Introduction to international relations class, summary related to Essay

Introduction to international relations class, summary related to course on Path to War - Essay Example However, Path to War did not only highlight the personal dilemmas that the president had to deal with during the Vietnam debacle. The movie also exposed the two lines of thought and the corresponding approaches in international relations during the time of the Cold War. In fact, many of the scenes of the debates that took place the Johnson administration’s cabinet meetings focus on these concerns. The ‘domino theory’ was a very influential concept among the politicians at that time. The U.S. government itself was its strongest believer. This theory is based on the analysis that if one country becomes communist, the neighboring countries would surely follow, just like the pieces of the domino. In Path to War, Johnson is portrayed to have firmly believed that once South Vietnam is reunited with the North, it would become communist too. Subsequently, the rest of the countries in Indochina and the entire Southeast Asia could all fall under communist regimes. With this theory in mind, the Johnson administration at the onset of the war were all one in arguing for the necessity of preventing the fall of South Vietnam to the hands of the local communist insurgents. To do so, it sent military advisers to the Southeast Asian country in order to train its armed forces.

Karina Cervantez INTERVIEW Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Karina Cervantez INTERVIEW - Article Example She does this by creating jobs in the area to ensure that people get good pays. According to her, life in California is very expensive. Her other responsibility entails serving in various commission such as the recreation commission where she manages the budgets of the open spaces in the community. She also proposes parks and gardens in the community. She also serves in the planning commission where she addressed land use and housing issues. Moreover, she ensures that people in the city can access the internet in order to improve networking especially among small business persons. One of students asked her to describe her regular day. She said that serving in city council is usually a part time job in their city. She said that each day is different since she performs different tasks. She goes for meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month where she meets with people to talk about the issues facing the council. On other days she attends community events. She is also a teacher in local colleges. She was also asked about the challenges the council faces. She said that the council faces safety issues especially on roads. Among her challenges include financial problems in the council and less political powers. When asked whether she only served documented individuals in the community, she said that all documented and undocumented access the city services. She said the city’s funds come from the taxations all documented and undocumented

