Pulmonary fibrosis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pulmonary fibrosis - Research Paper Example Pulmonary fibrosis is a factor that categorizes various forms of acute and chronic interstitial lung disease. The American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society classify Interstitial Pulmonary Diseases into seven distinct categories of Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), â€Å"idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP), acute interstitial pneumonitis (AIP), respiratory bronchiolitis-associated ILD, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP) and lymphocyte interstitial pneumonia† (Lovgren, 2007). The history of pulmonary fibrosis is deeply linked with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a subset of ILD. IPD is a form of chronic pulmonary fibrosis where the etiology of the disease is unknown. IPF was first described by Hamman and Rich in 1935 at the John Hopkins Hospital. Later this was found to be a case of acute interstitial pneumonia. The Liebow classifications in 1960 marked a new era f or interstitial lung diseases. It was not until 1980 that the importance of growth factors was taken into consideration. This led to understanding of ILD through abnormal wound healing rather than inflammation. Anatomy of the systems involved The foremost system involved and affected by pulmonary fibrosis is the respiratory system. ... The alveoli are sac like structures that are present at the terminal end of the bronchioles. Alveoli are highly vascularized and are responsible for gaseous exchange. The alveolar wall is about 0.5 µm in thickness. It consist of four layers of cells which are the squamous cells of alveoli, basement membrane of alveoli, basement membrane of the capillaries and squamous cells of capillaries. The intersitium is the space between the alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium. It is found to be thin on one side of the capillary, where it consists of basement membranes of the capillary and alveoli. The mechanical strength of the thin side of the blood gas barrier comes from the type IV collagen present in the interstitium. The opposite side of the capillary has an interstitium that is wider and consists of type I collagen with fibroblasts and pericytes. Pulmonary fibrosis affects the intersitium of the alveoli. The disease involves thickening of this interstitium through collagen. In the initial stages, an increased number of lymphocytes and plasma cells are found within the area. These cells are later accompanied by fibroblasts that lay down thick collagen bundles. The functioning of the heart is closely related to respiratory system. The affects of pulmonary fibrosis are evident on the working of the cardiovascular system. Since the tissue is scarred, the heart muscle works harder to pump the same volume of blood through the lungs. As fibrosis continues the risks of heart failure increase. Causes for the disease Pulmonary fibrosis may be caused by a number of factors, the foremost of which are inhalation of environmental agents and results of auto immune disorders. The more common reasons

Strategic Marketing Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Marketing Plan - Assignment Example Laura Ashley, the brand that originated from Welsh designer Laura Ashley, is a household name popularised by its colourful fabrics for clothes and home furnishings. Laura Ashley Plc. is a small family company with very specialised products spread in the Europe, UK and US. Started by the Ashleys in 1953 the company kept on embracing new products and companies and integrated vertically. The key for the significance and the competitive edge of the company was the design philosophy of Laura Ashley. Although the company faced a shock after the death of Laura Ashley but the company followed the line of Laura's designs. By 1985 the company established its own supply chain and kept on supplying the products at shops. The Company also implemented the Information system for effective communication with in the company Sales practice: The Company established the shops with the same design and undertaken research and development activities in order to analyse the consumer preferences regarding th e brand. As a result of the surveys conducted the company found the brand name as the major asset of the company, which could prove to be the main source of competitive advantage of the company. Using the Ansoff matrix which is a framework for identifying corporate growth opportunities with two dimensions determining the scope of options between products and markets, this study shall develop SMART strategic marketing objectives. It will identify four generic growth strategies: Market penetration of Laura Ashley means that the company need to aim selling its existing high-end products from accessories, beds, bedlinen and bedspreads, curtains, cushions and throws, fabric, furniture, lighting, mirrors, rugs, sofas and chairs, and wallpapers within the markets it is currently serving but in increasing numbers. Greater effort in sales and marketing to achieve higher product sales is needed for a bigger market share attained possibly through improved product quality or cost reductions. In this process, Laura Ashley must take the opportunity to capture high-end markets in emerging economies such as India and China. As LA's market has declined, more marketing efforts are needed. Market development means selling to new customers for existing products which could require market segmentation. New market in this instance could include previously un-served geographical areas, or another market segment which was not previously catered to. For Laura Ashley, considering its classic home furnishing and fabrics, new markets such as those seeking luxurious abode overseas could be a target. Age, for instance could also be factor for consideration in this process as it has been suggested by various studies that older age indicate diligent shoppers and pursue sedate lifestyle (Zeithaml, 1985 and Hisrich & Peters, 1974). LA could also go for full nesters indicative through movement in household as this group prefer consumer durables and are basically home-oriented (Shanginger and Danko, 1993) Product development through new designs of existing products capitalising on existing knowledge and skills for the market it once

