company to discover who its customers are, how they behave, and what they need or want. It also enables the company to respond appropriately, coherently, and quickly to different customer opportunities. a. Network management b. Strategic management c. Marketing management d. Customer relationship management e. Total quality management Answer: d34. To respond effectively and provide value delivery, the company requires ________ to integrate major business processes (e.g., order processing, general ledger, payroll, and production) within a single family of software modules. a. human resource management b. internal auditing management c. internal resource management d. strategic management e. marketing management Answer: c 35. With respect to value delivery, ________ allows the company to handle complex relationships with its trading partners to source, process, and deliver products. a. a value matrix b. a global distribution policy c. a business development strategy d. business partnership management e. total quality management Answer: d 36. Successful marketing requires having capabilities such as understanding ________, creating customer value, delivering customer value, capturing customer value, and sustaining customer value. a. customer loyalty b. customer per c. customer retention d. customer value e. customer benefits Answer: d 37. According to a McKinsey research study, which of the following is one of the main challenges that marketing must face in the twenty-first century? a. The threat of ethics-based lawsuits. b. Doing more with less. c. Hostile takeover attempts. d. Increasing control by big government. e. Being independent of the distribution process. Answer: b 38. Strategic planning in the twenty-first century calls for action in three key areas. Which of these key areas deals specifically with devising a long-term game plan for achieving long-run objectives? a. Creating a viable business opportunity. b. Producing a strategic fit. c. Developing an investment portfolio. d. Expanding core competencies. e. Establishing a strategy. Answer: e 39. Most large companies consist of four organizational levels: the ________, the division level, the business unit level, and the product level. a. board of director level b. major stakeholder level c. management team level d. corporate level e. strategic level Answer: d 40. The ________ is the central instrument for directing and coordinating the marketing effort. a. strategic plan b. marketing plan c. tactical plan d. customer value statement e. corporate mission Answer: b 41. The ________ lays out the target markets and the value proposition that will be offered, based on an analysis of the best market opportunities. a. organizational plan b. strategic marketing plan c. corporate tactical plan d. corporate mission e. customer value statement Answer: b 42. In which of the following plans would we most likely find directions for implementing and addressing daily challenges and opportunities in product features, pro motion, merchandising, pricing, sales channels, and service areas. a. The tactical marketing plan. b. The target marketing plan. c. The deployment plan. d. The product launch plan. e. The product development plan. Answer: a 43. If you wanted to find out more about target markets and the organization’s value proposition, which of the following types of plans would most likely contain information that might be useful to you in your quest? a. The marketing plan. b. The organizational plan. c. The strategic marketing plan. d. The tactical marketing plan. e. The marketing mix plan. Answer: c 44. The ________ process consists of corporate, division, business, and product planning. a. implementing b. controlling c. innovation d. planning e. competitive Answer: d 45. All corporate headquarters undertake four planning activities, the first of which is ________. a. defining the corporate mission b. establishing strategic business units and assigning resources (SBUs) c. assigning resources to each SBU d. assessing growth opportunities e. understanding target markets Answer: a 46. A clear, thoughtful mission statement provides employees with a shared sense of purpose, direction, and ________. a. profitability b. target market feasibility c. opportunity d. continuous improvement e. quality products Answer: c 47. Mission statements are at their best when they reflect a ________. a. market b. strength c. competency d. vision e. value Answer: d 48. Which of the following terms matches to the phrase â€Å"it is a single business or collection of related businesses that can be planned separately from the rest of the company†? a. Strategic business unit. b. Diverse business unit. c. Growth business unit. d. Niche market unit. e. Specialized business unit. Answer: a 49. Market-penetration, product-development, and market-development strategies would all be examples of ________ strategies. a. concentric b. conglomerate c. horizontal d. intensive growth e. integrative growth Answer: d 50. A(n) ________ is when a company might seek new businesses that have no relationship to its current technology, products, or markets. a. concentric strategy b. conglomerate strategy c. horizontal strategy d. intensive growth strategy e. integrative strategy Answer: b 51. Which of the following terms most closely matches to â€Å"the shared experiences, stories, beliefs, and norms that characterize an organization†? a. Organizational dynamics. b. A business mission. c. An ethical/value statement. d. Customer relationships. e. Corporate culture. Answer: e 52. The first step in the business unit strategic-planning process deals with which of the following? a. Goal formulation. b. Business mission. c. Strategy formulation. d. Program formulation. e. SWOT analysis. Answer: b 53. When a business gets to know market segments intimately and pursues either cost leadership or differentiation within the target segment it is referred to as a ________. a. defined strategy b. focused strategy c. value-added strategy d. competitive advantage strategy e. customer-focused strategy Answer: b 54. If a firm pursues a ________ strategy, it must be good at engineering, purchasing, manufacturing, and physical distribution. a. differentiation b. overall cost leadership c. focus d. domestic customer relationship e. market share Answer: b 55. To keep their strategic alliances thriving, corporations have begun to develop organizational structures to support them and have come to view the ability to form and manage partnerships as core skills. This is called ________. a. value managed partnership b. synergistic partnership c. centralized partnership d. partner relationship management e. win-win relationship management Answer: d 56. Traditionally, most businesses focused on stockholders. Today, the focus is on what are called ________. a. stakeholders b. partners c. regulators d. consumer triads e. supply-chain relationships Answer: a 57. A ________ is a written document that summarizes what the marketer has learned about the marketplace and indicates how the firm plans to reach its marketing objectives. a. strategic plan b. marketing plan c. sales plan d. target market plan e. competitive analysis plan Answer: b 58. Which of the following permits senior management to grasp the marketing plan’s major thrust? a. The situation analysis. b. The marketing strategy. c. The executive summary and table of contents. d. Financial projections. e. Implementation and controls. Answer: c 59. Most marketing plans cover ________. a. one year b. two years c. three years d. four years e. five years Answer: a 60. The most frequently cited shortcomings of current marketing plans, according to marketing executives, are lack of realism, insufficient competitive analysis, and a ________ focus. a. long-term b. profit c. short-run d. product e. price Answer: c