Pros and Cons of Partnership as a Form of Ownership Essay Example for Free

Pros and Cons of Partnership as a Form of Ownership Essay Q.1 Identify the pros and cons of the partnership as a form of ownership? A partnership is formed when two or more people engage in a business activity and share investment, profit and loss. Just like any other form of ownership, it has its advantages and disadvantages. Following we discuss some of the pros and cons of a partnership. Pros of the Partnership (1) Ease of Formation: Partnership is comparatively simple to form. All you need to form a partnership is an agreement. A verbal agreement is enough to start a partnership however it is much recommended that partnership be formed based on a written legal partnership agreement. (2) Funding: Partnerships generally have a low startup cost. With two or more people investing capital in the company, the business will have a much stronger financial ground. Two or more people can also have better access to outside funds needed to run the business (3) Divided Responsibility: In a partnership responsibilities of running a business are shared by the owners. Shared responsibilities ease the work load on individuals and can also increase productivity by splitting responsibilities in a way that individuals can use their special skills to maximize the output. (4) Support: Owning and running a business can be very demanding, challenging and stressful. Having a business partner can give you a little peace of mind because a partner can provide moral support when needed. (5) Taxation: The income profit/loss in a partnership flows through the business to individual partners for taxation. In other words the partners are taxed only on the basic of personal income i-e how much loss or profit a partner endured. Cons of Partnership: (1) Liability: In a partnership both partners have un-limited liability (not in LP and LLP). Both partners are responsible for not only their own actions but also the actions of their partners. So, if your partner fails to pay a debt, you personally are responsible for paying that debt and vice versa. If someone sues the partnership and the business doesn’t have enough money to cover the expenses than the partners personal assets will be at stake. (2) Conflicts and Disagreements: Partnerships are for the long term and over the course of time conflicts arise and disagreement happens. Whether these are personal or management style conflicts. They can adversely affect the business. When general partners don’t agree it can delay the decision making time of the company and a bad conflict is enough to dissolve a partnership. (3) Dependence on Partners: The success of any partnership depends heavily on contribution from all partners. If a partner withdraws the business will be crippled, if a partner dies the partnership can die with him. Moreover you can’t make any business decision on your own you’re dependent on your partner. (4) Difficulty Withdrawing: It is not that easy to get out of a partnership. Whoever needs to withdraw will be personally liable for any monetary obligations due at the time of withdrawl. Q.2 Discuss funding options for small business? In order to run a business you need capital. Getting the money together to start a new business is the top priority of any entrepreneur. There are several ways to finance a small business. Following are some options for financing a small business. (1) Personal Resources: Using your own assets is the most common form of small business financing. You can use money from your saving, ask family or friends for capital or use a credit card. (2) Loans: In order to startup a new business, entrepreneur borrows money from the banks. The banks charge an interest rate on the money lent. The business owner must pay the original money borrowed plus the accumulated interest over the life of the loan. In today’s economy it is not easy to secure a commercial loan with the bank. A better and easier way for a new business to get a bank loan is with loan guarantee from the SBA. (3) Angels Investors: Another way to fund a small business is by private investors. Angel Investors are individuals who have a lot of money and are looking to invest a large amount into a profitable business for financial gain and profits. (4) Venture Capital: The companies who fund promising and high potential companies in exchange for ownership shares are known as venture capital firms. Venture capital is the money provided by venture capital firms to startup businesses that are perceived to have a long term growth potential. It has a high risk for investor but also has potential for above average profit returns. 3. Determine and discuss how managerial accounting can help managers with product costing, incremental analysis and budgeting? Managerial accounting provides accounting information needed by managers inside an organization to run its day to day operations. It provides managers with financial information’s needed to make sound business decisions. Managerial accounting information includes budgeting, product costing, performance reports, variance analysis and financial ratios. Following we look at three managerial duties that rely on information received from managerial accounting: (1) Product Costing: Product costing is the process of accurately determine the cost of a single product, by analyzing all the expenses that accrued from the beginning (raw material) to the end (sale). In traditional costing method indirect costs are applied to products, based on an overhead rate that is predetermined. The traditional costing system is easier and much simpler but fails to add the cost of non-manufacturing goods that are associated with the production of that item. (2) Activity Based Costing: Activity Based Costing is a new method in costing. It’s much more complicated that the traditional costing system. ABC gives a much more