Analysis essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Analysis - Essay Example 5. Certain policies of the government that might affect the economy and hence, the market or industry under consideration. One reason why it becomes very important to consider GDP in case of UK is that UK is a developed country. The infrastructure and the high end technology available in UK come at a higher cost than that in the developing countries. The expenditure increases due to non-availability of cheap labor. Thus, to support the ‘relatively’ high manufacturing costs, the GDP should be ‘relatively’ higher so that the profit is not affected. The GDP of UK was severely affected by recession. Though a lot of newspapers reported the rise in GDP by more than 0.4% in the fourth quarter last year, the GDP had dipped by 6% during recession (The Herald 2010). Does that mean that the spending has declined? Not much. The savings ratio has been declining along with the decline in GDP (guardian.co.uk 2010). Hence, the spending of citizens of UK has not been affected much. But another factor to worry about is the increase in VAT (Value Added Tax). To reduce the fiscal deficit, which went up during recession, the UK government has increased Value Added Tax from 15% to 17.5% (Dalong 2009). All confectionery items are VAT-able items. The cost of chocolates will increase. But how much will this affect the consumption of chocolates? To gain popularity in the UK confectionery market, it would be sensible to sell chocolates at a lower profit margin rather than increasing the prices because of the increase in VAT. ‘Cadbury’s’, which enjoyed a share of more than 30% of the UK confectionery market until last year, made the mistake of increasing the price of its ‘Dairy Milk’ bars. This led to a drop in the consumption of Cadbury’s products and their market shares dropped. Thus, it would be sensible to sell chocolates at lower price until the brand gains popularity and recognition and until UK completely recovers from reces sion (tutor2u 2009). The

The Role of Social Media in Managing Customer Relationship Essay

The Role of Social Media in Managing Customer Relationship - Essay Example All strategies at social media are directed by five aspects. These main objectives which the businesses plan to achieve on the social media include becoming popular and visible to the customers, start engaging with the existing and prospect customers, acquiring media attention by engaging with bloggers and journalists, establishing a reputation which promotes word of mouth sales for the business and maximizing the overall sales of the business. All the set objectives are essential to be implemented and they become an essential tool for the business’ social media strategy success. 2.0 THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN MANAGING CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP Social media is considered very important for business marketers and being a new phenomenon it is spreading widely as a business development platform. 2.1. SOCIAL MEDIA Social Media is a forum which facilitates interaction of social community and allows the sharing of various contents through different social community based applicat ions. It includes different forms which include blogs, social sites and videos etc (Kim and Ko, 2012). Gaining extensive popularity the business firms and governmental organizations have started using social media as an important communication tool. Social media based marketing requires comparatively less input and it is highly cost effective if managed properly. The claimed immense development of SM can be witnessed from the following statistics (Bosari, 2012): SM is used as a marketing platform by 94% of the businesses which have an organized marketing department. 60% of the marketers constantly devote their time in the development of the SM forum. 85% of businesses which use the SM platform have admitted that... This essay approves that since recent past messages were communicated to the public through press releases, advertisements and press conferences. Over the years, new methods and channels of communication are developed and social media is one of them. Social media is an active channel which is used for maintaining social society. Social media is considered very important for business marketers and being a new phenomenon it is spreading widely as a business development platform. This report makes a conclusion that the social community and advertising on the SM affects the consumers buying behavior. Based on the earlier discussion the customers carefully assess the ratings and reviews which have been given to the products or services this attracts the users and establishes their end buying decisions. The decision of the consumers to buy or not to buy the product is referred to as the purchase decision. From various studies it has been derived that the attitudes and the preferences of the consumers towards the Brand is detrimental to measuring the attitude of the customers. The purchase intention is based on the attitude of the customer which develops with the equity. The implications of this research clearly elaborate the significance of Social Media and its contribution in effectively managing customer relationship. From this report an assessment has been developed about the effect of Social Media on customer service, brand loyalty and purchase intention of the customers. It has been noted that worldwide social media is progressing.