accurate product cost. Under activity based accounting associated with production of an item is determined and priced. This priced activity is than assigned to every product that requires the prices activity for production. Managerial accounting provides managers with the financial information needed to determine the cost of a manufactured product. (3) Incremental Analysis: Incremental Analysis is a decision making tool. It is used for the analysis of financial information needed to make an informed decision. In incremental analysis two different alternatives are weighed out in terms of cost/profit and the impact of the outcome of this analysis will have on a particular decision. It basically points our related cost and revenue of each alternative and the impact this alternative will have on future income. After using incremental analysis and choosing one alternative over the other. The cost change that occurs due to choosing the alternative is called incremental cost. Managerial accounting provides us with the numbers needed to compare two different alternatives, pick the right one and analyze the difference in cost. Budgeting: It helps managers plan and control costs and revenues. Budgeting is a tool for managers to determine how much money needs to be spent in order to generate a certain level of income. Budgeting in simple terms can be called forecasting; in budgeting we prepare a very detailed statement of financial results that are likely to happen in a time period to come. Companies use budget to plan for a future period based on financial statements. Managerial accounting provides managers with the financial statement for budgeting. Q4. Discuss the basic components of the marketing process using the product or service of your choice as an example? Marketing strategy can be described as an activity to position a product, attract customers while promoting the interest of stakeholders in a business. Marketing makes it possible to communicate the value of a product or service to consumers. Following the basic components of marketing process is explained briefly using artificial jewelry as a product. (1) Product Strategy: Methodologies, tools and technology used by a business to differentiate and distinguish its product from its competitors, is called product strategy. In terms of artificial jewelry my strategy would be to describe my product in full detail including where it was made, who it was designed by and what metals were used in its formation. I would also set my product apart by choosing appealing packaging and I would back the quality of my product by giving guarantees. And above all I would provide exemplary product designs and excellent customer service. (2) Pricing Strategy: Pricing Strategy is very important in marketing because it generates a turnover for the company and it’s also important because it affects other components of marketing as well. In terms of artificial jewelry first I would do a thorough research on competition prices, than I would calculate my final cost and select a pricing objective. I would compare my sale price with that of my competitors, and make sure that my price is lower than the competitors and value of my product is higher than the competition. Initially, I would keep my profitability low and will try to build clientele base by providing unbeatable prices. (3) Distribution Strategy: Distribution plays a very important role in marketing strategy. It involves how well the final product is delivered to the consumer. The product must be delivered to the end user in the right quantity, at the correct date and time. In terms of artificial jewelry most of my sales will be distributed at shows and festivals organized by different entities and a major part of my sales is also going to be web based. I will contact different shipping companies to find out the best courier in terms of price and value. And ship my jewelry through the best medium, at minimum amount of tie. (4) Promotion Strategy: Promotion Strategy is also vital part of marketing. A promotion strategy includes all the ways used by companies to provide information about their product in such a way that it would ultimately increase the company’s sale. In terms of artificial jewelry I would offer some sort of coupon and advertise my discount. Offer free shipping (when possible), maintain customer relations and send out promotional information to existing clients. Q.5 Discuss the role of social responsibility and technology in the marketing function. Social Responsibility in Marketing: Being socially responsible for an organization means that it cares and shows concerns about the people and environment in which they conduct business. Marketing can be described as promotion, selling and distribution of a product. Social responsibilities in marketing would first of all include truth telling about their product , all the information about the product should be correct and up to date. Companies should be concerned about their environment and take steps to make a cleaner. Companies should also show support for social causes in marketing. Company should market their product in a way that it doesn’t offend any group of people. Technology in Marketing: The technological boom in the past years had definitely revolutionized marketing. The internet has created numerous marketing opportunities for businesses. Now days there are numerous marketing firms that work exclusively on the internet. At first radio changed marketing, than TV and now it’s the age of hand held devices and internet. Marketers now days know that constant technological advances require evolution in the marketing process. With technological advances it’s much simpler and quicker to get customer feedback. It is much simpler to deliver the product to the customer and to do market research and maintain your brand reputation. Technology had had a great impact on marketing.

Neurons; semi-permeable membrane

Neurons; semi-permeable membrane Neurons are covered by a semi-permeable membrane that contains Ion Channels. These ion channels open and close to let positive ions, such as sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+), and negative ions, like chlorine (Cl-), enter the neuron. Ion channels are closed when the neuron is not transmitting information or is resting. Using a device called the oscilloscope, neuroscientists have found that the Resting Potential of a neuron (or the electrical charge of a resting neuron) is -70 millivolts (mV). Thus, an electric eel having 8,400 neurons can generate up to 588 V! Because a resting neuron is negatively charged in relation to its positive surrounding (that is, more negative ions are present inside the cell body of the neuron), a resting neuron is said to be polarized. However, when dendrites receive neurotransmitters from neighboring neurons, the ion channels open up and let positive ions depolarize the neuron. The Action Potential of a neuron (or the electrical charge of an activated neuron) depends upon the kind of neurotransmitter housed by the neuron. The qualitative differences between neurons result to variation in their voltage threshold. A depolarized neuron that has reached its voltage threshold â€Å"fires† at a level of intensity that remains unchanged, called the All-or-None principle, and as fast as 0.001 second. The brief wave of positively charged ions inside the neuron pushes the synaptic vesicles at the end of the terminal buttons, thereby releasing the neurotransmitters to the Synapse or the Synaptic Gap, the small gap between neurons. Neurotransmitters that are released in the synapse do not move in a predictive manner; rather, they randomly wander along the synaptic gap. Different neurotransmitters have different shapes, and the shapes serve as keys for opening the receptor sites at the dendrites of the receiving neuron. After the neurotransmitter activates the receiving neuron, they are then reabsorbed back in the synaptic vesicles of the terminal buttons of the releasing neuron. The re-absorption causes the neuron to get polarized and rest once again. In summary, the pre-synaptic neuron releases neurotransmitters that activate the post-synaptic neuron, which, in turn, releases neurotransmitters that can further activate other neighboring neurons. In this manner, electrical transmission is converted into chemical code, and back to electricity. This is the reason why the nervous system is characterized with electrochemical transmission. However, communication between neurons is not a linear path. Known as the Volley principle, a firing neuron can activate many neurons at once; vice versa, a neuron can be activated by the simultaneous firing of neurons that have different neurotransmitter types. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals released by a neuron to communicate with another neuron. They may be excitatory or inhibitory. Excitatory Neurotransmitters are those that activate other neurons to fire, while Inhibitory Neurotransmitters are those that restrain neurons to fire. There are currently fifty (50) discovered neurotransmitters. The six (6) types of neurotransmitters featured below are those that have major effects on behavior. * Acetylcholine or Ach is an excitatory neurotransmitter involved in muscular action, learning and memory. It is located throughout the central and peripheral nervous system. Low level of acetylcholine is associated with Alzheimers Disease, a degenerative disease wherein neurons die at a rate faster than normal. Up to date, no treatment has been found to cure this deadly disease. Drugs that supply ACh are only used to delay or reduce the rate of neuronal death. * Dopamine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that controls voluntary movement, sleep, mood, attention and learning. Inhibition is a very important element for controlled action. Low level of dopamine is associated with Parkinsons Disease, wherein patients shake uncontrollably on different parts of the body. The disease is also degenerative, so that the shaking can range from mild to extremely uncomfortable. On the other hand, high level of dopamine is observed among schizophrenic patients. * Endorphinis an excitatory neurotransmitter involved in feelings of pleasure. Endorphins are called the natural opiates in the body and serve as pain killers especially on pregnant women during labor and delivery. High level of endorphins is also observed among long-distance runners and persons shocked from a traumatic accident. * Gamma Amino Butyric Acid or GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that controls the electrochemical communication among neurons. It is located only in the central nervous system, and fills one-third (1/3) of the brains synapses. Low level of GABA is associated with anxiety. * Norepinephrine is both inhibitory and excitatory. It controls alertness and regulates sleep and wakefulness with ACh. As an inhibitory neurotransmitter, norepinephrine acts like GABA in preventing neurons from firing uncontrollably. As an excitatory neurotransmitter, it activates the heart muscles, the intestine and the neuro-genital tract. (For more information on how norepinephrine affects the body, consider reading about the endocrine system from the article â€Å"What are the Biological Foundations of Behavior?†) Low level of norepinephrine is linked with depression, while high level of norepinephrine is associated with agitation and mania. * Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that works with Ach and norepinephrine in regulating sleep, mood, attention and learning. Just like norepinephrine, low level of serotonin is associated with depression.