Services in Your Area Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Services in Your Area - Assignment Example The home depicted in the above illustration can be represented as the cable organizations i.e. AT&T and Motorola which provides their respective services with the help of a router and a link is created with the help of a cable. By this way, the connectivity gets transmitted to a fiber node, thereby providing connections to home computers and telephones (LChu.net, n.d). Comparison and Evaluation of the Speed of DSL of AT & T and Cable Modem of Motorola In terms of speed, AT&T is regarded as one of the fastest providers of internet in the respective industry. The DSL service of the company has been viewed to deliver high speed that ranges from 200 Kbps -768 Kbps and even goes to 18.1 Mbps -24 Mbps (AT&T Intellectual Property, 2013). However, the cable modems of Motorola helps in delivering high speed data that offers the option of sharing a single data plan between multiple computers. Its data plans are used for delivering voice as well as data services. However, Motorola’s cabl e modems can fetch a speed of 38 Mbps which is far impressive as compared to the DSL of AT&T (Motorola Mobility LLC, 2013). Comparison and Evaluation of the Cost of DSL of AT & T and Cable Modem of Motorola After making a thorough comparison between the costs of DSL and cable modem of AT&T and Motorola respectively, it can be apparently observed that the price range of cable modems of Motorola is quite high. But, on the other hand, the cost of DSL’s belonging to AT&T is not so much high as compared to Motorola. A high quality wireless based cable modem of Motorola costs around 100 Dollars, whereas, most of the DSL’s of AT&T costs less than 50 Dollars which holds Motorola in a very high position in terms of pricing of the products (AT&T Intellectual Property, 2013). Comparison and Evaluation of the Reliability of DSL of AT & T and Cable Modem of Motorola In terms of reliability, both the products seem to deliver customer oriented services However, the services which del iver by Motorola are quite user-friendly and most significantly different options are provided for trouble shooting and diagnosing any sort of problem related to connectivity. In addition, the company also provides facilities for remote configuration of the devices. In comparison, AT&T also delivers services that are well suited with the convenience as well as the preferences of the customers. It has been viewed that the products of AT&T generally allows the multiple users to access the devices from different locations. Moreover, the DSL service which provides by the company enables to establish a strong collaboration within the employees by ensuring proper connection among them through incorporating wide range of connectivity. The services of the company are supported by global infrastructure of Internet Protocol which ensures proper reach to the consumers along with high performance and total security (AT&T Intellectual Property, 2013). Recommendations Based on the services that p rovides by both the companies, it can be recommended that Motorola must opt for making cable modems that best suits the preferences as well as the requirements of the consumers. The company can lower down the costs of its service i.e. cable modems in order to increase its profitability along with overall productivity. On the other hand, AT&T can follow extended efforts for making its DSL service more reliable, trustworthy as well as customized. However, the