Servant Leadership Would Make the World a Better Place :: Servant Leadership

In such a corrupt world, there is the need for laws and enforcement of those laws. It is expected that those put in positions to keep those safe, such as politicians, police officers, and firefighters, are actually putting others before themselves, but this is not always the case. Unfortunately, there are many in these types of positions who hold their positions because of gaining income (which is of course of importance) but do not have a strong passion for people. This brings to the case the theory of servant leadership. Northouse (2013) defines servant leadership as emphasizing that leaders be attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathize with them, and nurture them. Those who are truly servant leaders have the best interest of their followers at heart and are able to help them and lift them up, selflessly. Because politicians, police officers, and firefighters are all considered community and national leaders of our country, it is important that those are are put into these positions have characteristics of being a servant leader. Although some may argue that we may not be â€Å"followers† that does not take away from the leadership impact that they have. Although Northouse (2013) lists 10 characteristics of servant leadership (p. 221), 5 that I feel are of the most important for political and community leaders are stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, listening, empathy, and awareness. Collectively, all of these make the leader aware of their positions, aware of their impact, and ready to commit to the growth of those they are called to lead. In a perfect world, instead of politicians having hidden agendas, there only agenda would be the one they were voted into: leading others and having a positive impact on our communities, states, and country as a whole.

Medicare Cutbacks :: essays research papers

Medicare Cutbacks Politicians, hospital administrators, doctors, and union leaders across the country are scrambling to reverse Medicare policy that has cut off, and will continue to cut off, billions of dollars from the health care industry and force cutbacks in critical medical services. The combination of rising cost in the health care industry and the diminishing Medicare payments are predicted to result in devastating effects to many aspects of the sector. Physicians, treatment facilities, medical training institutions, as well as beneficiaries are all vulnerable to the adverse effects of Medicare cutbacks. Nationwide, hospitals will lose approximately $1.6 billion annually once new Medicare cuts go into place on October 1, 2002. The cutbacks contained in the fiscal year 2003 budget will present a substantial challenge in the days lying ahead for the programs 550,000 participating physicians and its 39 million beneficiaries (Haugh, 2002). In the resent days of staffing crisis’s, liability insurance price hikes, and the overall elevating cost of providing healthcare, the Medicare cutbacks could not have come at a more inconvenient time for health care officials. Medicare payment reductions have become the added fuel in the industries financial crisis fire. I. Introduction A. What the projected cutbacks are. B. What prompted the cutbacks? 1. Balanced Budget Act of 1997 C. Who will be effected by the cutbacks? II. Impact on Physicians and private practice A. Reimbursement rate deduction B. Medicare participation decline 1. 17 percent of family physician have stopped taking new Medicare patients (Inglehart, 2002). III. Impact on Hospitals A. Disproportional-share hospital payment reduction B. Reimbursement rate reduction IV. Impact on training hospitals A. Indirect medical education payment adjustments B. Importance of training facility funding V. Impact on beneficiaries A. Good v. Bad 1. More funds available for new programs such as drug benefits. 2. Limited access to care. 3. Limited choices. VI. Conclusion References Association of American Medical Colleges. (2002, May 15). Health care leaders urge congress to stop medicare cuts to teaching hospitals. Retrieved September 10, 2002, from http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/Pressrel/ 2002/020515.htm Centers for Medicare & Medicaid. (2002, September 5). Hospital outpatient prospective payment system. Retrieved September 11, 2002, from http://cms.hhs.gov/ regulations/hopps/ Haugh, R. (2002, April). Dr. discontent. Hospitals & Health Networks, 34-42. Haugh, R. (2002, March). Feeling the pressure?. Hospitals & Health Networks, 42-45. Hernandez, R. (2001, May 14). A broad alliance tries to head off cuts in medicare [Electronic version].