Training and development Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Training and development - Coursework Example In addition, Milliken offers vast majors from Accounting to Theatre Stage Management. In a competitive world of job seeking, many students need to enhance their skills to accommodate the growing needs of their prospect organizations. Hence, it is advisable for students to broaden the scope of study by taking a brief glance of majors that Milliken offers. Their program is ranked as one of the most prestigious programs throughout the nation. It offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The unique thing about this program is the fact that it offers students with key insights about real life examples that students can learn from. In addition, this program emphasizes students to have a strong foundation of business courses such as accounting and finance. The university also clearly insists that students must understand the importance of their education as the counselors are keen on making programs that compromise of 8 semesters of field of study. The Bachelor’s Program admits freshmen and transfer students with significant community college credits. Lastly, the organization is clearly paving the for the prospect students as the graduate student team won 2004 and 2006 regional academic competitions. In addition, it has a long-standing history of academic excellence. The tuition is pretty decent to afford, and the curriculum is designed to equip students with a solid foundation in all aspects of their study. Moreover, the counselors understood the goals of a student, which is vital for a student’s success. The college utilizes several channels to exploit the avenues that lead to learning resources. First and foremost is the fact that Milliken firmly believes in Education, Empowering and Training. Education is the most fundamental belief of the university as it wants to challenge its students and harness their growth in a special manner. This is achieved through providing a dynamic learning in the classrooms and creating an atmosphere in which facul ty can collaborate with students to initiate a better learning environment. Another learning resource that the university utilizes is the Kirkland Fine Arts Center. The Arts Center provides the necessary hands on development that is crucial for the development of students. It provides students and faculty with a very holistic approach that narrow the gap between theory and practice. The Preparatory Department is another learning resource that is a highly valued asset for Milliken. Another learning resource that the university utilizes is the research and development lab in the science department. The science department is one the of the strongest center of focus for Milliken as it allows students to innovate and learn about new findings that can be published in scholarly articles. Most students and employees heavily invest themselves in creating the safest chemicals for the company. The science department is also assisted by the Staley library, which aids students in need of researc h knowledge. Together they provide a strong force for professional development and real-life theory. The university’s mission’s statement is â€Å"to offer an education that integrates the traditional liberal arts and the practical arts of the professions.† The company’s mission statement revolves around it as it is dedicates to create best products from research and development. Clearly it defines that by creating state of an art facility for

Environmental Factors Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Environmental Factors - Case Study Example Cultural, political, economic, technological, and competitive environments differ from nation to nation. Marketing on a global scale requires that Sam' Club representatives make adjustments to existing marketing plans to meet local conditions; understanding the nuances of these environmental factors will prove advantageous. Market research, such as that done by Wal-Mart Sotres, Inc., plays a very large role in addressing these factors and understanding the adjustments that must be made to effectively market on an international level. Social and cultural environmental factors focus on the interactions of groups of people within a nation: characteristics, growth projections, numbers, and interactive behaviors (Bearden, et al., 2003). The economic environmental factor refers to the buying power of potential consumers. Understanding how strong or weak the consumer economy is in a new country will ensure Sam's Club's ability to meet and exceed the customers' expectations and needs. Marketing practices and several ethical concerns can be discovered by researching a nations political system. For example, labor laws vary from one nation to another; advertising laws may be different and various regulations in different nations can affect marketing practices and, occasionally, marketing effectiveness (Bearden et al., 2003). Technological environmental factors involve trends in innovations; these factors can determine how marketing plans are performed or carried out. Finally, the competitive environmental factors entail un derstanding how many organizations currently compete to serve the consumers with similar product lines and services offered by Sam's Club (Bearden, et al., 2003). Cultural differences from nation to nation will sometimes effect the types of products to be offered. Armstrong and Kotler (2005) use McDonald's as an example of using product diversity to market to different nations: McDonald's uses the same basic operating formula in its restaurants around the world but adapts its menu to local tastes. It uses chili sauce instead of ketchup on its hamburgers in Mexico. In Vienna, its restaurants include "McCafes," which offer coffee blended to local tastes, and in Korea, it sells roast pork on a bun with a garlicky soy sauce. In India, where cows are considered sacred, McDonald's serves chicken, fish, vegetable burgers, and the Maharaja Mac- two all-mutton patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun (p. 534). Armstrong and Kotler (2005) have effectively demonstrated how McDonald's was able to address and overcome cultural environmental factors by offering something other than hamburgers to countries and societies that do not eat them. To successfully enter new cultural markets, Sam's Club, along with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., will need to research differences in brand and product expectations, as well as the delivery of these products. Growing technology allows Sam's Club and marketing research teams in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., to monitor the and identify key environmental factors by tracking marketing trends; for example, demographic research and other data can prove to be invaluable for use as marketing tools. By using technology, such