Research funding of medical product development Essay

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common ailments in adults especially the old. Over 26.6 million people around the world are affected by the disease with an increase expected in the coming years. So far, there has been no established cure for the disease whose results are pain and suffering in the patients and death. With these facts, research that can lead to success in tackling this global calamity would be instrumental and welcome. This makes it critical and worth for any form of funding to be provided in any research towards elimination of the same. The document evaluates the various forms of funding available which would help in the research to develop a novel compound critical in controlling and even curing the disease. Discussion National governments are one of the biggest sources of funding for clinical research. Various governments set aside some money in their Health sector budget of which a big portion includes money for research. The government funding programs operate locally or internationally (Murray & Johnston, 2010). An example in national government funding is the NIH (National Institute of Health) which through its various sections such as the National Human Genome Research Institute provides funding for research projects in America (Kulakowski, 2006). For the case of research in Alzheimer’s disease, national funding is through the National Institute on Aging. Government funding is beneficial in that they are not discriminative compared to funding from other sources such as organizations. However, one disadvantage is that the funds may take long thus jeopardizing the research (Kaitin, 2010). Associated closely with national governments and also a source of funding are government agencies. Agencies operate both nationally and internationally (Shaw, 2005). An example of such an agency is the Department of Energy in America. The agencies provide the funds to different sub-divisions of research areas, for example, the Human Genome Project section which may assist in developing the compound identified (Boss & Eckert, 2006). With their international operations, the benefit is that the agencies will fund any project that fulfills its requirements. One disadvantage however is that agencies are prone to manipulation and thus may be biased in funding projects due to political differences (Smith, 2006). Another source of funding for scientific research projects are foundations. These entities have a wide range of research requirements and interests (Hulley, 2007). Some of the foundations will be specific in the areas they want to fund such as the American Cancer Society that focuses on Cancer. Others are open for any research in any area such as the Howard Hughes Medical Institute which provides funding for various areas, for example, Alzheimer’s disease (Reinhart & National Research Council, 2006). Brightfocus Foundation and Alzheimer’s Research Foundation are some of the foundations that focus on funding Alzheimer based research (Financing roundup, 2008). The benefit in using foundations is that they span a wide range of research areas thus a big chance of being funded (Clinical research in Finland in 2002 and 2007, 2013). There is a disadvantage in that funding from foundations is subject to misappropriation through vices such as corruption affects the operations (C ambron, 2008). Many individuals have been known to offer private funding for research projects all over the world. Wealthy individuals are now funding scientific research institutions or individual based ones (Page, 2012). Armand Hammer, former chairman of Occidental Petroleum Corporation is an example. For his case, he provided funding for cancer related projects (Lee, 2010). Another example is Ronald Perelman and Lilly Tartikoff who funded the Revlon/ UCLA women’s Cancer Research Program under the leadership of Salmon (Bazell & Bernstein, 1998). One advantage of funding from individuals is that there are no rigorous processes involved in obtaining the funds like is the case with government agencies and foundations. A disadvantage in using the same is that individual funding may be withdrawn when differences arise thus stalling the research (Kullmann, 2006). References Bazell, R., & Bernstein, A. (1998). Her-2: The making of herceptin, a revolutionary treatment for breast cancer. New York: Random House. Boss, J. M., & Eckert, S. H. (2006). Academic scientists at work. New York, NY: Springer. Cambron, J. (2008). Grant funding for elderly health services (6th ed.). Manasquan, NJ: Health Resources Publishing. Clinical research in Finland in 2002 and 2007: Quantity and type. (2013). BioMed Central.Financings roundup.(Harvard University Office of Technology Development is funding for research projects in biomedical and life sciences )(Report). (2008, February 11). Medical Device Week.Hulley, S. (2007). Designing clinical research (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Kaitin, K. (2010). (video) Research funding of medical product development.Kulakowski, E. (2006). Research administration and management. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett. Kullmann, P. (2012). The Inventor’s Guide for Medical Technology From Your Napkin to the Market. Minneapolis: Hillcrest Media Group. Lee, J. (2010). Biomedical engineering entrepreneurship. Singapore: World Scientific. Murray, T. H., & Johnston, J. (2010). Trust and integrity in biomedical research: The case of financial conflicts of interest. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Page, P. (2012). An introduction to clinical research. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Reinhart, G. R., & National Research Council (U.S.). (2006). Enhancing philanthropy’s support of biomedical scientists: Proceedings of a workshop on evaluation. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Shaw, G. (2005, October). Tapping Alternative Sources: Funding Beyond the NIH. G & P, 5(8)12-18. Smith, C. (2006). The process of new drug discovery and development (2nd ed.). New York: Informa Healthcare. Source document